Emma woke to warm sunshine on her skin and the smell of pancakes surrounding her. She slowly stretched to feel out which of her muscles were sore. Henry and Regina's hushed voices drifted out to her from the kitchen. When she heard clinking plates she rose from the couch and headed towards breakfast. Regina stopped her just outside the door. She gripped Emma's hips, their bodies flush as she held her back.
"Not yet." Regina whispered. She turned her head slightly to listen for Henry's signal. Emma kissed Regina's temple.
"Good morning." Emma whispered. Regina turned back towards Emma for a kiss on the lips.
"Good morning." She whispered back.
"They're ready!" Henry called. Emma spun Regina out of the way and rushed into the kitchen.
Henry had three plates set out, each piled with pancakes. He was already pouring syrup over his. Emma swiped the syrup bottle from his hands.
"Hey!" He said. Emma laughed as she started to drown her pancakes.
"I think you both have plenty." Regina said as she confiscated the bottle.
Tamsin could hear Emma and Henry's protests from the foyer. Things were going back to normal here. It wouldn't be so easy for her and Bo. Tamsin would miss their time on the road, but Bo would have a new crisis to absorb her attention. Tamsin wasn't even sure if Bo liked her company. Maybe she was just useful backup. She moved closer to the kitchen to listen to the family laughter.
A knock at the front door interrupted breakfast. Emma headed out to answer, and Tamsin turned quickly towards the study to move out of sight. She almost ran right into Bo.
"Good morning." Bo said. Her slight smile told Tamsin she'd been caught spying.
They headed towards the front door when they heard David's voice. David nodded to them when they walked up. He looked concerned. Back to work already.
"The bodies might attract more." He said. "At the very least it's suspicious to anyone looking for safety."
"What do you think, burn them?" Emma asked.
"We're coming with you." Bo said. Emma turned towards her. Bo could see she was relieved to not have to ask for the help. It didn't take long to gather supplies as a group, and soon they were back at the town line.
"Let's do this fast." Emma said. She wasn't looking to spend much time surrounded by zombie remains. She was also a little paranoid that the Boston militia was looking for them.
The zombies started rapidly decomposing over night. Some corpses lay in pieces in growing puddles of body fluids. Others were piles of flesh with bones poking out. Few were even recognizable as former humans.
The group shoveled remains into wheelbarrows. A long spike helped grip the pieces they scraped off the pavement. They sprinkled sawdust to soak up the last of the fluids.
Whale sent them surgical masks to help shield them from the smell and Bowas grateful for the protection. She remembered her nausea after finding a forgotten piece of pizza that sat under the couch for a few days. No way her stomach could handle the full stench of the scene before her.
Tamsin was used to this kind of carnage. She just wasn't used to cleaning it up.
She was on board when Regina suggested using magic to clean the mess. Bo turned that plan down when Regina couldn't answer whether the bodies might just move somewhere else. Their only option was doing things the hard way.
The work took longer than expected. Emma could imagine Mary Margaret and David pacing on the other side of the town line. An hour into their task, Henry stepped across the line pushing a wheelbarrow of his own. Regina pulled down her mask.
"Henry." She tried to protest.
"I can help." Henry said. Emma saw a responsibility in his eyes that she wasn't used to. His brow was slightly furrowed, his concern mirroring her own determination when she knew she needed to do something.
"I'm worried about you." Henry added. He knew they needed to hear it. He couldn't stand by and watch. He wanted to take action. Emma swelled with pride, but still looked to Regina for the official answer.
"Stay between us and Storybrooke." Regina said.
Henry hurried to the closest zombie. Regina paused to watch him maneuver his shovel underneath what might have been a rib cage and lift it into the wheelbarrow.
"Did you see that look?" She whispered to Emma when she turned away. "When did he grow up?" A smirk pulled across Emma's face.
"He didn't get that from me." She whispered back.
"Hey, Moms!" Henry called. They turned to see him holding out a spike, the dripping head of a zombie skewered on the end of it.
"It's so gross!" He said. He scrunched up his face as the head threatened to slide back to the pavement.
"Henry, put that down." Regina scolded.
Henry grinned at her reaction as he shook the zombie head into his wheelbarrow.
"He gets that from you." Regina whispered. Emma saw her smile slightly before she pushed her wheelbarrow to the next body.
They piled the remains on a base of kindling and held it together with a frame of bloodied tools. Emma poked at the body pile with her spike as they built it.
"Leave that be." Regina whispered. She put a hand on the stake to pull it back from the zombies. Emma smiled at her worry, but did as she was asked. She used a makeshift flamethrower to start the blaze.
"Can I-" Henry asked. He reached for the flamethrower with eager eyes.
"No!" Emma and Regina said in unison. They sent him to wait at the Charmings' apartment.
Once the pile started to burn on its own, the rest of them retreated to the safety of Storybrooke limits. They watched in silence as the fire consumed the evidence of their massacre. When it was nothing but a smoldering pile of metal and ash, they buried it and made their way to the hospital.
