Here we go again


Suddenly, five imposing figures descended upon their table. Emma quickly scanned them all, her instincts on high alert. She turned to Regina urgently. "Regina, you have your gun, right?"

Regina's reply was tense. "Nope."

Emma's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? Why not?"

Regina's response was matter-of-fact. "You don't bring a gun on a real date."

The big, Hagrid-looking man approached the ladies with an air of authority. "Hello again, Emma," he stated.

Regina's gaze sharpened, her tone protective. "And you are?"

"My name is Mr. Bean," he replied in a surprisingly serious tone. "And I need you to come with me."

Regina couldn't resist sarcasm. "Now why would we do that, Mr. Bean?"

"Because I assume you find me imposing," Mr. Bean retorted, his sarcasm matching Regina's. "Don't worry, be honest. I'm going for imposing."

Emma couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Mission accomplished."

Mr. Bean continued, "Well, I'll tell you what. The people that hired me... give me the heebie-jeebies."

Emma tried to protest and distract the imposing man. "Um, you know, are you sure? The moo goo gai pan is very expensive here, so we could probably go Dutch or something. How much do bad guys normally tip?"

Regina attempted to grab the chopsticks and use them as a weapon, but she was discovered and held by the neck. Emma's watch suddenly began to beep. Regina smirked, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief. Mr. Bean questioned, "What is that?"

Regina calmly answered, "It's a homing device."

Emma, looking out the window, changed the topic. "Is that a Crown Victoria?" she asked.

Regina screamed, "Move!" for the benefit of the other patrons as Blaize's jet-black car crashed straight through the restaurant's picture window.

Blaize stepped out of the car with a smirk. "Hey! Somebody order drive-thru?" The two women quickly got up and ran to the car, jumping into the front bench seat and telling Blaize to drive.

The older woman accelerated her heavily armored vehicle and swiftly drove away from the scene. Regina kept an eye on their pursuers in the rearview mirror. "We have to go back and find out who they work for."

Mal shook her head, her gaze staring intently out the window. "Too many of 'em, we can't."

Ever the optimist, Emma tried to put things into perspective she stated.. "Well, at least we still have the Cipher."

Mal paused in hesitation, then replied. "Yeah, about that... Looks like you're still the Intersect, Emma."

Dread washed over Emma. She knew what that meant – she couldn't have a normal relationship with Regina. "Don't worry, Emma," Regina said with determination. "We'll get it back."


The following day, Emma's enthusiasm had dwindled, and she found herself questioning the direction her life was taking. That job offer from the previous morning, the one she had turned down in favor of exploring all the possibilities, was now looking quite appealing.

Emma zombie-walked her way back to the Apple Store, a place where she no longer felt she belonged. She took her seat at the genius desk, but her gaze was vacant, fixed on some distant point. Ruby approached her, attempting to break her trance. "Yo, Emma. Got all the resumes together for you."

Emma, still lost in thought, responded with confusion. "What?"

Ruby reminded her of the task at hand. "The assistant manager spot. You have to pick our boss, woman."

Recognition flickered in Emma's eyes as she shook her head. "You know what, Ruby?" She paused, interrupting her own train of thought. "I'm making my decision right now. I want you to be the assistant manager."

Ruby was taken aback. "Whoa, Emma, relax. Let's think about this. See, I have this perfect system for doing as little work as possible. It's a science, really, doing nothing. A promotion at this point would destroy all my hard work."

Emma furrowed her brows. "You're telling me I have no choice."

Ruby delivered the verdict with a solemn tone. "The die has been cast. But I'm gonna be here every step of the way."

Emma mumbled, "That's comforting."

Emma reluctantly began conducting interviews for the assistant manager position. Most of her coworkers seemed mediocre, except for Ruby, who was trying her best to appear mediocre. Emma felt frustrated until Mal walked in, bearing an imprint on her cheek from the encounter with Mr. Bean the previous night. Suddenly, Emma had a revelation.

