Emma feels good. Fantastic, even. She finally knows where the woman is hiding. In fact, she is on her way there right now. She will have a talk with her and they will clear all of this up in no time.
Regina catches up with her, her stride regal as ever.
"So, where are we going?" She sounds doubtful, probably regretting her decision to get involved in this venture already.
Emma stops short and turns to her, smiling. Regina intuitively takes a small step backwards, then catches herself.
"Listen, Regina, I'm sorry I haven't shown more appreciation for your efforts over the past week to free Killian and me. Because I am grateful."
Regina just stares at her, eyes wide with surprise.
"I've also neglected to tell you how grateful I am that you were the one who took Henry in. I know the circumstances weren't ideal, but then, what is? I know you love him and that you would do anything in your power to protect him and that's all anyone could ever ask."
She steps forward and embraces Regina, who stands frozen in place. After a moment, Emma releases her and continues on her original path. Regina remains frozen on the spot, gaping after her.
Mary Margaret walks past, raising an amused eyebrow at the sight of a gobsmacked Regina, but refraining from commenting.
"Are you sure this is the right way? I'm pretty sure there's nothing out here." David looks around uneasily. They followed Emma into the forest, to the middle of nowhere, as far as he is concerned. There should be nothing out here.
Emma turns around and gives him a reassuring smile. "Trust me." There's conviction in her voice and something else. She sounds happy. Carefree. David sighs. He wishes, for a moment, to live in a world where his daughter doesn't have to be under the influence of some spell or other in order to be content. It's his job to make that happen and he failed. The circumstances didn't leave him much choice, but still he feels that he failed Emma in some vital way.
Emma stops and David spots the small cottage ahead of them. He's never seen it before. He's not sure if he ever passed this exact spot in the woods. Has it always been there?
"At least it's not made of gingerbread." Mary Margaret comments, looking around nervously.
Emma turns around to face them. "I think it's best if I go in alone."
"The hell you are." David tries to reign his emotions in. He knows he can sometimes be a little overprotective when it comes to Emma.
She just smiles at him. "There's a much higher chance she'll be cooperative if I go alone. I'm sure this can be resolved without a fight if I can just talk to her." She gives a pointed look at the sword in his hand and the bow in Mary Margaret's. "There is no need for violence."
Regina chuckles. "I very much doubt we can just talk this out over tea and biscuits. She threatened the town. Remember how she intentionally crashed a car with your father and boyfriend in it?"
"The important thing is that nobody got seriously injured. All the interactions we had with her so far suggest that her intention is to do good rather than evil."
"Okay, who are you and what have you done to my daughter?" Mary Margaret says, sounding worried.
Emma gives her a big smile. When this is over, she'll probably have some sore muscles in her face from all this exercise.
"I am the same person I've always been. I just see a little clearer now."
"My apologies", Regina pipes up. Adding, when everybody turns to her, "If I had known how creepy this would turn out, I'd have found another way."
"Are you planning to stand there and argue all day, or are you coming in?" Unnoticed by them, a tall woman has appeared in the small doorway of the cottage. She's leaning against the frame, her arms crossed in front of her. She looks like she's trying very hard to appear unperturbed by their arrival.
David raises his sword, just as Emma turns to her with a smile. "We just want to talk."
Even from the distance, David can see the woman raise a sceptical eyebrow at that statement.
Emma walks towards her without hesitation and David hurries to follow.
The woman vanishes back inside the cottage and the four of them enter as well. David keeps his sword ready, prepared for an attack at any moment. Looking at the size of the room, a smaller weapon might have been a better choice though.
The cottage is rather Spartan. The space is small, with barely enough room for a tiny bed, a modest table and a smallish fireplace. All in all, it's pretty crowded with five people. The woman sits down in the only chair, her arms crossed defensively in front of her, her eyes narrowed in a glare.
"So, you found me", she states the obvious.
"Listen, we just want to understand why you did the things you did. And for you to understand that you need to stop whatever it is you're trying to do."
The woman makes an unamused chuckle. "I told you everything you need to know the first time we met. There's nothing more to discuss." Her voice carries such a strong note of dismissal that Emma almost takes a step toward the door.
"You said you wanted to make people happy. Why?"
"Why? That's what you want to know? How somebody's motive could possibly be to make other's happy?" Her voice is dripping with disdain.
"You hurt a lot of people."
The woman suddenly stands up, angrily gesturing in Emma's direction. David raises his sword again at the sudden movement.
"Did I? Wasn't it rather you who hurt those people by breaking my spell? Tell me, Emma, weren't you happy under the spell? Wasn't everybody happy?"
Emma remains calm in the face of her anger. "Yes. But it wasn't real." Her voice carries none of the bitterness that would have accompanied this statement only hours earlier.