Emma couldn't remember the last time she was in Whale's office. Today it felt more like a presentation room. He'd cleared off his desk. A monitor on the back wall had a frozen image of something microscopic. Emma guessed it was the dead virus.
"So, let's see this cure." Tamsin said.
Whale pulled a rack of vials from the fridge and set it on his desk. Each vial was filled with blood.
"The blood I took from Regina has the dead virus in it." Whale explained.
"That's what I took to the safe zone." Emma said.
"Which was received rather poorly." Regina added.
"How did you kill it?" Bo asked.
"I didn't." Whale answered. He nodded to Emma and Regina. "They did it with magic. With True Love."
"How sweet." Tamsin deadpanned.
"That's all we need for a vaccine, right?" Bo asked. Regina crossed her arms. Emma saw the discomfort starting to creep into her expression.
"One person can't possibly provide the volume needed outside Storybrooke. It needs to be synthesized." Whale said.
"So why haven't you?" Tamsin asked.
"It seems to be outside the reach of my talents." Whale said it softly, as if he'd disappointed himself.
"I know someone who can help." Bo said. She turned to Regina to add, "You'll have to go with us."
"I don't think so." Regina said.
"A sample can be damaged. It can go bad, or whatever, right?" Bo asked Whale. He almost nodded but when Regina shot him a look he only shrugged.
"I can't risk something happening to that supply." Bo said. Emma saw Regina's worry darken into anger.
"I don't know who you think you are-." Regina started.
"You might be the only one immune. The only one who can fix this." Bo interrupted.
"I don't owe that to anyone." Regina said.
"It's the right thing to do." Bo pushed.
"You saw how they treated her out there. I don't want that kind of attention on my town." Regina snapped.
"We can get it to the right people. No one will know it's from here." Bo said.
Regina took a menacing step forward. She sneered when Bo didn't back down, instead raising her chin in defiance.
"People need this. My family needs this." Bo said.
"My family is finally safe. I don't care what happens to yours." Regina said. She turned and strode into the hallway. She wasn't about to admit the fear that was taking over her. Emma followed. She was a little surprised to see Regina waiting for her a few doors down.
"You want this to happen." Regina said softly. Emma knew it was more of a question.
"No one will make you go." Emma said.
"Your new friend is certainly trying." Regina said.
"She's scared-" Emma started.
"You would go." Regina's voice was suddenly calmer. "To help more people, you would go out there again." Wouldn't you, was implied. Regina needed to hear it. She needed to see the determination in Emma that so often inspired her to be better. She needed that strength.
Emma wanted to lie. She wanted to lift Regina into her arms and carry her home. She wanted to hide out with her family and pretend the problems outside Storybrooke weren't real. But then she was nodding. There were tears in her eyes and a soft smile on Regina's lips.
"It's the right thing to do." Regina echoed. She had no choice. Emma's stomach churned at the thought and she pulled Regina into a tight hug.
"I won't let anything happen to you." Emma whispered.
They'd already made plans to meet with Ruby and Tink at the Rabbit Hole. Now their friends would be the first to hear about the change of plans. Emma knew they would need backup when they told her parents.
Ruby was waiting for them at one of the tall tables. The group joined her, leaving a seat open at her right. Six shot glasses sat on a tray in front of her. Ruby lifted two of the glasses and held one out to the empty chair just as Tinker Bell ran up.
"Perfect." Tink sighed as she took the glass. She knocked back the shot and slammed the glass down before the others even had theirs in hand.
"Blue better fucking forgive me. I cleaned the whole dorm by myself today and I don't even live there." Tink said.
"I hope you get over needing that woman's approval while we're gone." Regina mumbled.
"Gone?" Tink repeated. "What are you talking about?" Her brow furrowed as she stared Regina down.
"It would seem, to help anyone outside of Storybrooke, we have to leave Storybrooke." Regina said.
"Well then fuck them. Don't go." Tink said.
"Hey!" Bo protested. Regina smiled lightly at Tink's demand.
"You just got back." Ruby said. Her tone wasn't as harsh as Tink's but her eyes were full of her struggle with the news.
"The job's not done." Emma said.
"You really did become a hero." Tink told Regina.
"I wouldn't go that far." Regina said.
"I would." Bo said. "You could save the lives of a lot of people I care about." Tamsin was a little disappointed when Bo didn't say we.
"How can you ask them to go save a bunch of strangers?" Tink asked.
"Wouldn't you do everything you could if they were the ones in danger?" Bo asked.
"You're the one putting them in danger." Tink argued.
"And I promise you they will come home safe." Bo said.
"Yeah, when you want someone protecting your friends, Bo's your girl." Tamsin said.
Tink's gaze shifted to Tamsin and Tamsin could see a light in her eyes. There was something in the way they stared each other down, both warily and in understanding. Once again Tamsin found herself relating to a stranger. She wondered if it was Bo's incessant helpfulness rubbing off on her. Tink seemed to be having the same battle.
"We wouldn't be here if they weren't worth it." Tamsin said. "And I wouldn't be here if I didn't think Bo could save them."
