Chapter XLI

Panic At The Ye Olde Disco

Author's Note: Sorry about the longer than usual wait. I had an unexpected across-the-state move in March and April. I have re-established myself and hope to be back on a regular-writing schedule very soon. As always, thank you to everyone that has commented. I promise I am putting a concentrated effort into properly replying to everyone starting now. Additionally, March 17th marked this story's sixth year of production. There have been hiatuses, bumps in the road, moves, employment/education/life changes and it has been a long and steep learning curve. This tale remains, however, my passion project and I will finish it. Thanks again, everyone. You guys are the absolute best.

If one more person bowed or curtsied at her, she would scream.

Emma was the least princessy princess in the history of royalty everywhere.

The heels were killing her, the underwire of her bra was chafing her and worst of all, she'd lost track of Regina.

Regina, her personal light at the end of this long and boring dance tunnel, had disappeared. For now, once this stupid ball was over, they would be together again. She would finally have a real date night with Regina. No kids, no parents, no magical shenanigans. Emma had been dreaming about this since the first time she'd met Regina.

Regina had grabbed her with "the best cider you've ever tasted" and never let go.

Now, tonight, Emma would take Regina on her very first date. If this stupid ball ever ended. Well, at least the food was good. Not that she could eat a lot. Snow kept parading her around and introducing her to people. She'd had her picture taken about a thousand times. Emma's head spun with names and back stories she would never remember. Lady This and Duke That. How was she supposed to remember who they all were and who they used to be? She didn't even try after the second or third group.

Emma escaped her parents but being by herself brought on a whole

new headache. People wanted to talk to her. They all wanted to talk about official sherrify things. They had questions and expected her to have answers. What did she plan to do about the recent rash of graffiti? Did she think they would need a larger jail for longer sentences? Did she intend to keep Storybrooke or Enchanted Forest laws?

Emma had no answers. She hadn't even known there would be questions! She had given the best non-answers she could come up with and excused herself to the ladies' room. She wasn't even sure where that was, but she had said she'd had to pee about fifteen times.

She needed an out. She had made nice with as many royal schmucks as she could. She'd shoved a Benjamin into an overflowing donation box. She'd even smiled for the camera while doing it.

Emma tried to avoid the dance floor. The only person she wanted to dance with was off-limits. Ashley dragged her into a ye-olde-square-dance. She got paired up with some ex-knight named Kevin. Since Snow had given her several not-so-subtle thumbs ups, she was sure it was on purpose. Her mother was trying to set her and Sir Kevin up. Ew.

She needed a minute, one damn minute, to breathe. She slipped behind the catering tables and sat down on the floor. She needed a minute and a drink. When a pair of black non-slip sneakers stopped in front of her, she looked up.

"I will literally give you anything, pay you any amount, for a drink."

Bastian was chopping something up so fast she couldn't follow his movements. He flipped the knife in his hand. "No can do. Granny took whatever Leroy didn't drink. He shrugged, "Something about a fairy."

Emma sighed and let her head fall back against the gym wall. "Freaking alcoholic dwarf."

Bastian smirked, "Yeah, well, a little birdie told me you have better places to be tonight."

She smiled her first real smile in what felt like hours. "Yeah. A better place with better company." She chuckled, "Some offense intended."

"Emma!"

Damn it. She used to be way better at hide-and-seek.

Snow bounced over with a big toothy grin and a dress that could have doubled as a wedding cake. She was excited, perky and a little sweaty. She looked like she had downed too much ecstasy or the fairytale equivalent.

"There you are!" Her ridiculous grin slipped a little, "Why are you on the floor, Sweetheart? You'll wrinkle your beautiful dress."

Emma held in a groan and a few curses. She used the wall for balance and stood up. The dress fell right back into place, still shiny and perfect.

Snow held out her hands and beckoned her over.

Emma wanted this, all of it, to be over. It wasn't yet, so she put on a smile. Snow had worked hard on this shindig. Regina had helped. She'd pulled strings and set up little extras, but this was Snow's big show.

Speaking of Snow, she was looking around, a little confused. She finally settled on Bastian. "Oh. Where's Granny?"

Bastian didn't answer. He rolled his eyes, flipped a towel over his shoulder, turned on his heel and walked away. He abandoned her to deal with Snow all on her own. Asshole.

"Anyway," Snow dismissed him. "Why did you go and hide? Sir Kagan wants another dance."

Emma blinked, "You mean Kevin?"

"Do you not like him?"

He was okay, but compared to Regina, he was about as interesting as a dust bunny.

Snow frowned, "Well that's fine. The men are fighting over the chance to dance with you. There's Count Ezra, he's cute."

She looped her arm through Emma's and pulled her back into the party.

