A/N: One more chapter to go, and this story will officially be finished, and I shall continue onto Part 2 of this series! There are 4 in total, so to those of you who haven't seen twilight or read the books (though, I can't imagine who hasn't at this point lol) you are in for a wild ride! Once again, I shall mix in parts of the book along with film. Let me know what you all think. Happy reading! :)

"Is he still tracking us?" Regina asks just as they are pulling into the garage of Emma's home.

"Yes," Emma mutters. Just as the driver's door shuts, Emma is already holding open the passenger door for Regina. She takes Regina's hand and guides her inside.

Everyone is there, standing to their feet once Emma and Regina enter with August by their side, Laurent in the midst of the Swan family. August and Emma release a growl from the back of their throats, August takes a step forward, obstructing Regina's view from how tall he is.

Mal held her hand up, halting their movement.

"Please," Laurent said. "This isn't my fight. This is all Hyde's ordeal."

"He's here to help us." Said Mal, turning back to Laurent. "Can you stop him?"

Laurent shakes his head, "I'm afraid not. Nothing can stop Hyde once he's started."

August scoffs, "We'll stop him." There was promise in his voice.

"You can't bring him down. I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven." His red eyes look to Regina, who is clinging to Emma's side. They turn to Mal next, "Are you sure it's worth it?"

Emma's enraged roar filled the room; a roar that caused Laurent to cringe back.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice," said Mal in a chilling voice of her own.

Laurent looked to every pair of eyes glaring in his direction. "I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against Hyde. Don't underestimate him. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and I promise you, he won't come at you head on. I'm truly sorry for what's been unleashed here." He bowed his head, but his eyes looked quizzically to Regina before standing up right.

He was out the door, but not before giving the place another good look. The silence lasted a minute.

"Where is he?" Mal asked, turning to Emma.

"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female."

"What's the plan?"

"We'll head him off, and then Jefferson and Lily will run Regina south."

"And then?"

"As soon as Regina is clear, we hunt him." Emma's tone is deadly.

Mal's face goes grim, "I guess there's no other choice."

Emma digs into Regina's suitcase that she brought down, pulling out one of her jackets and tossing it toward Mal, followed by another one toward Kathryn. "Mal, Kathryn- put these on so the tracker can pick up Regina's scent."

Kathryn stared at Emma in disbelief, "Why? What is she to me? Except a menace- a danger you chose to inflict upon us."

"Kat…" August's hand lands on Kathryn's shoulder, which she shakes off.

"Kathryn." Mal picked up the jacket that Kathryn didn't even bother to catch, holding it before her. "Regina is Emma, and that makes her a part of this family now. And we protect our family."

Kathryn's jaw tightened as she took the jacket from Mal's hands and walked out of the room, but not before throwing a glare in Regina's direction that gave the brunette chills.

"She'll come around," Mal assured Regina with a smile. "In the meantime, Regina…" She pulls out a small box, Regina isn't even sure from where, and hands it to her. "I want you to have this."

Regina held the black box in her hands and uncovered the lid. She gasped at the sight of a brand new phone, her eyes wide as she looked up at Mal. "Mal, I…" She shook her head.

"I insist," Mal's cold hand lands gently along Regina's wrist. "For your safety."

Regina couldn't argue with that, accepting the phone and tucking it inside her jeans pocket. "So, what happens now?" She asks.

"Kathryn and I will take your truck, "Mal's eyes look to Jefferson and Lily, "Lily and Jefferson- take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the South."

Lily and Jefferson nod.

"August, and I will take the jeep with Emma."

August and Emma nod.

"Lily," Mal's eyes look to Lily. "Will he take the bait?"

Lily's eyes close and she stands absolutely still. After a minute, they open. "He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Her voice was certain.

It was amazing to Regina to watch Lily in action with her gift.

"Let's go." Mal headed into the kitchen, same as the rest of Emma's family. Emma walking along Regina's side.

As they entered the garage, Regina was surprised when Emma pulled Regina toward her, lifting her feet up off the ground, and before Regina knew it; Emma's icy lips are pressed against hers. Everyone was mounting the car they would take, which mean that Regina and Emma would separate.

Regina is absolutely breathless once Emma pulls away from their kiss.

