The three knocks on her door had Regina frozen. Although she would never admit it to anyone, she was actually scared at who could be at the other side. The curse was broken, her revenge was gone, and since she still couldn't get her magic started, she was vulnerable to whatever attack the town had planned on her. Would her nightmares finally come true? Three more knocks came and Regina had to remind herself that although things were utterly changed, she was still the mayor and the Evil Queen. She wasn't afraid of them.

Knock, knock, knock.

She opened the door to see who the impatience visitor was and shockingly, she was relieved to see it was only Emma. Than again, this was how her nightmares started.

"Miss Swan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked hesitantly.

"You're sounding like Gold now," Emma joked.

Regina's eyes widened. "What?"

"I need to talk to you about the curse."

"I thought you were getting your answers from Gold."

"Yeah, well, that visit raised more questions than it answered."

Regina scoffed. "Of course it did. I could have told you it would be pointless."

Emma glared at her. "It wasn't entirely. May I come in?"

"Are you here to arrest me?" Regina wouldn't let having no magic stop her from acting superior. Because she still was, even if the woman in front of her broke her curse.

"No, but I might have to put you in a cell."

"What for?"

"To protect you."

Regina paused. She knew what the answer would be but she still wanted to know. Just in case. "Protect me from what?"

"I think you know. The town's not happy about your little curse and I doubt they will wait an entire day to come looking for you. Which is why I want some more answers before that happens."

The mayor looked outside to make sure Emma was alone and let her inside the house, closing the door.

"So what exactly are you wanting to know." They stood in the foyer. Emma figured it was a villain's thing to not offer a seat or refreshments.

"I've read Henry's book but I don't know who everyone in town is like him. And since you created the curse, I'm sure you know who is who."

Regina walked into the living room with Emma following her. "I do. However, I kept track of the more important people. Everyone else was more like...collateral damage." She sat down.

"You kept track of Gold?"

Emma might have known it was a stupid question but it didn't stop Regina from giving her an expression proving it.

"Of course I did. However, he does look a little different in this world."

Emma took a seat too, crossing her legs Indian style. "What do you mean?"

"You read Henry's book, right?"

"Yeah. It didn't go into detail on everyone's story however. It focused more on..Snow White and Prince Charming."

"Your parents," Regina smirked.

"Right," Emma glared. She wished people would stop reminding her of that. "Gold is this...Dark One, right?"

"Yes."

"Well I looked back at Henry's book and he always seems to be in this shadow."

Regina snorted. "Be glad. He wasn't a very appealing man back in our world."

"How so?"

"Well, let's just say he was a cross between a man and a lizard."

The mayor enjoyed the sheriff's shocked and confused expression.

"Okay. What all do you know about him?"

"He's a powerful sorcerer."

"More powerful than you?"

Regina glared at the younger woman. It might be the truth but she didn't like it. "Yes. He's the most powerful sorcerer in our land. Or at least the one we know of. He's been the Dark One since before I was born."

"What exactly is...being a Dark One?"

"I believe it's a curse, from what I know."

"A curse?" Things were only getting stranger in this town. Emma knew she was staying for Henry, her parents she hadn't yet decided, but she could honestly do without all the magic and curses. "Like the one you cast?"

"No Miss Swan, that's a different curse. Are you really wanting a lesson in magic or do you have something more specific in mind?"

Emma was hesitant on asking Regina about the woman in Gold's house. If he didn't like for Emma to know that the girl was there, she doubted he wanted Regina to know.

"You said you kept track of the more important people in town. Who were they?"

"Obviously your parents."

Emma sighed. "Can we please not call them that right now? I'm still trying to get use to that."

Regina watched Emma expression of slight disgust. She could appreciate that. Perhaps there were things worse than living in a daze for years in a 'time stands still' town.

"Fine. Snow White and David were the most important people, since Snow was the one I wanted revenge on."

Emma almost asked why until she remembered she was here for other matters. She figured her mother-no, Sno-, Mary Margaret!- would tell her. Right now she had to learn more about Gold and that woman without letting Regina know what Emma knew Gold didn't want her to.

"You were working with Gold, right?"

"More of diagonally than with. We made a deal back home."

"A deal, uh? I hear those don't go well." Emma smirked. She had to laugh at something in all this craziness or she would go crazy herself.

Regina smirked as well. "Right. Well, we weren't partners. Gold taught me magic-"

"Really?"