"Okay, um, Aladdin, could you excuse me for a second?" Emma interrupted the ongoing interview. She turned to Ruby with urgency. "And, Ruby, I need to talk to Blaize by myself, thanks. Get out of here, please. Ruby, now, now, now! Move it, move it, move it! Shut the door."

Emma turned to Mal, her heart pounding. "I know where they are."

Mal was intrigued. "Who?"

"What do you mean, who?" Emma said, exasperated. "Bean! The guy who smashed you in the face last night. Yeah, I flashed on your scar. It's the emblem for their organization. They have a secret hideout downtown. Warehouse 17 on 103rd Street. We'll hop in the Apple Mobile..."

Mal interrupted her. "Cool your jets, hotshot. I'll call it in."

Emma protested, "What do you mean call it in? There's no time! They could be on the move already."

Mal calmly stated, "Relax. I'm not gonna rush us into a hideout situation until I'm absolutely certain we have the upper hand. We'll get the Cipher. Just might take some time."

Emma, agitated, paced the room. "Blaize, I can't take this anymore. Do you understand what I'm saying? I cannot do this anymore! I almost died twice in the period of one day, all right? And when I'm looking at my life and what my future could be, I see that it doesn't completely suck. Your Intersect, your new Intersect is almost done. And when it is, I'm free, I'm cool, I'm clear, I'm out of here. I have a future and a life that I want to live."

Mal paused, looking at the newfound determination in Emma. "Future's a dangerous thing, Emma," she cautioned. "Doesn't always work out like you want it to."

Emma was perplexed. "What happened to you?" She tried to make sense of Mal's change in perspective. "You were this close to being done with me and being a real spy again."

Blaize shrugged. "What? You don't want me here to catch you when you fall?"

Emma shook her head. "No, as a matter of fact, I'd rather have you flying jets and blowing things up."

Mal nodded, in complete agreement. "Wait here."

Emma followed her. She couldn't miss this, no matter what. She ditched the interviews, leaving Ruby in charge. She rushed into the FroYo joint and approached Regina. "Hey, what's happening?" Emma said frantically. "You're going down there, aren't you?"

Regina replied firmly, "We're on it, Emma."

Mal emerged from the back of the shop, and Emma blinked in surprise. "What's back there?"

Regina replied casually, "Well like the sign says, yogurt and fun," as she walked past Emma.

Emma sighed in frustration. "Let me come along. You've got to bring Emma Swan. Do you remember, debonair superspy, who also happens to have the Intersect in her head? You know, me? I can help you guys."

Mal responded sternly, "Debonair Emma Swan isn't who you really are, Emma. You made her up. You're just Emma, and you're not a real spy, huh?"

Regina finished getting ready and walked away from Emma. "We have a tactical team meeting us at the location that you gave Blaize."

Emma groaned but decided she was going anyway. They needed her, even if they didn't see it.


Emma hurried back to the Apple Store, her thoughts racing. She needed to let Ruby know that she was leaving, but when she entered the store, the geniuses were nowhere to be found. It seemed that Ruby was still caught up in the interviews. A gruff male voice from the back suddenly called out to her, demanding her attention.

"Swan! Computer emergency!" the voice exclaimed.

Emma looked around and found Marco, who appeared visibly irritated. "Hey, where is everybody?" she asked, feeling the urgency of her mission with the team.

Marco didn't seem to care about the store's current state. He turned back towards his office and said, "Don't care. Just got a call for Genius Bar help. They said they got a recommendation for you."

Emma furrowed her brows, torn between her duty at the store and her commitment to the mission. She inquired, "Well, can I send someone else, or did they ask for me specifically?" She needed to catch up with the rest of the team quickly.

Marco paused, clearly reluctant to deal with customer calls. He looked at Emma and stated firmly, "You know I hate taking calls. Get going!"

Emma sighed, realizing that she had no other option. She turned and hurried towards the Apple Mobile to head to the customer site.