Tink's gaze flicked between Bo and Tamsin as the words turned over in her mind. Her displeased gaze lightened when Ruby slipped her hand under Tink's and wove their fingers together.
"Fine." Tink said. "You can go. But we have drinking to do first."
She gestured to the waitress and in seconds a new tray of shots was brought to the table. Tamsin was impressed by the special treatment that Tink's reputation brought. When Tink slid the first shot to Regina, her attitude could no longer cover her worry. She kept trying anyway.
Regina didn't mind. She liked having a friend there to take her mind off the next day. Tink shared the gossip she overheard while cleaning. She ranted about the fairies bad habits and the secrets they all kept from Blue. It was easy for Regina to laugh with the others at the exaggerated tales. She knew she was supposed to relax. But the worry growing in her stomach was getting too strong to ignore.
Bo was not thinking about danger. In fact, she was having trouble forming many thoughts at all. After weeks of rare and hostile interaction, the sight of the barely dressed staff and patrons was slightly overwhelming. Even Ruby's low cut shirt was difficult to look away from.
Tamsin noticed Bo's staring problem but it didn't bother her. She understood. Her eyes were wandering just as much in the dim bar. Her gaze always made it back to Ruby and Tink. She liked their casual doting. The way they ordered drinks for each other without having to ask, the way Tink would sometimes squeeze Ruby's hand absentmindedly.
Each time Ruby reached over to tuck a stray strand of hair back into Tink's bun, Tamsin felt something strange in her chest. It wasn't quite sadness or jealousy. It took a few moments to place it. She couldn't remember the last time warmth of this kind overcame her. Hope.
The group swapped stories of the strangest beings they'd met. Bo and Emma compared notes on their discoveries of non-humans. Ruby interrupted the conversation several times to remind them to be careful on the trip. It reminded Emma how wary the Storybrooke population was of the outside world. It was a foreign land even after years of believing they were part of it.
It made Emma focus more on Regina's movements. Her smile faltered, she couldn't stop looking at her hands. The discomfort grew as the evening wore on and soon prompted Emma's slurred goodbye.
Bo and Tamsin stayed behind to drink more. Regina was glad they did. She finally had Emma to herself. Emma saw Regina's tension dissipate as they walked hand in hand through town. Her mood was entirely different by the time they stepped into the house.
Regina practically dragged Emma to their room. She pinned Emma to the bed, straddled her, and ground her hips down. Her nails scratched lightly along Emma's sides as she slid Emma's tank top up. Emma sat up and raised her arms so Regina could pull the shirt over her head. Regina tossed it over her shoulder. She gripped the sides of Emma's face and captured her lips in a heated kiss.
Emma put a hand on the small of Regina's back to keep her in place and used the other to lift herself slightly off the bed. In a flash she had Regina on her back. Her hips settled between Regina's legs. She quickly unbuttoned Regina's shirt and leaned down to kiss her way along Regina's collarbone. Regina inhaled a ragged breath as Emma's hand slid under her skirt and up her thigh.
When Tamsin and Bo walked into the house they could hear moans coming from upstairs. It made Bo smile. Tamsin just rolled her eyes.
They lay on separate couches in the study. It was too dark to see across the space but each lay facing the other.
"We did it." Bo sighed. "We can go home."
Tamsin didn't respond. She didn't know what to say.
"You're not happy?" Bo asked.
Tamsin didn't want to spoil Bo's feelings of success. This was what they'd been after. But she wasn't ready.
"I'm used to moving around." Tamsin said. "I'm used to avoiding people and being suspicious. With you…having you to myself…I've never liked it so much."
Her eyes were adjusting to the dark. Now she could see Bo's outline, and she saw how still she lay. The lack of movement made her nervous. She felt the need to continue her explanation.
"When we get back you'll have Dyson, and Lauren, and who knows who else." Tamsin said. "And sometimes, I'm pretty sure you and Kenzie want to hang out without me."
"That's not true." Bo said. She sat up, bothered that Tamsin might feel forgotten when their journey was over.
"Tamsin, you're family. And to me, you're more than that." Bo said. She could see how still Tamsin was on the other couch. How could she still not understand how important she was to Bo?
Every time Bo thought of the past few weeks, she saw Tamsin. She saw all the close calls and the times Tamsin willingly put herself in the way of danger. She saw the rigid form that kept watch over her even when it was Bo's turn to stay awake, and heard the deep breaths that took over when Tamsin couldn't fight sleep any longer.
She remembered the way her heart still jumped when they touched, and how difficult it could be to pull her gaze when they locked eyes. Tamsin was afraid they would lose what they had. Bo was afraid they would never have anything more.
"Maybe we should see where this goes." Bo said.
Tamsin turned onto her back. Some part of her was afraid her blushing would be noticed.
"That doesn't really sound like us." Tamsin replied.
Bo moved from her couch so fast, Tamsin barely registered the change before Bo was on top of her.
"I think it sounds exactly like us." Bo whispered. Her lips grazed over Tamsin's.
Tamsin searched her mind for wit that might cover the excitement buzzing through her. But then Bo was kissing her, and any snark she had was swallowed by the flutter of her heart.