"May I continue without you interrupting?" Regina rolled her eyes.

"Sorry."

"Gold taught me magic. He was my teacher but it doesn't mean I know everything about him. Like I said, he already lived long before I was born."

"Really? How old is he exactly?"

"All I know is a few centuries."

Great. Now she had to deal with an age old sorcerer, an evil queen turned mayor, fairy tale parents, and a kid that would hold it over her head that he was right all along.

"So you don't know if Gold-or, Rumpelstiltskin, had any relatives?"

The question left her tongue before she could stop it. Crap! Now Regina was leering at her. Just perfect. She probably lost her only card against the mayor, not that it was the best one.

"What?"

Emma sighed and almost answered when banging interrupted their conversation. The women both knew exactly who was at the door. The people of Storybrooke may have come to Emma's rescue, but now she had to come to Regina's.

"Regina!" Someone yelled from outside. "We know you're in there!"

More banging. They both stood up and if Emma wasn't trying to think with all the banging, she could have sworn that Regina looked like she was ready to bolt through the back door. Though they probably had that exit blocked too.

"Regina!"

"Stay here."

Emma walked up to the door, not bothering to look out the curtains or peephole, and opened it to see the mob she was expecting.

"Where is she?" Whale asked.

She saw her parents make their way through the crowd.

"Everyone stop!" David announced.

"You can't make us. You don't know what we're dealing with." Leroy said. Wasn't he on her parent's side?

"I know exactly what you're dealing with."

"Really? Because you've been in a coma since before Emma got here. You haven't been running around with a whole other life in your head."

"Exactly," someone else said. "Move out of our way!"

"Kill the Queen!"

"Burn her!"

"We want our revenge!"

"Mom! You can't let them do this!" Henry begged after making his way through the crowd.

"I know you're all upset!" Snow said, trying to hold the growing crowd back, "But killing Regina isn't going to help anyone. If you hurt her, you're no better than she is!"

"We don't really care!" Whale retorted.

"Well I do!"

The doctor shoved David's hand off his chest. "Shut it. You're not my prince. I don't have to listen to you."

"Than who are you exactly?"

"Let me get my hands on Regina and I'll show you."

Before David and Whale could get into an altercation, Emma took out her pistol and shot it up in a tree so the bullet wouldn't fall down and hurt someone. Everyone quickly grew quiet when the gun sound faded.

"Everyone stop. Listen, I can't understand what you're feeling or know what you're going through. I know that, but this isn't your world anymore. I know that doesn't help but in this world, we don't kill whenever we want."

"Than what do you suggest we do, sister? You told us to wait to sort things out and we did. Well guess what. It didn't help one bit. Now what do we do?"

"We will deal with this the right way. By law. I'm taking Regina down to the sheriff station and we will all have a discussion. But Mary Margaret is right," Emma didn't dare look at her face, knowing Snow was overly pleased to hear that, "if you resort to taking justice into your own hands, you're no better. Now, everyone back off."

Emma backed up to Regina and took out the handcuffs.

"Sorry."

The mayor scoffed as Emma bound her hands in the cold metal. "No you're not."

"I told you I'm doing this to protect you. Or do you want me to throw you to the crowd?"

Regina looked at Emma. "Fine. Just take me to jail."

David and Snow helped keep the crowd from grabbing at Regina when Emma made her way through. She opened the back door and helped the mayor in. Emma started feeling like she was a bonds person again and not a princess who just fulfilled her destiny. David kept the crowd back while Emma got into the driver's side and drove away. She left the crowd to the David. After all, he was a prince, right? She was sure he would be able to deal with a blood thirsty mob.

Belle was taking a much needed rest when Dove entered his boss' house and informed Gold about Regina's arrest. It's not even noon yet, Gold thought. Apparently the town didn't like to wait, and every fiber of him wanted to march down there and punish Regina like she deserved. He knew he would be depriving the town's own desires but he didn't care. That vengeful woman had locked up an innocent woman for thirty years. Sure everyone in town was innocent, except perhaps Snow White (but he wasn't going to get into that mess anymore. He was done helping the Queen with her revenge. She had run out of her usefulness and now he would leave her to her fate), but at least everyone had a home. They had food, warmth, and light. Even David, who was in a coma for nearly the whole duration of the curse, was taken care of. But Belle was led to believe she was insane and was forced medication she didn't need. When Belle explained to him how Regina found her and locked her away, and her time in the asylum, he was boiling with anger before she even finished.

