"Hello darling." Gold said coming up from behind to hug Emma.

"Hay." A very distracted Emma responded

"You look as if you're thinking about the meaning of life; the answer is children, love, and good food."

Emma laughed a little. "No, no, it's just something Regina said, she said don't let you emotions cloud your judgment, frankly I think she could learn a thing or two about that."

"Well it is sound advice, I gave it to her once a long time ago, though lessening to me was never one of her strong suits, or even a sad little hobo scarf in the back of her closet."

Emma did laugh at that. "Yes, well if it is she probably burned it years ago."

"Probably, but do lessen to it. Emotions can let us see like a telescope, farther and clearer than ever before, but that telescope can make it just as hard to see what is right in front of you."

Emma's Car

Emma had decided, against the advice of her Gold voice to trust Sidney, right now they were in her new car following, she had to thank Gold, it was a lot easier on her and the babies to not be driving her bug, while she loved it, it had the shock absorbing abilities of a wood poll. "You know, this is exciting, I've never actual been in a really hunt through the woods." Sidney said.

"Really, I thought Regina sent you on all kinds of wild goose chases."

"Well, yes, but the only reason it'd ever involve a forest is if they were some naughty teens, otherwise it gets no more exciting than trying to get a picture from an odd angle for the mirror, the most fun that ever is when I can do it in some dirty location and not need to burn my clothes."

"Hu. Life as a small town reporter is about as fun as life as a small town sheriff."

"Well, I never wanted to have to carry a weapon."

"You never really need it." Emma said off handedly, which was true, she could probably use her holster for a water gun and no one would ever be the wiser due to lack of use.

"Hay, is that?"

"Regina's car, yeah, let's see what she's up to." Emma turns onto the road, and they begin to go downhill. But when they see a turn coming up, the brakes don't work.

"Emma."

"I know." She starts hitting the breaks harder.

"Emma, the turn."

"I know." Now she was using both feet to beat the break

"Slowing down now might be goo…" Sidney never finished it as they hit a sign and the air bags deployed.

When they came to, Emma looked over at Sidney. "Am I in heaven?"

Sidney slowly lifted his head. "Smells like, Wisconsin."

"Uhg." Emma sat back. "This car is brand new; Gold said it should be built like a tank."

"Well." Sidney got out and looked back behind them. "If it's any consolation, the sign we hit is in a billion pieces." He then shined his light on the tree the car had hit. "And this tree has a car shaped dent instead of the car having a tree shaped dent."

"Oh good. Now how could this have happened?" Emma asked as Sidney went under the car

"I think it was Regina. Unless I'm wrong, the pieces of cut tubing I'm looking at are for the breaks." He then got back up off the ground. "And if it helps, the line looks thick enough that whoever did it must have had a really hard time doing it."

Emma then went off into the woods. "Emma, wait." Sidney said running after her. "In your condition, you need to go to a doctor, to heck with this."

"No, I'm fine, and if she wants to kill me, then I want to know why."

"And so do I, but your also pregnant, a few months along right, well I'm no doctor, but I don't think a car crash is something you just walk off in your or any other condition." Emma still looked defiant. "Look, we were knocked out, what do you think the odds are of us still being able to catch whoever she was meeting?"

"Rather good actually." A new voice said, And Emma turned to see Gold coming up with a briefcase. "She was meeting me."

"What are you doing out here with her?

"Nothing to be jealous about me dear, just a little business transaction."

"What's in the briefcase?" Sidney asked

"Everything comes at a price. Land is no different."

"That's why you're meeting her out here? Regina bought your land?"

"The very ground you're standing on."

"What does she want it for?"

"You know, in business, I find it's best not to ask too many questions. Hurts the bottom line. The question is, Emma – why are you standing out here in the middle of the night with Mr. Glass? And more importantly, why is Sidney standing out here with my beloved wife?"

"You don't know what Regina did to me. You don't know what she did to her son. We can't just sit idly by."

"Of course you can, you have for years, why stop now and make yourself a target?" He said to Sidney, but didn't wait for an answer. "See you at home dear. And be careful – emotional entanglements can lead us down very dangerous paths." And Gold started to leave.

"Actually Gold, can you give us a lift, my car crashed."

