"Who the hell says that and runs off?" Killian scoffed, speeding toward the school.

"Has anything with this family been normal?" Tinkerbell asked, holding onto the door handle.

"Not in the least. You – shit!"

Killian slammed on the brakes as he reached the main lot. Children, teachers, and several parents were out on the sidewalk, and Tinkerbell gasped. Fire licked at the back of the school and the surrounding area, and the fire department ran in and out with kids and teachers in their arms. It was chaos.

"That can't be a normal fire," she said.

"No. It's spreading far too quickly," Killian said, throwing off his seat belt.

Killian spotted Regina near the entrance as close as she could get, directing traffic and organizing as best she could. Parents had to be held back by other townspeople while their children were rescued, and Regina created a magical barrier to keep anyone from trying to play hero. Tucked protectively into her side was Ruby, who was hiding her face from the madness. Kara floated above the school and blew at the flames, doing her best to control the flames from her end. But each time the fire reached a manageable level, something would cause it to spark again, and Kara would be right back where she started.

"There's something else going on," Tinkerbell said.

"Magic," he guessed. "Kara can't help with magic."

Tinkerbell frowned and looked around.

"Where's Em? Isn't this something the Savior should be dealing with?" she asked.

"That's a good fucking question. I've been radioing them all day, and nothing."

"And you haven't heard back?"

"Nope."

"Is that not something we should tell Regina?"

"Do you want to tell her that Em's gone radio silent while the school is on fire and no one can stop it?"

"Would you rather her be pissed that we waited?"

"Fair enough," he sighed, opening the door. "Come on."

The two of them got out of the car, and Tinkerbell ran straight into a brick wall. Emmett grabbed her to steady her. Sam barely gave them a look before she was off toward Regina and Ruby. Jess was right behind her, and Rosalie scrunched her face.

"The fire smells funny," she said. "It smells sweet."

"Magic," Emmett and Tinkerbell said.

"Yeah, but now we have a slightly bigger problem."

"Which is?" Rosalie asked.

"Em hasn't responded to their radio in a few hours," he said.

"Shit," Emmett sighed. "Does Mom know?"

"Nope. We're trying to decide when to tell her."

"Right now," Emmett said.

"Does that seem wise?" Rosalie asked.

"That's what I said. But Tink thinks that she'd be more upset if we waited," Killian said.

"Well. You're not wrong."

"How about we go look for Em?" Emmett suggested. "Fire's not our specialty anyway."

"I wager we have about ten minutes before Regina notices Em isn't here," Killian said.

"We can do it in seven. Where was Em last?" Emmett asked.

"At the station. They're in the main cruiser."

"Don't you guys have tracking devices?"

"We aren't Boston, mate. We're lucky to have three cars. Charlie has the third one across town."

"For what?"

"He was helping out with an accident," Killian said, frowning. "He's been there all morning."

"Does anyone else find it strange that Charlie's out of reach, Em's not answering the radio, and the school is currently battling a magical fire that can't be put out?" Rosalie asked.

"Welcome to Storybrooke," Killian and Tinkerbell said.

Emmett rolled his eyes but said, "More like welcome to the Enchanted Forest. Let's go see if we can track down Em's last known location."

"Fine. I - hold on," Rosalie said, looking around. "Where's Isabella? Wasn't she with Kara?"

"We have no idea," Killian said. "But I'm going to put money on her and Kieran being in the same place."

"And where is that?"

Killian and Tinkerbell pointed to the woods in unison where the trees started to sway violently.

"Ah, hell. That's not good either," Emmett muttered, stepping back. "Change of plans. Rose, track down Em. Killian and Tink, tell the crowd they need to stay as far away from the woods as possible."

"Why?"

"Because my sister doesn't believe in letting things go unchecked. She's hunting for whoever started this fire, and on top of that, the trees will match her emotions. The longer this fire goes and the more it destroys the Earth, the angrier she's going to get. Trust me when I say you don't want to be around that."

"Okay, but where are you going?" Tinkerbell asked, glancing again at the trees.