"Laurent is wrong, you know… You are worth it." Emma's cold knuckles caress along Regina's cheekbone.

Regina shakes her head, "Emma… If anything happens to your family because of me-"

"Nothing is going to happen. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe." There's promise in Emma's eyes. "Gina… You are my life now."

"It's time to go," Lily announced. "I'll keep her safe, Emma." She promised.

"Can you keep your thoughts to yourself?" Said Emma.

"Yes. I promise." Lily nodded, climbing into the passenger side of Mal's Mercedes.

Regina looked out their hotel window, unable to sleep. It was weird being back in New York, listening to all of the sounds of ongoing traffic and not being in a quiet town such as Forks. She missed it. She missed Emma and wondered how she was doing. How the rest of them were doing. Were they succeeding in leading the tracker off course by using her scent; were they fighting him? Was Emma in danger? As much as she knew Emma could take care of herself, she worried.

There's a knock at the door, followed by Lily's sight as she peeks in, "May I come in?"

"Sure," Regina nods. She's surprised to see Lily carrying a tray of food, setting it down along the bed.

"Emma reminded me that you have to eat more frequently than we do." Lily smiled.

"You talked to Emma?" Regina's eyes alight.

"No," Lily shook her head. "It was before we brought you here."

"Oh." Regina sits along the windowsill, staring at Lily and Jefferson who stared blankly at the television set that was on. They had zero interest in it, and frankly so did Regina.

"You should eat, Gina," Lily said, turning to Regina. "Emma was very adamant about that."

"Are you… Hungry?" Regina asks, hesitantly.

"Nothing unmanageable." Lily smiles, turning back to the television.

Regina uncovered her food tray, seeing a cheeseburger and fries, perfectly cut. She couldn't resist popping one of the crisp french fries into her mouth. "So, what happens now?"

Lily turns to Regina, "We wait for Mal to call."

"That's it? What happens if she doesn't call?"

"She will." Lily assured. "If she hasn't called then that just means there's no news."

"You shouldn't trouble yourself, Regina," Jefferson said, surprising Regina. She couldn't recall him really ever speaking; except when they were introduced to each other. "You are safe here with us."

"I know." Regina nods.

"Then what is troubling you?" Jefferson asked.

Regina sighed, "I just can't help to think that… Because of me you are all separated. Because of me something could happen to Mal, to August, Kathryn… Emma…" She gulped. "I don't think I could live with myself if-"

"Regina." Jefferson stood. "Our family is perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. We are not in jeopardy. We need to worry about you. That's our task. Our only fear is losing you."

Regina was amazed how quickly she had been accepted to a family she only met once. Officially. "Why? Why go through all this trouble for me? You hardly know me."

Lily stepped forward, placing her icy cold palm along Regina's cheek. Her touch was so soft. "It's been almost a century that Emma's been alone. Now she's found you. You can't see the changes that we see, we who have been with her for so long. Do you honestly think that any of us want to look into her eyes for the next hundred years if she were to lose you?"

Regina's heart aches on the spot.

"Trust us, Gina, there is no danger to us." Lily sits by the edge of the bed, alongside Regina.

"Lily… How do you become a vampire?" That question has been circling Regina's mind for a while now.

Lily freezes, her eyes wide. "I'm not supposed to tell you. Emma doesn't want you to know."

"Yeah, I figured that," Regina chuckles. She locks her eyes into Lily's dark ones with signs of thirst. "But it's my decision, not hers. I want to know." She reaches out, taking Lily by surprise as she grips onto her arm. "I am begging you, as a friend."

Lily sighs, her eyes on Jefferson, who sits as still as a statue. "Emma is going to be extremely angry," he mutters.

Regina waited, somehow knowing that Lily would know they would be friends all along.

"I'll… tell you the mechanics of it," Said Lily. "But I don't remember it myself, and I've never done it or seen it done, so keep in mind that I can only tell you the theory."

Regina nods, patiently waiting.

Lily draws in a slow breath, regretting it immediately as she picks up Regina's scent that she chooses to ignore, "As predators, we have a glut of weapons in our physical arsenal- much, much more than really necessary. The strength, the speed, the acute senses, not to mention those of us like Emma, Jefferson and I, who have extra senses as well. And then, like a carnivorous flower, we are physically attractive to our prey."

