The following year when she learned of her situation, she had been given a pardon. The court released her but in the course she doesn't leave the country until further investigations proved her not guilty and the culprit will be condemned. She came out and found her old friend waiting for her. Start anew, that was what Mrs. Lucas told her. Forget the past and see what lies ahead. Ruby and her went to the same college, finished it and landed on the same job as MI6. Ruby commended a rank higher than she was, for her reputation as a drug courier still hang around. A stain will never come of, no matter how you wash it-even after ten years has gone.

It was yet usual day for the English Men. Still bored on a usual day.

Paperworks. Emma hated it. She hated being trapped in the four corners of the room, sitting idly, hearing the tapping of the computer's keyboards, the ringing of phones and the yapping of other agents going to and fro from their office. She was certainly die of boredom. Ruby was on the roundabouts. At least she always landed with a field job, unlike the sickening everyday routine of paperworks and more paperworks for her. She's losing patience and started to count. She was on the fifth when she stood up and marched to her superior. She knocked on the door and a prompt, come in, was heard. She turned the knob and went in.

"What a lovely day, Ms. Swan. Even lovelier that you grace my," He turned to look at his room, papers scattered everywhere and stacks of books lay in every corner of the room. "my neat office."

"Sir, " she begin.

"Ah, ah, ah." He wiggled his finger to shut her up. "I know why you'd come. Begging again for, let's say, adventurous assignment. No, Ms. Swan."

"But Sir, i had been in the office far too long to have that goddamn assignment. I've been counting the speck of dust this office offered and pray, you do not grace the proper job for me."

"And can you define, proper job?"

"I am an agent doing her field assignment. Wouldn't one should have their own? Or was I an exception as well?"

"In due time, my dear. And I say, now isn't the right time." He eyed at her, his lips in one line.

"And when would that right time be?"

"We can't say for sure."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes in front of him, she clenched her jaw and sighed defeatedly from this man's schemes. She turned away and her mind was working now on her resignation letter.

Just around the corner, she sat on the diner. Her mind drifts to her boss who was cranky than ever. Sherlock the shit, that was what she and Ruby call him. Why did she accept what he said just now, that was unlikely of her. She would have ran him down with words, insisting on her assignment. But here she was, dreading her fate that day. Maybe she really need to have a change of job.

"Here's to the lovely lady." Her head snapped at the waitress. Lacey, the accent that she would never forget.

"Thanks,"

"Storm day again?"she asked.

"Seriously, worse." She answered and had a gulp of chocolate froth.

"It beats me around why you had to take a man's job, Em." She said and was now serving her tuna sandwich.

"Beats me too." She murmured. "Say, if I quit my job, would you rather had me here?" She said.

"Possibly, but then, it'll be your death. Remember, you hated the four corner room."

"Thanks for reminding me, Lacey." She finished her lunch and headed back to their office. It was drizzling. Can the weather be as bad as her day could get.

She sat on her desk and started scribbling her letter. But not long before she could even write a decent one, Ruby stormed inside.

She stalked on her desk. She could tell, she had a bad day as well.

"How's your operation?" She cocked her head.

Ruby in her regal smirk and sharp stare pulled a chair and sat in front of her. "I'm quitting."

"What?"

"Another day with Humbert and I will probably kill myself. How idiot can he get?"

"Whoa, slow down. What happened?"

"Tracking was my forte. And, I told him to stay out of the area. The suspects are keen and adept to sense someone's tailing them. And he didn't even listen to me. He blew up the whole operation. And now, he lies on pool of blood. That damn idiot."

She was beyond words. Graham, one of the best agents the MI6 has and the only one apart from Ruby who had been close to her. "Is he alive?"

"Unfortunately, he is alive. And every god-damn lead and evidences are all gone. Fuck that idiot." She was flaring mad.

"No lead?"

"Emma, nothing is worth saving. I had to save him instead of all our three months effort, chasing those hoodlums. And just a second, it was all gone. Gone like a wind." She gritted her teeth trying to contain the anger welling up inside her.

"Well, then there's two of us who will be out of this office before the day ends." Her friend's reverie turned to her.