Across town, the team found themselves facing an empty warehouse. Mal expressed her frustration, growling, "Emma was wrong."

Regina, her gun arm dropping, considered the situation. "Or she was right, and we didn't move fast enough." The sense of urgency weighed heavily on them as they tried to piece together the puzzle.


Emma stood before the door marked "NOTICE YOU ARE ENTERING A TECH SUPPORT AREA PLEASE OBSERVE THE SERVICE POLICY." She hesitated for a moment before knocking, her heart pounding with anticipation. The door slid open to reveal Mr. Bean, and Emma couldn't help but offer a greeting with her usual charm, despite the tension in the air.

"Apple Store Genius Bar. Hello. I'm here about the… computer emergency," Emma said, trying to keep her cool.

Mr. Bean's response was unsettling as he smiled at her while pointing a gun in her direction. "Come on in," he said, his tone far from friendly.

As Emma cautiously entered the room, she found herself flanked by two imposing men. Her attempt to make small talk about the computer problem was met with an eerie calmness from Mr. Bean. Emma, noticing his stretches, couldn't help but ask about his unusual behavior.

"What exactly are you doing?" she inquired, her nerves tingling.

Mr. Bean's response was chilling as he replied, "I'm stretching, getting limber."

Emma's anxiety grew as she pressed for more information, asking, "Why are you doing that?"

His ominous reply sent shivers down her spine, "So I won't pull a muscle when I break your neck."

Emma swallowed hard, trying to stay composed under the pressure. She continued her attempt to distract him with idle chatter, but Mr. Bean seemed unfazed. However, she couldn't help but ask, "What's going on here?"

Mr. Bean's response hinted at the danger Emma was in, "You walked into a trap, Emma... if that is your real name."

In a desperate move, Emma decided to improvise and play along with Ruby's tactical scenario from the day before. She declared herself as "Emma Swan, a CIA agent," trying to regain control of the situation. Her confidence masked her true fear.

Mr. Bean, though skeptical, played along, asking with a smirk, "Oh really?"

Emma continued to assert her false identity, weaving a story about the compound being surrounded by a formidable team.

"See, that phone call you made to the Apple Store? Yeah, we traced that." She stood toe to toe with the man and spit back what Ruby had said the day before. "Your compound is currently surrounded by 23 infantry troopers, 16 snipers, seven heavy gunners, and four demolition experts. You're outmatched and you're gunned. Those pea shooters you're holding might as well be sharp sticks and strong language."

Mr. Bean's skepticism grew as he called for his men to check her story.

While they were distracted, Emma spotted the Cipher and devised a plan to snatch it during the commotion. She challenged Mr. Bean to make the "smart choice" and hand it over. However, the tension remained palpable.

Mr. Bean's demeanor shifted as he didn't know whether to believe Emma or not. Emma held her ground and reached for her phone, placing a call to Ruby, and putting it on speaker. She needed to buy more time.

Ruby's voice came through, providing the detailed specs of the team surrounding the compound." I think that you might want to hear this."

"Hey, Emma." Ruby's voice came from the noise in the background making it obvious there was a battle going on in the background. Emma didn't want to ask, so she ignored it and it served her purpose.

"Hey, Ruby," Emma started, "Ruby, I'd like you to tell me the exact specs for the team surrounding the compound."

"The whole shebang?" Ruby asked.

"The whole shebang."

"Yes, ma'am, we have 23 infantry troopers, 16 snipers, seven heavy gunners, and four demolition experts. I should tell you I got a little impatient and we took out one of the sentries. Don't worry, it was a headshot. He couldn't warn his buddies. It was awesome, ma'am, you should have seen it." Ruby went on

"Thanks, Ruby." Emma thanked her and abruptly ended the call before she could reveal too much.

"They must have got Fritz." One of the thugs said looking out the window. "I thought he was in the can.