Regina is still, remember Emma demonstrating that same concept to her in the meadow along the forest.

Lily smiles widely, "We're also venomous," her teeth were glistening as she shares a knowing smiles with Jefferson. "The venom doesn't kill- it's merely incapacitating. It works slowly- spreading through the bloodstream, so that once bitten, our prey is in too much physical pain to escape us. If we're that close, the prey doesn't escape. Of course, there are always exceptions. Mal, for example."

"So… if the venom is left to spread…" Regina murmurs.

Lily nods, "It takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on how much venom is in the bloodstream, how close the venom enters to the heart. As long as the heart keeps beating, the poison spreads, healing, changing the body as it moves through it. Eventually the heart stops, and the conversion is finished. But all that time, every minute of it, a victim would be wishing for death."

A shiver runs down Regina's spine.

"It's not a pleasant transformation," Jefferson said, standing a few feet closer to Regina. "Trust me."

"We like to compare ourselves as sharks," Lily continues. "Once we taste the blood, or even smell it for that matter, it becomes very hard to keep from feeding. Sometimes impossible. So you see, to actually bite someone, to taste the blood, it would begin the frenzy. It's difficult on both sides- the blood lust on the one hand, the awful pain on the other."

"Why do you think you can't remember?" Regina asks, looking at Lily again.

Lily shrugs, "I don't know. For everyone else, the pain of transformation is the sharpest memory they have of their human life. I remember nothing of being human."

Regina recalls Emma's tale about how Lily was left alone, and her heart aches once again. She thinks about Lily's words and wonders just how painful it would be to become a vampire. Could she do it? Could she ask Emma to transform her? To transform- would mean that she would be with Emma… forever.

Lily stands abruptly, her eyes wide, the sudden action whisks Regina away from her thoughts. Jefferson is beside her before Regina can even blink.

"Something's changed," Lily's voice was urgent.

"What do you see, Lily?" Jefferson asked, standing guard beside her, like Regina suspected he did many times before.

"I see a room. It's long and there are mirrors everywhere. The floor is wooden. He's in the room, and he's waiting."

"Where is the room?" Jefferson asks.

"I don't know. Something is missing. Another decision hasn't been made yet."

"How much time?" Regina can tell Jefferson has done this many, many times before.

"Soon. He'll be in the mirror room today, or maybe tomorrow. It all depends. He's waiting for something. And he's in the dark now."

"What is he doing?" Jefferson's voice is calm.

"He's… Watching TV… No. He's running a VCR, in another place."

"Can you see anything else?"

"No," Lily shakes her head, staring forward, still as a statue. "It's dark."

"What does that mean?" Regina asks eagerly.

"It means the tracker's plans have changed. He's made a decision that will lead him to the mirror room, and the dark room." Jefferson answered.

"He figured it out…" Said Lily, back in her normal voice. "He knew they were hunting him."

Suddenly a phone rings, and Lily is across the room before Regina can reach it. "Mal… Yes…" Her eyes dart to Regina. "Whatever room he's in, it's dark… Yes…" She holds the phone out for Regina. "Gina."

Regina runs to the phone, reaching for it. "Hello?"

"Gina…" She's relieved to hear Emma's voice on the other end. "I'm so sorry, we lost him. He figured it out somehow."

"I know. Lily had a vision." Regina breathed.

"The woman, she went to your house. But don't worry, Henry wasn't there. He was at work. Mal and Kathryn are watching over him, so don't worry. He'll be safe."

"Are you sure?" Regina still worried, even if she knew her father was safe.

"Yes. She's been all over town trying to find you, but don't worry. She has nothing to go on. If Hyde so much as makes it back to Forks, we'll have him."

Regina sighs, "I miss you, Emma."

"I know. Believe me, I know. You have taken half of me with you."

"I love you," Regina breathes.

"I love you, too. I'm coming to get you. I'll be with you soon."

"I know." Regina was certain of it. As soon as she hung up the call and turned to give the phone back to Lily, she was surprised to find her and Jefferson bent over a table. She could hear the sound of a pen being scratched along a piece of paper. "What is it?" She asks, walking near.

"Another vision," Said Jefferson.