Emmett pointed to Regina, who finally noticed something was off with the woods, and her eyes traveled along the crowd until they found Emmett's across the parking lot. She looked over the group, pausing when she saw Killian, and then she frowned and looked around again.

"She's putting the pieces together, and I doubt any of you want to be there when it clicks," Emmett said.

Kieran walked barefoot through the woods, shoes in hand, and listened to the soft rustle of the leaves. The trees were starting to move again, and she blew out a slow breath.

"Bella?" she called out.

Nothing.

Kieran groaned and kept going. It was eerie, and she remembered being with Bella in the Forest as children. The trees and grass always went still in Bella's presence. But the deeper Kieran went, headed in the direction of the smoke, it felt like the woods were Bella. The smell of smoke got stronger, and she couldn't believe someone would set a fire so close to the school.

"You should not be in here."

Kieran rolled her eyes and said, "When have I ever listened to you about being in the woods with you?"

"That is exactly why you should - why are you barefoot?"

"I like these shoes. And can you stop talking to me through the leaves? It's weird."

Bella emerged from her hiding place and said, "Seriously, Lena. You know better."

"I want to help."

"You can help from out there."

"Not if you're going on this one-woman vengeance tour with your woodsy backup band."

"What?"

"You know what I mean," Kieran said, exasperated. "You talk about me doing things on my own, how Mom has to learn how to trust us, and yet you still go out and do this without help! Had I not been on my way to the school and passing the trees, I wouldn't have known you were in here!"

"That was the point. I came in here to look for Snow, but the moment I connected with the Earth, I recognized that someone else was already involved. That damn fire is magical, and it isn't going to stop by natural methods. I'm trying to find a better way. Also, I'm very glad you stopped because there's some kind of weird toxic sludge like two feet away from you."

"Would you have stopped me?"

"Depends on your observational skills." Bella held out her hand, and Kieran grabbed hold. She yelped as she was tugged harder than necessary, and then she realized that Bella was pulling her over a different pile of sludge. Kieran sighed and put back on her shoes. "Sorry, I'll buy you a new pair," she said.

"It's fine. What do you know about this fire?"

"That it wasn't on purpose," she said. "From what I saw -

"Oh, right, the tree memory thing."

"Yes, that," Bella said wryly. "Snow was making a potion or something, and she knocked over a vial. When it hit the ground, whatever was inside sparked into a fire, and she panicked. She used her sweater to try and douse it, but it was too late. She ran off into the woods and the rest is history."

"Why was she making a potion so close to the school? That's stupid."

"I'm assuming it's because she worked there, and I guess on her lunch break, she figured making a potion was a good use of her time."

Kieran rubbed her temples and asked, "How do we stop it?"

"Lena -

"Don't call me that," she huffed. "You're only doing that to sound all serious, and it won't work. I'm helping you."

"If you would have let me finish, I would have told you that the only way for me to fix it is to go back in there and try and counter whatever substance was in that vial. I can think of three things that would start a fire once in contact with soil. And none of them are native here."

"We're not even native here, so that shouldn't be a surprise. But what have you already eliminated from your list?"

"Ogre's blood and grayberry powder," she said.

"That leaves fairy dust, but to make it combustible, the dust would have to be combined with -

"-water from Nimue's lake, yeah, I know. And the only people who have access to that lake are -

"Fairies," Kieran finished. "Fairy dust and fairy lake water. I wonder who Snow could be working with."

Bella chuckled and put her hand on Kieran's shoulder.

"Seriously, this time, I'm not running off without backup. You're my backup, but you can't go in there with me. I have to stop this before it gets any worse. You can help me by making sure no one gets hurt. Protect our family, the people here, and I promise I'll be right back."

Kieran folded her arms and looked off to the side, glaring at the smoke in the distance. But then she sucked her teeth and looked back at Bella. "Fine, but you better come back to me in one piece."

"Deal." Bella grinned and shook out her arms. "Also, if I'm not back in like ten minutes, can you tell Mom that I'm the one who ripped her dress when we were kids?"