The woman is just getting started. "Oh please. What's real? What would you have said to somebody five years ago who told you that fairy tales are real, hm? That you are the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White? No, reality is a concept we create. And if the world happens to be a terrible place, then it is our job to create a different reality." There's a strange note to her voice, almost like guilt.
"Not at the cost of lying to ourselves about who we really are", Regina jumps in.
The woman turns to her, sneering. "Really? That's rich, coming from you. I thought you, more than anybody else, would appreciate the chance to start over with a clean slate."
Regina straightens, meeting the woman's gaze head on. "Sure, that would be a nice way out, wouldn't it? Just forget about all the terrible things that I've done. Live a happy life. But that wouldn't be fair to all the people I've hurt, all the lives I've destroyed. I need to atone for those sins, and in order to do that, I need to remember."
Both David and Mary Margaret turn to her, surprised and impressed.
Regina scoffs at them, breaking the mood. "Oh, don't give me that look." There's a blush creeping up her neck and she quickly turns to the woman to get the focus back on her. "Either way this town has decided that we don't want your help. So, you will stop what you're doing or we will make you stop."
The woman smirks at her, no trace of humour on her face. "Oh, really? What are you going to do? Lock me up? Battle it out right here?" She raises her eyebrows in a clear challenge.
Emma steps in between the two, which is not an easy task in the cramped space. "There is absolutely no need for violence. I'm sure we can resolve this in a discussion." Regina gives an amused chuckle which she quickly covers by clearing her throat when Emma turns around to look at her.
Emma turns back to the woman, her voice filled with compassion.
"I get where you're coming from. It's easy to look at the world and think 'something needs to change'. But you need to understand that in order to be happy, people need to feel in control of their lives, need to think that they are the ones deciding their fates. You took that away from us. Even under the spell, there was always this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something is not quite as it should be. You can't force people to be happy. You have to let them find a way to be happy on their own."
The woman smirks at her. "And you're the expert, huh? Of being happy on your own?"
Emma looks momentarily taken aback by this.
"Says the woman living alone in a cottage in the woods", comes the snide reply from Regina.
The woman turns back to Regina, her anger flaring up again. "You don't know the first thing about me. You have no right to judge me."
Emma raises her hands up in a placating gesture. "We're not going to get anywhere like this." She turns to the rest of her party. "Please give me ten minutes to talk to her alone."
"No way", David shoots back immediately.
"Dad, please. I know what I'm doing. The spell didn't knock the common sense out of me" she says with a smile. "Arguable", Regina mumbles, before she follows Emma's wishes and leaves the cottage.
David gives her a worried look, then nods and follows Regina's example. Snow looks torn. After a moment, she also turns to the door.
"We'll be right outside. Just call if you need help." Emma smiles at her encouragingly and Snow reluctantly leaves the cottage.
When Emma turns around, the woman is scrutinizing her, eyes narrowed. "What happened to you?"
"Let's not waste time talking about me. I want to hear your story." Emma sits down on the floor, making herself as unthreatening as possible.
The woman sits back down in her chair and continues to glare at her suspiciously. Then her attitude visibly changes, her shoulders slump a little and she sets her elbows on the table, putting her head in her hands.
"I wouldn't even know where to start."
"How about with something easy? What's your name?"
The woman gives her another one of her humourless smirks, which Emma is quite familiar with by now. "That's not as easy a question as you might think."
Emma feels like she should be getting annoyed with her lack of cooperation at this point, but she's actually just curious. She smiles at the woman a warmly. "Go on."
"My name is Pandora."
"As in Pandora's box?" Emma immediately knows that it was the wrong thing to say, as the woman's face falls and a split second later her anger returns. It turns into resignation in about the same time span.
"How would you like your name to be forever associated with your greatest failure?" Pandora sighs. "It's all my fault. It's easy to blame the Gods, but it was me alone who set the darkness upon the world."
"Greek mythology is real?'
Pandora smiles at her in a way that Emma now recognizes as patronizing. For a heartbeat, she can see Pandora's age shimmering behind her eyes and something else, something close to insanity. She might have been terrified, if she were capable of such an emotion at the present moment. As it is, she just wants to hear her story.
"Don't you get it, child? All the stories are real." She takes a deep breath. "There was a time when the world wasn't like this. When men and Gods lived together peacefully. When there was no darkness, no evil in the world. Then Prometheus stole the fire from Olympus and gave it to mortal men. And I came into the world and made a terrible mistake. One I've been trying to undo my whole life."
"There must be a better way than placing people under a spell."
"I've tried, believe me. I've had a very long time to come to the conclusion that people simply refuse to be happy. It's shocking, really, the length people go to to ensure their unhappiness. No, magic is the only way."
"What about free will?"
"Largely, an illusion. And an excuse to do terrible things. No, if you could only see that you're better off in the world as I made it, everything would be fine."
"I think I'm ill-prepared for a philosophical discussion with an immortal Greek."
