Emma had a lot to digest from their outlandish meeting. Her minimal understanding of magic made the conversation sound even less feasible. She started to feel nauseous, the sensation sat thickly in the back of her throat, as she was overwhelmed with the improbability of it all. Regina had been there though; her touch simple but grounding and the feeling gratefully ebbed away.

As she walked with Regina down the hall of the nunnery back to the exit, they caught up with Mother Superior who had been stopped by a tall, willowy woman with skittish doe eyes and a sloping nose. She had been apparently waiting on bench for the head nun. Emma recognized the blue overcoat as that of a Sister but the woman didn't wear the regulation tweed skirt, instead donning jeans and a pink, too-fuzzy sweater underneath it. Next to her sat a shabby gray suitcase, squat and obvious.

"What is this Nova?" The fairy asked tiredly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The woman straightened her posture and with wavering bravado announced. "Blue, I'm leaving the convent."

Emma tugged Regina's sleeve indicating for her to stop to observe the exchange. The Blue Fairy scoffed, "You will do no such thing. Get your things back to the dormitory."

"No, I don't want to be here." Nova said more firmly. "And you can't keep me here."

"Nova-"

"It's Astrid." She corrected.

"Astrid." Blue said with little patience. "You're just confused with the curse breaking-"

"I'm not confused by the curse breaking. In fact I see more clearly than I ever have before." Her anger gathered steam. "The other Sisters told me what happened in the Enchanted Forest."

Blue stiffened but feigned innocence. "I don't know what you mean."

"The Queen didn't take away my happy ending it was you. You convinced Dreamy not to meet me that night when we were to run away together and it broke my heart. We were going to be happy."

"I was looking out for you; for your dream to be a fairy godmother."

"Then why after all that time was I still just a fairy dust carrier? The truth was you needed workers in your mine pulling up that damn dust and you couldn't let people know they had another choice to do something besides your bidding so you stopped us." Astrid accused her harshly.

The head nun became flustered, stuttering, "That's not- I wouldn't-"

"Whatever your reasoning was I'm still going." She said with finality.

The other woman grasped at straws. "Your vows. You can break your vows to the church."

"We're not really nuns." Astrid said. "Those vows are just an invented memories. And now there is no pixie dust or wands or wings so we're not really fairies. I'm just a person and I'm going to go find what is out there for me."

"I won't allow it." Her tone turned dark.

"I will." Emma spoke up and stepped forward with enough of the picture painted for her that she really didn't like the Blue Fairy. The quarreling women turned in surprise to find that they were being observed. "She wants to leave and you can't stop her."

"You can't- this isn't any of your business." Blue responded indignantly.

Pushing her coat back and placing her hand on her hip, Emma revealed the glinting star badge clipped on her jeans, "I think this is my business. And we'll all be going now."

Mother Superior furrowed her sculpted brow, her lips pursed with contained anger. Her high cheekbones and button nose flushed red before she turned on her heel to stomp away, her sensible heels clipped with rage at her departure.

"You know she is going to call your mother." Regina said dryly from her side.

"Yeah well I'll deal with that later." Emma huffed. "Come on."

Leading the two other women, the sheriff escorted them from the building onto the little sunny patch of green lawn in front of the gray stone convent. Under the slender shadow of a bare oak tree they stopped to convene with one another. Once out of the intimidating halls, Astrid looked lighter as she gave Emma a wide smile showing off too many teeth. "Thank you Sheriff. I appreciate you standing up for me."

"No problem Sister, or I suppose not Sister anymore."

"Just Astrid is fine."

"Do you have anywhere to go? We could take you or help you find a place to stay." Regina asked, eyeing the looming edifice with distrust.

The former nun turned her face up into the sunshine, squinting and still smiling, "I think I'd like to walk. I've already talked to Granny Lucas. She's letting me stay at the inn and work in the diner until I can get on my feet, your Majesty."

"Just Regina is fine."

"Regina then. Sheriff Swan. Thank you again." She swung the suitcase a little as she started off down the sidewalk toward the center of town.

"Don't hesitate to call the station if you need anything." Emma called after her. Astrid turned back with at that to nod in recognition and a wave goodbye, smiling her broad grin. Emma gave her a solitary wave, watching the newly liberated woman continue her journey.

As Emma and Regina climbed into the car, the blonde noted, "You know I don't think the Blue Fairy is very nice."

Regina chuckled, "Very astute of you."

"How she is considered one of the heroes is beyond me." She grumbled.

"I suppose the victors get to write history." Regina distractedly gazed at the scenery pass by as the bug rolled down the street.

"That doesn't make it true though."

Her head swiveled to look at Emma with sincere the question, "Doesn't it?"

"You heard what Astrid said. You didn't take away her happy ending. Some people know the truth isn't quite so black and white."

"Will it be enough though?" Regina asked, obviously in the mindset that it wouldn't be enough to save her. Emma felt the older woman's mood sink further into a foreboding gloomy space.

"I… don't know. Regina I know you haven't been a saint but no one in this town is without sins of the past." Emma promised. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure you have a fair trial."

"If you think that this tribunal will be fair you're as naive and idiotic as your parents." Regina muttered with a cruel bite. Emma hardened against the sting of her words, an irate slant angled her brow.

"It's not my fault you threw a hissy fit and condemned an entire town to misery. At least I'm trying." The blonde let her annoyance take control.

"Well maybe you shouldn't be trying." Regina crossed her arms.

"Are you serious?" Emma jammed her foot a bit too roughly on the break as she made an abrupt stop in front of Regina's house. The brunette jolted forward before her seat belt locked and stopped her from fall into the dashboard. The centers of Regina's irises glowed nearly orange with fury.

"Yes, I'm serious. This is clearly an exercise in futility. In what world could we ever be together?"

This was escalating but Emma felt powerless to stop the hemorrhaging anger that spilled from them. She spat out, "So what, last night was all just bullshit?"

"A moment of weakness." The brunette's features were twisted with disgust.

Emma laughed sardonically, "You're right Regina. I am idiotic to think that you could ever actually be capable of loving someone. You're not evil. You're just pathetic and cruel."

"Fuck you." She snarled.

"No fuck you Regina. Get out, I have to go pick up my son." Emma turned away from the other woman; she didn't want her to see the tears pricking her eyes or the tremble in her lip. She clenched her jaw almost painfully to keep her emotions at bay. Regina didn't linger long. She threw herself out of the car, slamming the heavy metal door with resounding force. Emma wasted no time in shifting the car into gear and hit the accelerator nearly to the floor, the tires peeling from the curb raucously as she fled.