"And what's that?" Ruby's head snapped to her.

"Time to find a new milieu." She said.

"No, i will not accept this piece of craps both of you were scribbling." Sherlock had the same shit that day. The couple who had called him earlier that day was a pain in his neck. And now, his agents were another matter and again, the two ladies his office vested in, just wanted to walk away. He had just lost Graham, and would probably months before his recovery would aid him.

"We're sorry Mr. Sherlock, but we have come to this decision." It was Emma who answered. Simply, that this was her retaliation from the earlier conversation, that he thought. He sighed, resigned to bargain with them.

"Perhaps, we could alter this proposals of yours, Ms. Red." He saw the two of them glanced at each other eager to hear his scheming proposals. "Ruby, I will let you off with your operations, for now. Let it be closed for a while. You will have another operation, a secret one which I shall discuss alone with you. Emma, this must not be bad for you. An escort for a certain man."

"A what?" He was right, she would be alarmed at this job. "An escort service?"

"Call it as you may, but, it should be yours as no one fits perfectly for the role. It's an undercover service. The papers, Ruby passed almost a month ago about their operations, clearly indulge further to this man's business. It's a two-man job to find out what his businesses are and to whom does he deals with his businesses."

"If you say, a two man-job, would I be in it alone or you have worked allied me to someone else." Emma said.

"Smart you are." He said. "You'll be working with someone else. Do you take it?"

"I'll give a night to reconsider it." She said.

"Very well, you may leave. Ruby will stay." He said, stood up and walked to one of his filling cabinet. He looked for a certain confidential files he had kept for a long years.

"Tracking people, is what you do best, Ms. Red. I commend you for that. Also, you have my gratitude for saving our scattered brain Humbert, for the matter. I had you recommend to someone for this particular job. It has been twenty eight years and the case hasn't been closed. Well, dead it is but there are people who believe there is more than this. I want you to find a woman. This certain woman." He opened the folder and showed her a sketch of the woman.

"And if i do find her?" Her black eyes bored to his. She's going to take it, he couldn't help but let a smile twitched on his face.

"The whole world will be in your debt, forever."

Ruby and Emma found themselves in a bar drinking to their new job. Whatever Sherlock had given to Ruby had gave the woman a pretty night out. She was wildly dancing on the floor while she drinks to oblivion.

Why does every goddamn awful job lands in front her. She sighed at the thought. She stood up and went to the bar counter.

"One cognac. Blue please."

"Another rum."

Emma turned towards the man who slouched on the stool.

"Having another good night?" She commented, her eyes bored to the bartender who was busy mixing cocktails for the ladies giggling just a few seats from her.

"Aye or naye, doesn't matter. We are here for one common goal, drink to death."

Sharp tongue, she thought. She better stay out from the likes of these people, after all, she has a minimum tolerance for them. When her drinks came up, she took it in one shot. And ask for another.

"A heavy drinker, that you are, huh."

"I don't drink and tell." she said as her mind drifted to the proposal Sherlock offered to her.

Escort, she frowned at the thought. God, when will it get better. Just because I was out of conviction, I was labeled as some outlaw? The thought of that man made her boil to should not dare to cross-paths with her, else, she doesn't know what to do with him.

"Careful with what you wish, love."

She looked at the man who had a rum. He was toying with the glass on his lips while he was staring intently to her. So it was her that this man was talking to.

"First, you were rude now you're prying on someone's mind. I would advise you to keep it on your own." She said annoyingly.

"Threatening me?"

"Do you heard me threatening you?" She asked sarcastically.

"Implied, love. And it's all matter of you, being someone so easy to read."

She turned to see whoever disturb her rather bad day. From the ample lights shone at this side of the bar, he was more of a troublemaker. A gruesome man, clad in heavy leather suit. She thought of him as a rockstar from what Ruby has been watching every night. She bit her lip trying to stop from smiling.

"Did I passed according to your standards?" He took another shot.

She chuckled. "Conceited now, are we? Look, let's just forget I bothered you and let me have a good evening even for a while." Seriously, What is wrong with this person?