Pandora makes a small huff of laughter. "Believe me, I'm quite mortal. But I'm not so thick-headed to not understand when I'm not wanted. You've all made that pretty clear."
"That's it? You're just going to leave us be?"
"This town is clearly beyond my help. And it's not like there aren't several realms out there where the situation is even worse than here." She stands up, and Emma follows suit. Pandora puts her hands on Emma's shoulders and looks at her intently. "Be unhappy if that's what you want. Just remember, always, that you have nobody but yourself to blame."
"So, what? You reasoned with her and now she's just going to leave?" Regina sounds sceptical as ever.
"I think she might have already left." Mary Margaret points to the cottage behind them. Regina and Emma turn around, but where the cottage had been, there is now only a picturesque forest clearing.
"Don't tell me that cottage was an illusion spell, too", Regina grumbles, clearly annoyed.
Mary Margaret's reply is amused. "Careful, your magic envy is showing."
Regina huffs. "Please. I could have blasted that woman with a fireball any time I wanted to."
Emma isn't following their conversation, deep in thought.
"Everything alright?" David's question draws her out of her reverie.
"I'm fine. I just have some thinking to do. Let's get back." She smiles at each of them in turn, then starts on the way back to town.
Regina stares after her. "I don't know about you, but I'm certainly glad this is over. I've got other things on my plate, you know."
"Let's get a move on, then", David replies.
"Please. Walking is for the magically challenged", with that Regina disappears in a cloud of purple smoke.
Some time later, Emma returns to the house, eager to talk to Killian. For once, she doesn't feel anxious about the state of things.
He's nowhere to be found in the house though and neither is Henry. Emma hears soft voices drifting towards her from the back porch. She walks to the window and spots Killian and Henry, sitting on the white bench on the back porch, talking. She can't make out the words, but it looks very much like they are having a heart to heart, both of them deeply engrossed in the conversation.
Henry says something she can't quite make out, but she can see the concern on his face. Killian puts his hand on the boy's shoulder, from his body language and expression she can tell that he's trying to reassure the boy. The sight stirs something in her, some longing she wasn't entirely aware of. There's something heart-warming about seeing the two of them together like this.
She steps out on the back porch and both of them turn to her in unison, identical expressions of relief on their faces. Henry jumps up and embraces her. Emma hugs him back, smiling fondly at her son.
"You had us worried there for a bit, love." Killian remains seated, but she can literally see him breathe a sigh of relief, his tense posture relaxing a bit.
"No need. Piece of cake." She smiles at him, an open, honest smile, her eyes crinkling with merriment. Killian's eyebrows shoot up in confusion.
Henry pulls back, looking up at her expectantly. "What happened? Did you find her?"
"Yup. Found her, talked to her, asked her to leave and now she's gone for good."
Killian's eyebrows move a little further up, his voice incredulous. "You solved this by talking to her?"
"What's with the surprise? Yes, we resolved this by talking about it, like adults."
Killian's eyes narrow and he regards her suspiciously. "Okay, who are you and what have you done to Emma?"
"Very funny." She ruffles up Henry's hair affectionately. "Talking is how conflicts are resolved, right, kid?" Henry nods in agreement as if this is the most obvious thing in the world.
Then he looks past her as if he suddenly remembered something. "I'm hungry", he states, then runs past her into the house.
"Don't run in the house" Killian yells after him, without thinking.
"Don't yell!", Henry yells back good-naturedly from the kitchen.
Both Emma and Killian have to smile. Their eyes meet and Emma sees the anxiety beneath the smile. Killian stands up and scratches a spot behind his right ear, clearing his throat nervously.
"Listen, Emma, I realize you want to get on the road as soon as possible, but maybe-"
Emma lifts up her hand, stopping him in his tracks.
"We need to talk. But not now."
Killian looks at her, surprised. "Seriously, love, are you feeling alright?"
She smiles at him, mischief in her eyes and Killian's heart skips a beat. Or maybe it stops entirely for all he knows.
"Never been better. But I don't think it would be fair to you, or us, if we talk before this thing wears off."
With that, she steps forward and gives him a hug. Killian jolts, taken completely by surprise by her move. Before he's really realized what's happening, she has already brushed past him, entering the house again.
Killian just stands there, blinking, for several moments. Then he shakes his head, trying to make sense of what just happened.
He follows her inside, feeling a little dazed. "Until what wears off? Emma, what's going on?"
She smiles at him again. She's smiled at him more in the last five minutes than the entire time after the curse ended. Now he's certain something is off about her.
"Nothing. I'm just happy, that's all."
Killian's jaw drops at the enormity of that statement coming from Emma. He smiles at her tentatively, not trusting this development one bit.
"Are you certain the caster did not put another spell on you? You're acting weird."
She steps in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders, locking eyes with him.
"I'm fine. Trust me." She steps back, her tone turning light again. "Now, no more of this. I'm starving. Let's make some food."