"There's" She pointed at a guy in a tuxedo with primped blonde hair. "Lord Maxwell. He's talking to Price Landon."

The other man was a carbon copy of the first except his hair was a curly brown ponytail. They were both sporting knock-off Rolexes and I'm-Better-Than-You-Smirks. Royalty or not, Emma had met a thousand men like them. She tuned back into Snow's rambling.

"He's part owner of Storybrooke Construction. He's an architect, you know."

Emma didn't know. She didn't even know if Snow was talking about the blonde, the brunette or some new guy. She also didn't care.

Snow grinned, "Oh! You're more into a rough and tumble guys, aren't you? Duke Raphael was the best hunter and jouster in the Enchanted Forest."

She tugged Emma along towards a big burly man with curly black hair and a beard. Snow was one step away from making her a royal EHarmony account.

Holy shit. She had to come out to her parents at the ripe old age of twenty-eight and a half. She thought she'd dodged that rite of passage.

"Um, well, Snow. You see-"

Emma wished Regina was here. She always made Emma feel braver. Even better, if she didn't feel brave enough, Regina would step in. She'd snark Snow into submission.

"Sheriff Swan."

Thank God!

Emma disentangled herself from Snow and turned around. Two people, a familiar woman and a professional video camera on legs. The woman smiled at her. "Do you have a moment for a short piece for the Storybrooke Evening News?" It took a minute, but Emma put two and two together. The woman looked familiar because she was one of the news anchors. Emma had done an interview with her right after her election.

Emma shrugged and nodded. Anything to keep Snow from taking her on the Fairy Tale Dating Game. "Sure. If I had known I would be on camera, I would have worn my uniform."

The reporter, Namazzi Something-or-Other, held out her hand to shake. "Your dress is gorgeous. Did Mikel Deville design it for you?" The camera wasn't on yet, this was polite small talk. "It is good to see that you're making connections with our local economy."

Cruella had a lot of fans in Storybrooke. Emma looked over her smart business suit, the light pink was beautiful against her dark skin. She'd used makeup to highlight her killer cheekbones and soften her intense dark eyes. She could have been a model, but in Storybrooke a news reporter was the next best thing.

The cameraman handed Namazzi a microphone and smiled at her. "I'm Zuberi Okeke. Please forgive me, Sheriff, I can't shake your hand." He was a tall thin man dressed to work, not to impress. He was definitely a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. Emma immediately liked him.

She nodded at him. "Don't worry about it. You're kind of juggling a lot there. Do you need help?"

He hefted the camera back onto his shoulder. "No. I'm all good here, Sheriff Swan. We're ready to go whenever you are."

"Emma" Snow frowned at the pair, "has already given an interview for the paper."

She had? Emma definitely didn't remember that.

Namazzi's trademark television smile evaporated. She glared at Snow like she had spit on her instead of spoken up. "I am talking to the Sheriff, Colonizer."

What?

Emma understood the word, but not whatever fairytale-political context it was wrapped in. Whatever it meant, Snow did not like it at all. She opened her mouth to argue further but Emma waved her away. Zuberi was already counting down for their interview to begin.

Namazzi's smile immediately returned. "I am Namazzi Azikiwe and I'm here at the Storybrooke Family Unity Ball with Sheriff Emma Swan. Thank you for joining us, Sheriff."

Emma folded her hands in front of her, then behind her and finally let them hang by her sides. She was a little nervous. "Please, call me Emma."

Namazzi smiled and nodded. She completely ignored Snow, who was inching closer and closer to Emma. The way the camera lens zoomed told Emma that despite the movement, Snow was still cropped out of the shot.

"Emma, it is good to have you back in Storybrooke. You haven't had

much of a break since your election. How are you adjusting to your new reality?"

No easy questions then.

"Well," Emma wasn't sure what to say. One day, she would have a plan. Today was not that day. So she was winging it, again. "Every day's an adventure around here." That was an understatement. "But Storybrooke is a good place full of good people. Everyone has built a strong and uh good-proud community together."

Her mind was racing. Emma was crap at politics, but she knew that this was important. Too important to screw up. "I mean, look at all these banners." Well, that sounded dumb. She mentally scrambled for something better, something more. "People from all these groups and kingdoms came together. They joined under one uh-banner." Emma pointed at the huge Storybrooke Seal that Regina had made appear. "They made something new and great. Storybrooke will only get better as we catch up with the rest of the world."

Namazzi nodded. "So you agree with Regina Mills' assessment that our futures are in Storybrooke?"

Oh great. If she said no, her girlfriend would kill her. If she said yes, her mother would kill her. If Emma was going to die, then she would die for telling the truth.