A cough from the couch interrupted Gold and Dove's conversation. Rumpelstiltskin made his way to his beauty. He quickly grabbed the trash bin beside the couch and placed it under her. Belle was having trouble keeping food down and he knew it wasn't because of the lack of it.

"Dove," he called out to his henchman as Belle continued to throw up.

"Yes sir?"

"I want you to go to the hospital and find me everything you can about her time in there. I'm sure she has files that will explain what medicine they gave her."

"Understood sir."

Dove left the mansion to head to the hospital. He had been working for the Dark One since before the curse. He heard the whispers when he was out about how he came to be in the Dark One's employment. The truth was that Dove owed Rumpelstiltskin his life. It was definitely a strange thought that the powerful sorcerer would save anyone's life but if it was not for Rumpelstiltskin, Dove would have been hanged for thievery and treason against the crown, even though he never obeyed a king. So the Dark One took him to his castle and agreed to keep the man alive if he worked for him for the rest of his life, which Dove agreed to. For him, working for the Dark One was better than being dead. However, because his size was rather large, the Dark One had changed him into the bird of his namesake. He said that it would make him a better spy and deliverer. Doves were believed to be holy birds and not even vile men bothered to kill them, making it safe for him to fly across the skies with news.

Dove remembered when his boss brought Belle home to the Dark Castle. She was always kind to him, even if she didn't know he was once human, and took care of him if he ever seemed hurt. She was sweet and loving, and he could always see (just like the man named Jefferson) that the Dark One loved her. When she left (he never liked to think of her being kicked out. The Dark One might be his boss and savior but Dove couldn't forgive Rumpelstiltskin for kicking the woman he loved out into the wild with nothing but her clothes and a broken heart) things were never the same. He would often hear his boss crying in his room after he received news of Belle dying. Every time he tried to perch himself on his lab's window still, Rumple would shoo him away, not wanting even his bird of a henchman to see him weak. When Gold informed him of Belle's return and Regina's deception, he swore to protect her and be a friend if she ever needed it. Even if she didn't know who he was. He too wanted to punish Regina but he also knew it wasn't his place, but he would help his boss if it meant Regina got what she deserved.

After Dove left for the hospital, Rumple helped Belle sit up after her vomiting spell. Rubbing circles on her back to soothe her.

"Are you alright love?"

"I'm fine," Belle answered weakly. She really didn't understand what was happening. "Why am I so sick?"

Gold sighed. "It's all the medicine they gave you. You haven't had it for a day so your body is going through withdrawals."

"Medicine? Was that what they were injecting into me?"

"Yes. Belle, I'm sorry. If I have kno-"

Belle placed her hand on Rumple's mouth, stopping him from blaming himself. "It's okay."

"No it's not Belle," he complained. "This shouldn't have happened to you! Regina deserves to pay-"

"Rumple, please," she pleaded. Her eyes were soft and it soothed the rage growing in his chest. He couldn't fight against her. Not anymore and not after last time.

"Fine," he sighed. "I won't hurt her. For you."

Belle smiled. "Thank you."

"You still need to rest."

"I don't want to sleep all day."

Gold looked at her, thinking. Since she hadn't been in the sun for a long time, it had made her tired and sleepy. But that wasn't the harmful part. He wasn't sure exactly what kind of medicine they gave Belle everyday for the last twenty-eight years but her body couldn't do without them. He also knew she was dealing with more than just physical issues. He knew of one person who could try and help her, and that was if he wasn't dealing with a lot himself.

"Alright. But going into town today won't help."

"I understand."

"Will you like to watch some television? Though I'm not sure much will be on right now since the curse is broken."

Belle laughed the best she could without it hurting too much. She was so skinny she could almost feel her ribs against each other. "I'll just keep reading. Where did you get this book?"

Gold smiled. "It was already here when the curse brought us here."

"So it's a part of this world?" she asked.

"Yes. Do you like it?"

"I do," she smiled as she opened to chapter three of Withering Heights.

While Belle continued reading, Gold left the room to make a call. He just hoped the person he was reaching would pick up, though a part of him figured everyone would be trying to leave town. He would love to as well, but he had a few issues to deal with first. The first one was making sure Belle got better.

"Doctor Hopper?"

Next time: Emma is called to the hospital and David tries to calm the townspeople with some help.