Author's note: The next ch might not be up till next wk. So enjoy this one and review!

Chapter 16

Ever since she'd returned to Storybrooke, things at the station had been busier and busier with each passing day. Now that the curse was broken, it seemed like there was more crime (mostly burglaries) because people were no longer living under a spell that kept them like frozen robots. Before the curse was broken, the pile of paperwork on Emma's desk remained very thin. But now, there was so much that the pile was precariously balanced on the edge of her desk. The slightest movement could send the papers and folders flying everywhere.

At least Graham was still doing his job (mostly paperwork), despite the fact that he still wasn't talking to her. That helped a lot. Still, Emma found herself staying late nights at the station, doing nothing but paperwork. It sucked even worse because a lot of those late nights were with Graham, where there were tense and awkward silences. Every time she saw him, all she wanted to do was kiss him. To reiterate how sorry she was. But judging by the stiff way he held himself and his short and brusque answers to her questions, she knew that this was clearly out of the question.

One night, Graham had gone out to get coffee from Granny's, as the huge ass pile of folders on Emma's desk meant another all nighter. Emma stayed behind, working as fast as she could. Now that she was on good terms with her family, she actually wanted to spend time with them.

She heard footsteps approach her office. Figuring it was Graham, she kept working, her pen flying furiously.

"Hey. That was fast." She looked up with what she hoped was a friendly smile.

Her smile instantly died as she saw Grahams's eyes, which were as cold as a snake's, and his mouth, which was twisted into an ugly sneer.

"Are you ok?" Figuring he was just still mad at her, she kept working.

"You ruined my life." He said slowly, in a cold voice she didn't even know he had.

"What?" She put down her pen.

"You. Ruined. My. Life." He repeated. His fists were clenched at his sides.

Emma sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I know. And I'm sorry. So, so sorry. You told me you loved me, and I treated you horribly."

Slowly, Graham advanced towards her, cracking his knuckles as he walked. "You're going to pay for what you did."

"I…huh?" Emma was confused. Why was he suddenly so mad about how she'd rejected him?

"You're. Going. To. Pay." He said slowly. He loomed over her, reaching for her desk lamp. "NOW."

Fear pooled in Emma's stomach as she stared at Graham's eyes, which looked murderous. "Graham? What are you doing?" Her voice shook as she realized what was going on. She sensed what he was about to do a split second before it actually happened. Time seemed to slow down as he swung the lamp at her head, narrowly missing her head. She ducked down just in time, and the lamp collided with the chair. Graham grunted in frustration as she crawled rapidly under the desk and onto the other side, her heart pounding.

Emma stood up and faced Graham, who wheeled around and reached for her throat. She backed away in fear.

"Graham? What's going on?" She repeated. She continued to back up, gasping as she reached the wall. She looked around frantically for an escape, but there were none.

"You need to pay." He repeated zombie style, pinning her against the wall with his body. His hands clasped around her throat and he squeezed. Emma flailed, trying to shake him off but it was no use. It was hopeless. She was going to die.

He squeezed harder and harder, sweat breaking out in exertion. Emma's vision clouded, and she felt her muscles grow weaker. She felt herself stop struggling and her body grow limp as she began to black out. Through her foggy mind, she thought she heard Graham say, "You stole my son. You need to die." But that was probably just the lack of oxygen speaking. Emma closed her eyes, preparing for her death, when heard Henry's voice in her mind.

I love you Mom. It such a simple sentence, yet when he'd said it last night as she tucked him into bed it'd made her feel so happy.

I love you too Henry. She thought. I'm so, so sorry about this. All Emma could hope for was that after she died, her family would find out the truth. She didn't want them thinking that she'd left again.

Suddenly, determination flooded inside. She couldn't die. Not like this. Not when she'd finally gotten her family back.

With strength she didn't even know she still had, she brought her knee up to Graham's crotch. Hard. He instantly released her neck, grunting in pain. Emma collapsed against the wall, coughing and gasping for air.

Through her still blurry vision, she saw Graham pick up a large paperweight. Knowing that he was going to throw it at her, she slid away just in time. It crashed against the window, leaving shards of broken glass behind. Emma stood up shakily, determined to not die. She grabbed a lamp and threw it at him, but lack of air made her aim way off and it landed three feet from where Graham stood.

He just looked at it, clucking his tongue. "So pathetic." He mocked.

Her adrenaline intensified as he launched himself at her again, only this time she was prepared for him, throwing in punches as fast as she could. Her fists made contact with his body again and again, but he was very perseverant to kill her as he matched every one of her punches with three of of his.

Emma managed to throw him off, her body aching with pain. From the way any slight movement hurt like hell, she deduced that her ribs were mostly likely broken. She reached up to wipe off the blood from her busted lip. He looked no better, for she'd broken his nose with a well aimed punch. She was distracted, looking for something to use as a weapon, for she knew that without one her broken body wouldn't last for long. He was so much stronger than her. And that's when it happened. He slammed into her full force. She was no match for his strength, and so she fell backwards, her head colliding painfully with the sharp corner of her desk.

That's going to leave a mark. Emma thought dizzily as she landed on the ground. She knew without reaching up that her head was bleeding, and judging by the way her head spun, she knew she had a concussion. A pretty bad one too. Disoriented, she fumbled in her pocket, trying to find her cell. Maybe she could call for backup, since Graham looked occupied with something. He was rooting around her desk, seemingly searching for something. With some effort, she located her phone. Emma was about to dial 911 when she heard the click of a gun.

"No." She gasped weakly as he aimed the gun at her.

"Good bye, Emma Swan." He said in a cruel voice as he prepared to pull the trigger. There was a loud BANG. White hot pain pooled in her chest, and the last thing she saw before succumbing to the mind numbing pain was Graham's sardonic smirk.

Author's note: Want the next ch? Review!