Regina leaned forward over Lily's shoulder, taking in the drawing of a long room with a back room that looked dark, mirrors along every wall, a long band above them. "Is this… Is this where he's going? The ballet studio?"

Jefferson's eyes locked on Regina, his jaw a perfect line, "You know this place?"

"Yeah, it's the dance studio where I used to take lessons. I was eight or nine-" she points along the drawing, "That's where the entrance is," she points in another direction, "Back room is through here," then another. "And the stereo was always here."

Jefferson and Lily are staring up at her, silent.

"Are you sure it's the same room?" Jefferson asks.

"Yeah, I'm positive."

"Would you have any reason to go there now?" Lily asked.

Regina shook her head, "No. Last time I was there was ten years ago. I was always a bad dancer. The teacher used to always place me in the back of the room."

"Where is this dance studio located?" Jefferson asked.

"A couple of blocks away from my mom's house- her old house, anyway." Regina's voice trailed off.

Lily and Jefferson exchange looks.

"So, it's here in New York?" Jefferson asks.

"Yes," Regina nods, growing concerned.

"We have to leave. Now." Lily stood, as did Jefferson. "Pack your bags, we'll go check out- we'll meet Emma and leave back to Forks with her."

"Okay." As Jefferson and Lily exit the room, Regina quickly gathers her things that she had out, which wasn't much. Her ringing phone startled her, capturing her attention. An unknown number flashed along the screen. "Hello?" She answered.

"Regina? Where are you?"

"Mom?" Regina's brow furrowed, "Where are you calling me from?"

"Regina… Where are you?" Her mother's voice sounded frightened.

"Calm down, everything's fine." Regina rubs at her temple, knowing that her father must have said something to her already, called her in a frantic. "Look, I have to go, but I'll explain everything later-"

"Forks High School doesn't protect their student's privacy very much."

Regina's blood runs cold at the sound of Hyde's voice. Her eyes look toward the closed door.

"Be careful not to say anything. Now, I don't want to hurt your mother, but I will… I haven't eaten in a while and it's about time for a meal…"

"Don't hurt her! Please!" Regina's eyes widened.

"That all depends on you. Now, do exactly as I say and repeat after me… Say, 'no, mom, stay where you are.'"

Regina breathed, "No, mom, stay where you are." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Hyde sighs, "Not convincing. Now, I know they can hear you if they tune in, so do your mother a favor, because I really don't want to have to hurt her… Say, 'mom, listen to me. Stay right there.'"

Regina filled with anger, but did exactly as she was told, "Mom, listen to me. Stay right there."

"This worked out better than I expected. I was prepared to wait, but your mother arrived home ahead of schedule. It's easier this way, isn't it? Less suspense, less anxiety."

Regina breathed a shuddering breath. "Please…" She whispered, her eyes tearing up.

"Now I want you to listen very carefully. I need you to get away from your friends; do you think you can do that? Answer yes or no."

Regina hesitated… "Yes."

"Very good. Before noon, please, Regina, I can't wait all day. Just remember that your mother's life is in jeopardy."

"Where's Phil?" Regina demanded.

"Uh-uh," She hears the clearest tsk ever through the phone. "You wouldn't want to spoil all my fun, now would you? Now, listen carefully… When you go back to your friends, you convince them that you are going to visit your mom. Be convincing. Tell them she called you in a frantic and it would be better for you to come alone. Now repeat after me, 'thank you, mom.' Say it now."

"Thank you, mom." Regina tried to fight back more tears.

"Say, 'I love you, mom. I'll see you soon.'"

"I love you, mom… I'll see you soon." Regina's voice was thick, but filled with promise.

"Meet me at your ballet studio, and don't be late. Goodbye, Regina. I really look forward to seeing you soon. You and I are going to have some fun."

As the line went dead, Regina tossed her phone along the bed, panting heavily. After a good three minutes, she draws in a breath, reaches for a clean sheet of paper from the table and the pen and writes out a letter.

Emma,

I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very sorry. Don't be angry with Lily and Jefferson. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Lily especially, please. And please, please, don't come after him. That's what he wants. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I ask of you now. For me.

I love you. Forgive me.

Regina.

Regina folds the piece of paper, writing Lily's name on the back of it and leaves it on the table, knowing they would find it and give it to Emma.