"I'm rather better than your drinks and you interest my rather, " He paused for a while. "dull night."

She rolled her eyes, took another shot of cognac and started to march to where she left Ruby.

She glanced around looking for a woman dressed in a red tank top and leather fitted pants. But she didn't saw one. She fishes her phone out and found three messages and a voice mail. All were from Ruby saying she needs to go back to the hospital for Humbert.

Time to end the day, she thought. She went to get her coat and went away.

Down the alleys, the busy city seems not resting as other people would at this time of night. Before she could turn to the second street down the bus station, she sensed someone was tailing her. She hurriedly walked past to a corner. She was about to go into a shop when a hand grabbed her and another clamped her mouth.

"It's late, Snow. You should be resting." Charming came to her side.

"I will. I just need to finish something." She was finalizing the story. As soon as she recalled every bits and pieces of it, she knew she had to write them. A memoir, but it was more of tales.

"What have you been working on?"

"It's a surprise." She smiled lovingly at his husband. "So, off you go. I don't want you to meddle with this."

"Now, my wife is exchanging me for a pile of papers. You wound me." He said teasingly.

FIN.

There, she thought. It was finished. She gathered all the pens and excess papers and hid them to a box. She glanced at the clock, 11:59. She sat near the window pane and watched from the distance the sleeping city. Bright lights twinkles like the dust of skies. David came beside her. On his hand was a small pastry cake with a small candle lit above it. He smiled. She too pursed a smile But ache was too strong to contain in her heart. Her throat was burning and she couldn't contain it. Tears started to fell down from her cheeks.

"We should not celebrate like this, Snow." Snow prompted a sad smile. "She wouldn't like to see us weeping." His knuckles brushed off the tears in her cheeks. She sighed inwardly.

"Happy birthday, Emma." They said and smiled, lovingly.

She made a stifled sound. She knew she was strong, but this man was even stronger. She fought back and cried.

"Quiet, lass." The man said. A few moments, she heard some people ran through their directions. In the dark, they were hidden and when the footsteps had died down, slowly, his hands released her. That's what this man was wrong about. She gathered her strength and gave him a straight punch. He howled in pain.

"What the hell?" They both said at the same time.

"Just what do you think you're doing? Are you some kind of a stalker or a lunatic maybe?" She cried out in anger.

"Is that your way of saying, thank you?" He wiped his lower lip. That was a good punch to have his lip bruised.

"Thank you?" She couldn't believe what he's saying. " Are you nuts? You snatched me away and clamped my mouth and you wanted me to say my thanks for that?"

"That could be better." He muttered go himself.

"What the hell is your problem?" She was losing her patience. She didn't even knew this guy.

"Let's just say, I saved a damsel in distress." He said, massaging his jaw. Boy, that hurts.

"Leave me alone. And for fuck's sake, go home before I could arrest you."

"I could do the same, love. And we would spend our first night in jail. That would be lovely, isn't it." He smiled.

"Ugh!" Resigned, she walked away.

"Hey lass, you're welcome. And have a safe night and see you soon." He yelled at her and burst out laughing.

She was mad as hell. How the day turned as hellish as this day beats her. First her work and now, some crazy guy ran after her, teasing her for his own amusement. And resigned like she never did before. She fishes out her key and opened the front door and walked stealthily to her room. She sat on a window pane, pouring a glass with a wine.

Damn day. She took a sip when her door opened. A small light coming from behind it emerged followed by an elvish grin.

"Happy birthday, mom."

She smiled and glanced at the clock, 12 midnight. And the bell from the clock tower rang.

Thanks for the reviews. Anyway, I was having a mental block yesterday, but I finally had to finish this. I'm working on the final act for the first chapter. I had a hard time writing the "bar scenario" because my dashboard on tumblr kept flooding with Killie. haha. Please don't kill me yet. I know it's sounds crazy why Emma was with the whole crew of the Enchanted world. So let's find out how and why it happened in the next chapters.

More Henry and Snow on the next final act.

PS: Who do you think that badass guy from the bar? *winks*

P.P.S: Review please.