Emma continued her confident façade, insisting that Mr. Bean should hand over the Cipher. However, Mr. Bean didn't know whether to believe Emma or not. "She's either lying, or she's crazy." He said and walked away leaving Emma alone with the Cipher. "Check everywhere. Don't let anything get past you."

Emma took a chance and grabbed the Cipher, tucking it into her clothes. She then ran as fast as she could, using various obstacles to slow down Mr. Bean's pursuit. She had to stay one step ahead.

Just when Emma thought she had escaped, Mr. Bean caught up to her, and she let out a terrified scream. When Mr., Bean Pushed her, Emma flew out of the window. She lay on the ground on a roof the wind knocked out of her. As he loomed over her. As he lifted her by the ankles and dagled her over the fire escape. "Hand it over."

Emma stalled, "What'll you do if I give it to you?" Pulling the cipher out of her clothes and holding her hands as far away from Bean as she could.

"To be honest, I'm gonna drop you." The tiny giant stated.

"See, this-this is what I'm talking about," Emma said continuing her stalling tactics. She just needed time, she knew she was being tracked. "We got to work on your negotiating skills. How about this? How about you pull me back up and we just discuss this like two rational adults?"

"You know what?" Bean stated.

"What?"

"Freeze!" Regina said behind Bean.

The man shook his head. "It ain't worth it." Then he let go of Emma.

The "No!" That was screamed could have come from her own lips. But Emma coludn't speak. She was falling and her fear rendered her mute. The scream had been Regina's and she sounded distraught.

Blaize looked up as Emma was falling, and she took the young woman's hand and helped her swing to the fire escape below her.. Emma shook in place for a moment as Mal checked to see if she was okay.

"Your girlfriend's dead now, babe." Emma could hear Bean say up above. "What are you gonna do?"

Emma looked up at Mal after she finished taking stock of all of her faculties. "You, you…"

"Yeah, I catch you when you fall." Mal shrugged. "It's touching, really."

"No, no, I love you," Emma said all of her words falling her.

"Keep it in your pants, Swan." The older woman stated. "Now get downstairs."

As the fight ensued on the roof, Emma ran toward the backup team the CIA had sent. She led them to the roof and opened the door. "Excuse me." the younger woman said quietly. "Excuse me, hi. Sorry to, uh... uh, sorry to interrupt whatever's going on here, but, uh, Mr. Bean, I just wanted you to meet my team." She paused and placed her hands in her pockets and tilted her head to the right. "Tell me something. Do you find them imposing? Go ahead, you can be honest. I was going for imposing."

"Emma.' Regina gasped in relief and exhaustion.

"I'm Swan," Emma stated reassuring Reginia. "Agent Swan. Maybe you could go ahead and put your weapons down."Regina laughed and placed her hands on her knees. Mal smirked and stepped forward as Emma yelled "I said put your weapon down! Oh, there you go, there you- and then, and then the hands up to imply that your hands are empty."

Mr. Bean watched Emma in admiration. "Your boss, Swan," he said with a smile at the girl as Mal handcuffed him. "She's good."

Maleficent rolled her eyes and put the cuffs on him extra tight.

Regina rushed over to Emma, "Don't worry, I- I-I'm fine." She said to her.

"Do you have the Cipher?" Regina stated watching Emma in anticipation. "Please tell me you have it."

Emma smiled and pulled it out. "Of course I have it. It's me."

Mal snatched the Cipher on the way out and walked away from all of them.


Emma's determination to make a special dinner for Regina was evident as she stood in the kitchen, with Kathryn offering her some well-intended advice. Her big sister couldn't help but express her doubts about Emma's culinary skills.

"You sure you can handle it?" Kathryn asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

Emma grinned, her confidence shining through. "Yeah, yeah, I think I can do this, thank you." She shrugged, her excitement palpable. "Plus, I've wanted to cook dinner for Regina for a while, so…"

Kathryn, ever the realist, couldn't help but voice her doubts, "You have many skills, Emma, but the kitchen is not one of them."