"Why is that your final message?"

"Final message? The fuck? That was supposed to motivate her ass to come in here and get me!"

"Can she do that?"

"Who do you think I get my magic from?"

"I have no idea. That was never actually discussed."

Bella scoffed and walked to the nearest tree. She put her hand against it and said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Izzy. Come back so we can beat Snow's ass with our family."

"Noted."

Bella closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. Orange magic wrapped around in like a cocoon, and seconds later, the ground opened beneath Bella's feet. Kieran didn't have a moment to breathe before Bella was pulled down into the Earth. The hole closed, and Kieran was left alone in the woods.

"Stupid fucking - now how the hell am I supposed to get - oh. Thank you!"

Kieran jogged out of the opening Bella made for her and turned around, watching the trees move back together. She set a timer for ten minutes and ran to the school.

"I hate this fucking town," she grumbled.

Charlie gasped and shot up, wincing as he grabbed his head. He looked around, wondering where the hell he was, and then he saw Killian coming over.

"You scared the hell out of me, old man," he said, handing him an ice pack.

"What'd I do this time?" Charlie muttered.

"Got yourself knocked out and left for dead in a ditch. If Tink hadn't seen your boot, we would have never found you, and we'd be having a whole different conversation in a whole different location. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Car crash, I think? That's what the call said. And then I got there, and some guy with one of those old ax things slammed me upside the head. Now I'm here."

"Sounds like Leroy to me."

"Who?"

"Never mind. Tink's going to stay with you -

"Like hell, I'm going after that fucker!"

"If you can stand up without stumbling, by all means."

Charlie scoffed and was hell bent on proving him wrong, but he lost his balance as soon as he was upright. He fell back against the couch, and Killian smacked him on the arm.

"My point. Stay here, don't give Tink a hard time. When you're ready, come and find me. Until then, don't move."

"Get lost," Charlie grumbled.

"There's my partner." Killian paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "I really am glad you're okay, Charlie," he said.

"Yeah, me too. Now go and find that fucker. Bring him here, so I can show him how a real man hits."

"Sure," Killian said, laughing. "I'll get right on that."

Charlie chuckled, and then he stopped. He got up again and grabbed Killian, who had to keep him from falling over.

"Whoa, Charlie -

"Em, you have to find Em," Charlie said quickly. "They were with me at the accident. They pulled up to give me a hand, and after I got hit, I saw that Leroy guy throw something in their face. They went down, and I couldn't move to get my gun. I saw him drag Em into the back of a truck!"

"Okay, okay, one, sit back down." Killian lowered Charlie back to the couch. "Now, where exactly was the accident?" he asked.

"Uh, near that old shoe store on 5th."

"Good, that's good. Stay here. I'm serious, we'll find Em. But I need you to rest. You were hit a lot harder than you think, alright? Tink will be in here soon with the meds. Promise me you won't do something stupid."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Thank you." Killian nodded and left the room with his phone in hand. "Rosalie, start near the old shoe store on 5th. Em was with Charlie when they were taken," he said.

Em rolled their neck around and took slow, deep breaths. They should've known that Snow and David wouldn't take what happened at the station lying down. Though, Em could've gone without the drugging and kidnapping part. Em knew that Killian would get worried when they didn't answer his calls for the morning. Their radio was on the table several feet away, and they had no choice but to listen to Killian's frantic messages about the school fire and not hearing from Charlie.

Everything was going wrong, and Em was handcuffed to a chair without a way to contact their family. Em ground their teeth and looked up at the ceiling. Their biggest issue was that David's little stunt might've set back whatever progress Regina made with keeping Kieran, Bella, and Emmett stable and calm. Those three were waiting for the moment to kill anyone who pissed off their Mom, and naturally, Snow and David jumped right into the line of fire without hesitation. Setting the school on fire, possibly hurting Charlie, and then kidnapping Em? Three strikes, Princess. You're out. The door opened, and Em lazily dropped their head to spot David coming into the room.