Gold spun around fast enough to get whiplash. "What!" He then moved to Emma and put his hand on her now more obvious bump. "You're not hurt are you?"

"No, but somebody cut my breaks." She felt Gold stiffen. "Sidney tried to get me to go back to town, but I don't lessen."

Gold then looked at Sidney. "Thank you Mr. Glass." He then looked at Emma. "Come on, you can both ride back with me." And off they went.

Gold's Home

Gold dropped Sidney off, and called for a tow truck to get Emma's car, and headed home. "Emma, I'm going to try and be understated when I say that working with Sidney makes the idea of having a starving fox guard the chickens from its own family sound like it could win the Nobel Prize for brilliance and logic."

"Look, I realize it sound's bad, and on paper you'd be right, but Regina fired him, humiliated him, and tried to kill us or at least scare us to near death with that stunt, so I'd say he's either trustworthy or the enemy of my enemy."

Gold's only reaction was to start laughing, long and loud. "Oh Emma." He kept going. He then noticed Emma's unhappy look. "Emma, have you ever heard the story of the Frog and the Scorpion?"

"No."

"Well, once there was a scorpion, and she came up to a river, or stream. She looked up and down the bank, but could see no way to cross and not drown. Then, low and behold, a frog came jumping up along the bank. 'Excuse me.' She cried. 'Mr. Frog, could you carry me across the stream.' But the frog jumped back in alarm. 'What!' He cried. 'Take you across, do you think me stupid madam, you will sting me, either while on my back or when we have crossed.' He said."

Emma was enjoying the story; her husband used different voices for the caricatures and wild hand motions. "But the scorpion just looked at him and asked. 'Now why would I do that? If I sting you now, then how will I cross, if I do it while we cross, then we shall both die, and why do it after when you have helped me?' The Frog considered this. And seeing the clear logic, allowed the scorpion to get on his back, but after taking one mighty leap to get them into the middle of the stream, he felt a hot pain in his back. He then turned back to the scorpion and asked. 'Why did you sting me, for now we shall both surly die, what was the point, as you had nothing to gain and everything to lose.' But the scorpion just looked at him and sadly said. 'I am sorry, but it is my nature.' And they both died." Gold then looked at Emma, smiling at the fact that he had mesmerized her with his story.

"That was very sad Gold."

"I know, but there is a point. It doesn't matter what Sidney said he wants to do, assuming he isn't lying to you. It is in his nature to help Regina, for whatever reason, he will help her, weather he knows it or not. You can't change a cowardly fool who is completely lovesick into a hate filled avenging angel overnight."

"Yeah, well he's the best align I have against her right now."

Gold gave her a 'are you serious' look. "And I'm chopped liver?"

"No, but you aren't on the inside, I mean Sidney is like Regina's version of a confessional priest."

"Yes, and like a priest he will carry those secrets to his grave."

"Maybe, but you got anything better."

"Emma, embezzlement, is a crime is a crime is a crime, it shouldn't matter what she's using it for, a children's hospital or a sex club, you don't need the why she did it, just did she do it. Remember what I said, it is best not to ask too many questions, it hurts the bottom line. And the last thing you want when going after Regina is her to have public sympathy."

Regina's Home

Regina was in the middle of making a lovely Apple cider for herself. The things she put in it would have Health and Safety having aneurisms a hundred times over, but she loves it, and this was her happy ending.

She went into her living room and turned on the lights, to Find Mr. Gold siting on her couch. "What in the seven Hells do you want?"

"My wife's break lines have been cut." He then stood up. "On a car barley three mounts old with very strong and think tubing, the breaks were cut in to, now even if I believed wear and age, the cut was to neat."

"What's your point Gold?"

"My point is." He then with peed and grace got up and shoved Regina against the wall. "As far as I'm concerned, if you want to you can burn the town having this little temper tantrum, but if you ever endanger the lives of my children or my wife again, I will destroy you. I will cut you down to a lower point then the way I found you, I will tear you to pieces, and when I am through with you, no one will remember your name, they will only remember you as 'That Mayor, the one who angered Gold'." He then took a step back. "Now, do you have any questions?

Regina looked scared. "No."

"Good, then please lessen to my warning, and don't even think about telling Emma or Henry that I threatened you."

