Hey Hey!

I hope you're all enjoying the story so far.

Here's the next chapter and I hope it keeps you reading.

R

Emma walked back through the door to Mary-Margaret's Loft an hour later.

Belle and Rumplestiltskin had left a while ago, leaving the remaining three to converse and voice their opinions of this, 'Watcher'.

She leaned against the door, eyes closed and sighing heavily, willing the sounds around her to be silent

"What's up?"

Her father's voice broke through her attempt.

She answered him quietly when he finally came to a stop next to her.

"Oh, nothing. She's just so, I dunno...strange. And I feel like I wanna trust her but at the same time, I think I'm afraid to or something. She requested a violin"

He looked at her odd "A violin? Why would she want a violin?"

Emma threw up her hands and moved next to her mother in the kitchen.

"She said to keep her entertained. That and she needs to keep up her practice. She's an escape artist too! She broke outta the handcuffs while I was driving!"

She made a face "She said they were hurting her"

Mary-Margaret stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter.

"Well if she's an escape artist, why did you leave her by herself?!" she questioned, panicked.

"She told me she wants us to trust her. She persuaded me to leave her a come back here. Said she'd be there in the morning. If she is I'll get her the damn violin"

Henry and Mary-Margaret looked at her, confused about the violin reference as they hadn't really heard that part of the conversation.

"Archie already trusts her"

"Archie?"

Emma nodded and lifted herself onto the counter top.

"We ran into him outside the station"

She stole a cookie from the batch that had just come out of the oven, Mary-Margaret giving her a playful but disapproving look.

Emma then walked around toward the small table, petting her sons head before sitting down next to him and giving him a loving smile.
She then turned to her mother.

"She said she knows what happened with Cora. She said, and I quote, 'things involved that I might not know that might help me to understand'"

Mary-Margaret's head tilted to the side in curiosity "You think she knows what happened in the Enchanted Forrest?"

"From how she's been described I wouldn't doubt it" her daughter replied critically

The next day, Emma, joined by Henry and David, with a determined step entered the Sheriff's Station, coming to an abrupt stop at the sight of an empty cell.

"I knew I shouldn't have left last night!" she stated falling into panic mode, but still managing to keep her head

"Where do you think she could be?" Henry asked looking up to her.

Just then, Watcher entered from behind them, with Emma's coffee mug in hand, steam pouring out from the heat of its contents.

"Yo!"

David and Emma stared at her incredulously.

"What're you doing out of your cell?"

Watcher gave them a side glace but continued back into her cell, closing the door.

"There! Happy?"

"It's an improvement, but that's not what I asked!" Emma replied

"I needed my morning juice! I'm not a morning person! Besides, I never left the station and I'm sure you can find some evidence to support my theory!"

They faltered at the icy severity of her voice and it took a few seconds for them to regain their composure.

"Hey, that's my mug!"

Watcher placed said mug on the floor of her cell before she all but fell onto the bed provided

"You're only just picking up on that now?"

She then pulled out a phone like device, more screen then phone, with a strap.
Sliding her hand into the strap, she began to move her arm, the device emitting a chorus of melodic notes.

"What's that?" Henry asked walking towards the cell.

Watcher and Henry's conversation fell into the background as Belle walked in with Ruby

"Hi guys"

Ruby held out a bag.

"Got a call for a breakfast delivery. Granny's not happy, I gotta get back to work ASAP"

Emma sighed taking the bag from her "Thanks Ruby, how much?"

"Nine seventy five"

Emma pulled out ten dollars and handed it to Ruby.

"I know it's not much, but keep the change"

Ruby and Belle waved their goodbyes and exited as Archie entered.

The blue-grey eyes of Watcher zoned onto him as he came into her view.

"Archie, my man! Did you bring what I asked?"

He held up the bag that had previously gone unnoticed.

Emma stepped in front of him "I'll take that"

She opened up the bag and both her and David looked in. Looking toward each other and sharing a look before Emma turned and walk to the cell.

Henry now had the device in hand and was trying to master it, which was obviously more difficult than Watcher made it look.

Emma handed the two bags to the girl through the bars.

"I didn't say you could use the phone"

Watcher cocked an eyebrow.

"Well you weren't using it" she stated as-a-matter-of-factly.

She pulled out a grilled sandwich and took a bite before shooing both Henry and Emma away and reaching into the other bag, pulling out a change of clothes.

David and Archie turned away quickly, David calling over his shoulder.

"There is a bathroom where you can change you know"

Watcher snorted "I know, but someone doesn't like me leaving my cell!"

"Where did you even get Archie's number?" Emma questioned.

"It's the office. There's a folder dedicated to phone numbers"

She looked over to Watcher feeling like a ticking time bomb.

"You went through my desk?!"

Watcher threw on her new shirt and moved over to the bars, sliding her arms through and leaning to look at Emma as best she could.

"I was here all night without supervision and do you know how hard these beds are to sleep on?"

"Yeah well, I'm not gonna make that mistake twice" Emma looked at her wide eyed before placing her face in her hands and turning away.

"She's gonna drive me insane" She heard a snigger behind her before directing her attention back to her father and Archie.

"You can look now, she's done"

Hours later and Emma still hadn't left the station, choosing to stay and keep an eye on their new visitor.

She was currently seated at her desk with files of paper work that needed to be completed, thanks to Watcher and her break in escapades around town.

She rubbed at her eyes.
The strain of the paper work and thinking on the person they now named taking its toll.
She decided she needed a break.

She walked out of her office and towards the other desk, pulling out the other chair and pulling it up next to the cell.

Watcher, who had given Henry her device and so had nothing to do, turned her head at the movement and observed Emma observing her.

After a minor pause Watcher broke the silence "What d'you wanna know?"

Emma leaned forward on her knees

"Well firstly, how'd you get outta your cell?"

Watcher smirked at her "You wanna learn from the master huh?"

"I like to think I'm already as much of a master as I can be"

They both chuckled.

"In Watcher school, as you eloquently put it earlier, when they teach you how to pick a lock they teach you to use everything and anything around you to your disposal"

Emma nodded "In the car yesterday, you said you knew information about Cora?"

Watcher shrugged.

'So that's what this is about'

"Depends where you're up to in your story. I may be A Watcher and I may have been here for a couple of weeks, but that doesn't mean I can keep track of the story as it plays out, I've been left outta the loop in this instance. I mean, I read the files before I left, but I don't know where we're all up to. So in a small town everyone knows where everyone's at, right?"

Emma's eyes narrowed trying to understand "I guess"

"So...what was the last major event that happened in this town? Magical event that is"

"Well..."Emma considered her words before she said them.

"Mary-Margaret and I recently got back from the Enchanted Forrest"

Watcher nodded.

'That means Cora and Hook are here' she thought to herself.

"...and Regina, that's the mayor of the town-"

"I know, I read the files"

Emma blinked at her

"I should've guessed that. Anyway, Regina has gone into hiding after she was accused of killing Archie, but as you've seen, Archie is very much alive"

"So you're aware of Cora's presence then?"

Emma nodded sadly.

"We are, but...Regina went into hiding because of us and now we can't find her to let her know about her mother...or to apologise"

Watcher sighed.

"I suppose since I've already broken the rules, I guess I can tell you where Regina's hiding"

Emma blinked at her "Are you allowed to do that?"

"You act like I still have a job. Now if I tell you, you have to go now! Cora is here for Regina. She's going to manipulate her as much as she can to get her on side. You have to get to her first!"

Emma nodded again and sat up listening intently.