Emma responded with a touch of humor, "Oh, but that's why they call it Hamburger Helper. Hello, does most of the heavy lifting for me. I'm making that, uh, that chicken with balsamic glaze, the one thing Dad taught me how to make."

Kathryn scrunched her nose in playful skepticism. "But Dad couldn't cook either."

Their playful banter was interrupted by the arrival of Fred, who wrapped his arm around Kathryn, exuding enthusiasm about their dinner plans.

"Babe, you ready? Mongolian BBQ beckons," he announced, teasing Emma about her impressive appetite. "Going for the record, Emma. Seven pounds, of shredded beef. I've been fasting."

Kathryn rolled her eyes at Fred's comment and turned back to her sister. Concern laced her words as she offered help, "Please, let me help you."

Emma waved off her sister's offer, feeling confident in her abilities. "The man has been on a hunger strike. Come on, go eat, I'll be fine."

Kathryn hesitated but ultimately relented. "You sure about that?"

Emma nodded reassuringly, "Yeah. Yes, I'll be fine." As she turned to leave, she remembered something important she wanted to discuss with Kathryn. "Oh, hey, and I also had an idea for what I'm going to do. I was thinking maybe, like, Eurorail through Europe, uh, you know, backpacking, that kind of thing."

Kathryn was taken aback by her sister's sudden desire to leave. She struggled to find the right words but didn't get a chance to respond before Fred enthusiastically chimed in, sharing his own experiences.

"That sounds…" Kathryn began, leaving her sentence hanging.

Fred playfully high-fived Emma, clearly excited for her. "Awesome. Remind me to tell you about Amsterdam He said with a chuckle. Then he looked at Kathryn and scratched sheepishly behind his ear. "Lovely city, lot of canals."

Kathryn finally managed to find her voice, offering her support. "It's a great idea, Emma; good luck tonight." She then signaled for them to leave, giving Emma the space she needed.

As Emma returned to her cooking, she couldn't help but rehearse what she wanted to say to Regina when she arrived. She was determined to share her feelings and express her desire to join Regina on her journey, wherever it may lead.


Meanwhile, in Washington DC, Graham was preparing to initiate the Intersect. The Cipher had been placed in the main computer, and the team stood ready. However, their plans took a catastrophic turn as the Intersect initialization began.

"INTERSECT INITIALIZING…" flashed on the computer screen. Anticipation filled the room as they awaited their newfound abilities.

But then, an unexpected message appeared: "FULCRUM THANKS YOU." Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the chamber, obliterating the Intersect and everyone inside, including Graham Humbard.


"So, Regina, what do you, what do you think of, um, what do you think of Europe?" Emma practiced as she cooked. "You, me, a couple of...Eurorail passes? Just seeing the world. Seeing, seeing the world. What the hell?" Emma said to herself

In her room, Mal broke into her home. She had a task to do. Emma had served her country with Honor, and now she had to die with honor.

"Ask her…" she started then the doorbell rang.

Emma went to answer the door and smiled when she saw the woman of her dreams standing there. "Hey, Regina."

But Regina wasn't smiling, "Emma," She said her face a mask of grief.

Emma's smile faded. "What is it?"

"We have to call off the date. The Intersect was destroyed." Regina stated.

"What?" Emma said in shock dropping her gaze. "But the Cipher…"

"It was a Trojan horse, a sabotage device," Regina stated. "The moment it came online, it exploded."

Mal heard this having come close to killing Emma. She went out of the window again and headed toward her apartment to talk to General Mills.

Emma tried not to cry. She wanted to though. "But that means…"

"You're still the only Intersect," Regina stated. "I'm sorry."

Emma was devastated. She felt a bit selfish after she learned of the casualties, but still. It was like life was determined to keep her away from Regina. She just had a vision, for the rest of her life. And It takes place in the same outfit, behind the same desk, in the same store. She was supposed to be a free woman, and now she was stuck.


End of Part 1