It had been a fun week. Breaking into Regina's office, stealing files, finding out she was being watched, almost getting caught by Regina. Yep, fun fun for everyone. But if she could do this, if she could get Regina, then who cares, it would be a victory against that corrupt b- witch, she really had to learn to not swear before the kids became parrots.

"This session of the Storybrooke city council will come to order. We will begin by reading the minutes from our last meeting."

Sidney stood up from the audience and interrupted. "Uh, excuse me, um, Madam Mayor. I have something I'd like to bring to the council's attention."

"This is not an open forum, Sidney. And no one on this council's interested in hearing the boozy complaints of a disgraced reporter. Now sit down."

Emma then stood up holding a binder. "He's not the only one who has something to say."

"Miss Gold, this meeting is to discuss issues facing Storybrooke."

"Like the Mayor stealing thousands of dollars from the city to build herself a second home?"

"Mrs. Gold, you will sit down immediately or so help me-"

"What? You'll punish me? You'll bully me like everyone else in this town? No. Not today. In my hand, I am holding documents proving that this woman, your mayor, stole funds from the city to build herself a lavish home in the woods. And this disgraced reporter – you want to know why he was really fired? Because he stood up to her. Because he questioned her. We all know what happens to people who question the Mayor. You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us, but that isn't the truth, is it? The truth is, you are a thug that doesn't care about anyone, or anything, but yourself. That is who you really are. And it is time for the people of Storybrooke to know that."

"You are right, Mrs. Gold. I am building a house – a playhouse." Regina then pulled up the image of a playground on the screen behind her. "The accusations are true – I did take city funds. I wanted to build a playground so my son, Henry, and all the children of Storybrooke, could have a special place to play. Safely. As for the sketch in your hands, it was inspired by a drawing I found in one of my son's books. So, there you have it, Mrs. Gold. You've exposed me for who I really am. I hope you're satisfied."

Emma just looked on in amassment. But then her husband stood up and took the file and gave it to Michal. "It this true?" Gold asked his friend.

"Well… the dimensions and supports are right, but it could be for a house or a play house. And without proper labeling it is impossible to know if Regina really was planning on a house for herself or a play house."

"Really." Gold said taking the file. "And Regina, while it is lovely this you going and paying $50,000 dollars for the land, it does seem a little much for just one play structure. And I'm afraid that even if your intentions were honorable, embezzlement is still a crime, one you will have to explain."

"Did you not just hear my explanation?"

"Loud and clear, but you didn't clear it with the finance committee, the building committee, or the recreation committee, therefore you are still embezzling funds." Gold said with a smile

Regina's Office.

"OK, what will it take for you to get rid of this and leave me alone?" Regina asked inviting Sidney, Emma, and Gold into her office, very unwillingly.

"Well, I can't get rid of it, but make it unimportant enough not to be noticed and leave you alone I can do." Gold said.

"Fine, whatever." Regina said annoyed.

"Emma has unimpeded and unfollowed access to Henry between 4 P.M. and 6:30 P.M. and Sidney gets his job back. Do this with less kicking and screaming then you normally do and I will remove your problems, is that understood?"

Regina gave him a look that could have killed lesser men. "Fine, but why help Sidney?"

"Besides the fact that God smiles on those that help loyal fools that are often kicked by unfair masters, the man helped Emma after an unfortunate crash, I think I owe him that much in return." Gold said and then turned to Sidney. "Have a good day." And he and Emma left.

Sorry it took a while. For some reason real life likes getting in the way.

I have my first poll up.

AND I WANT YOU

Insert Uncle Sam.

TO VOTE

Also I am writing a new story that I haven't published yet, I have 4 chaps done, I'm wondering if I should post it on a chap by chap basis, or just upload it as one giant chap that would cover the first season of once, kind of like a giant Christmas present or something is what I was thinking.

And I now have a new computer, so might now have any more problems with bad computers. (Knock on wood).

Thank you CosPalp for your lovely review, Guest, Skyeward MusicLover, lozzy035, and the wonderful Twyla Mercedes.

Last but not least. I liked the suggestions for the last chap's name change. From Oh Baby aftermath to Three Times the Trouble from Guest and Thrice Blessed from Twyla Mercedes. I honestly could not decide. So

Three Times the Trouble gets heads.

Thrice Blessed gets tails.

And it's.

Tails.