"Oh, good. I was worried no one would come in and check to see if I was still alive."

"So, you knew about Regina's children, and you still allowed those strangers into our town. Regina's poisoned you against us."

"I knew about her children. Yes, I let the others into the town, but if anyone's poisoned my mind, it's you two."

"You've changed."

"No, I gave up trying to please two people who will never love me for who I am."

"We do love you for who you are. We always have."

"No, you haven't. Snow wants me to be this perfect Princess, and I'm not that."

"You're only saying that because you haven't experienced how great it is being a Princess. When we get back to the Enchanted Forest, we'll introduce you to the world you never got to experience."

Em tabled the bulk of that comment for later and said, "That's a hard pass. Running water and video games are more than enough for me. And for the record, this is all very much so the opposite of what a parent does when they love their child. This is about control, and I refuse to be controlled. I am who I am, and there is nothing you can do to change that."

"You say that like you're some kind of deviant."

"I'm not sure you want me to respond to that nor how you jumped to that conclusion, but sure."

"Regina can't give you what we can!"

"I should hope not," Em said dryly.

"She's not good for you, Emma! Why can't you see that?"

"Pretty sure I told you to stop calling me that. And, honestly, how can you tell me she's not good for me when we haven't even gone on a date?"

"A date?"

"Was this not about me being in love with her?"

"In love?" he sputtered. "But she's a woman! And she's the Evil Queen!"

"Both of those reasons are why I'm crazy about her. Especially because she's a woman." David paled, and Em shrugged as best they could. "Sorry, I thought you guys knew I liked women and only women. Specifically, any woman named Regina Mills with three batshit children and a host of Mommy issues."

"That's not – you're – you can't be like that. You're my daughter, a Princess."

"Not your daughter, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Princesses aren't like that," he argued.

Em shifted in their seat and laughed.

"For someone so gung-ho about being for the people, you sure as hell don't know shit about your town. Let me put it to you this way. It's common knowledge that Kida and Vivian are getting married in six months. It's also well known that Aurora was engaged to Maleficent long before they agreed it was best she married Phillip. Mulan is so out and proud that she has a rainbow tattooed on her wrist and is considered an eligible bachelor for a lot of the women here, and Pocahontas dated multiple women in the Enchanted Forest. Ariel is currently seeing how things go with Elsa, you know, the former Queen of Arendelle?

"Tiana is openly bisexual, so is Naveen, and Anna and Kristoff are in a polyamorous relationship with Merida. Rapunzel and Meg have a long-standing agreement that Flynn is aware of and supports, Eilonwy and Anastasia have been secretly married for the last year, and Tiger Lily moved in with Nefia like four weeks ago. The only straight Princesses in this town are Ashley and Snow, and Ashley is quite possibly the biggest ally for the LGBTQ community here in Storybrooke. Do I even need to mention Belle and Red, who are testing the waters with one another romantically?"

David stared at her for a long moment, and Em clicked their teeth.

"I love Regina, and I love her family. Nothing you do or say will change that. So either let me go or kill me because I'm going to always choose her."

David's face shifted, and he pulled something out of his pocket. It was a vial of green liquid, and his voice cracked as he looked at her.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Blue told us that you were too far gone, but I didn't believe her."

"Blue? What the hell does she have to do with any of this?"

David clenched his jaw and walked over to Em.

"Regina's not good for you, and I'm going to make you see the truth, one way or another."

"Nice to know that my Dad always has my back," Em spat.

"It's because I'm your father that I'm doing this."

"And if it shows me what I already know?"

David popped the vial and grabbed her chin.

"It won't," he said.

Em had no plans of opening their mouth until David pinched their nose. The lack of oxygen eventually got to them, and Em gasped for air. David poured the vial down their throat and forced them to swallow it. Em choked on it, the taste similar to that of what raw sewage smelled like, and they sucked in large quantities of air. David backed away, and Em didn't know what was supposed to happen until their jaw locked in place, and their eyes rolled into the back of their head.