"I saw the Enchanted Forest. It isn't somewhere I want to live or raise my kid. Storybrooke has all the perks of the modern world, like indoor plumbing. It also has magic, werewolves, dwarves, knights, and fairies. We have all these banners." She waved her hand around. "Like that one" She pointed to Regina's green and gold one. "beside the US and Maine flags. We have the best of both worlds. Storybrooke gives everyone a second chance to choose who they want to be. Not who they were told to be, or who they are supposed to be, but who they really want to be."

That was true. Emma was a daughter, mother, girlfriend, and sheriff because she chose to be. Regina was choosing to become a better person, a happy daughter, and a kickass mother. Storybrooke was a world of choices.

"And" Namazzi turned her 5000-watt smile on again. "Do you want to be a princess or a sheriff?"

Emma chuckled. Namazzi was a good reporter and a bit of a smartass. Emma looked down at her dress. "Well it doesn't look like it, but I love being Storybrooke's Sheriff. Out in the world, I would have never gotten this chance to serve my community." Not officially, anyway. "I also happen to be a princess." She tossed her hair back over her shoulder, "but I'm not great at that part." That was the understatement of the century.

So far she hadn't cursed or said something too stupid, she wasn't doing half bad. Take that Mr. McDaniels who had flunked her in 10th grade Public Speaking class!

"So do you support blanket pardons for the crimes of the Enchanted Forest?"

Namazzi tilted her head, "Specifically in Regina Mills' case. Sources tell us that you have become rather close to the so-called Evil Queen."

Shit. Namazzi was good at her job. She had lured Emma in with her smile and nice cameraman and now she was going in for the kill. She hadn't been like this last time. The curse must have mellowed her out. Now she was not holding back. Emma would admire the woman if she wasn't the one that was about to embarrass herself on tv.

"I-", Of course, she wanted to keep Regina safe from freaking mobs with torches and pitchforks. Emma also knew that answering this would put her in some deep shit with the entire town though. This could open up an enormous can of worms. Knowing her luck they'd be magical hell worms too. Emma was the Sheriff, and she had to be unbiased. Justice was blind and the rule of law and all that.

"Emma- " Snow butted in. "is" going to-" Snow was scowling and using her queen voice. Snow stepped forward, and into the interview. Emma threw her arm out to stop and hold her in place. She would not argue with Snow on TV. This wasn't Jerry Springer and Emma would not throw down with her mother. She also would not let Snow speak for her. She loved her, but this wasn't gonna happen. Not now. Not ever.

"Emma can speak." She cut her eyes hard at Snow. "for herself and-"

The ground shook beneath them. At first, Emma thought she was having a happy hallucination, but it was real. Ribbons and banners fell. Glasses vibrated off of tables and shattered on the floor. Women were screaming, men were grabbing onto things to stay upright. Everything was chaos. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it stopped.

Camera forgotten, Emma looked around. "What the hell was that?"

"Magic!" Grumpy screamed. He ran back into the ballroom, a bottle of scotch still in hand. "There's some kind of magic light show coming from Town Hall!"

Damn! A million theories ran through Emma's head and none of them were good. She had seen the horrors that came from Cora's magic and this fancy pants dance was an easy target.

"If you'll excuse me. She flashed a smile at Namazzi and the camera. "Duty calls."

Emma left them standing there. She elbowed her way through the crowd. "David!" Her tuxedoed deputy was a few feet away. "Keep everyone here and lock down the school." He opened his mouth to argue and she didn't have time for that. "Now. That's an order."

Right now she wasn't his daughter. She was his boss, and she needed him to listen. Their priority had to be to protect the citizens, and most of them were right here. If Cora was raising hell at Town Hall, then Emma had to go and stop her. The last thing they needed was a bunch of civilians going over there. They would be targets. Cora didn't care about killing innocent people. Emma was pretty sure she got off on it.

Emma rushed through the crowd, good manners and patience gone.

"Move! Sheriff coming through!"

She looked for Regina and didn't see her anywhere. Not talking with her chef-pal, not curtsy-ing with the noble ladies. Not mayoring around. Where was she? Where was Henry?

"Regina!"

Emma shoved her way through the crowd. She looked around frantically, trying to find the two most important people in her world.

"Henry!"

This was terrifying. If they weren't here, they could already be there. Cora could already have them. Regina could already be fighting to keep her psycho mother away from their son.

Damm it! Emma rushed as fast as she could in heels to the doors. She had to get to Town Hall, and she had to get there fast.

She hadn't known what to expect, but a talking knee high dragon was ridiculous and a little insulting. Mulan was both fascinated and repulsed.

Singing? They had been an army, not a performing troupe.

A girl worth fighting for? Paler than the moon, with eyes that shine like stars. Mulan hated the song, but the lyrics rang true. She would fight to her death and beyond for Aurora.

Outside of the annoying details, the cartoon people told a basic version of her story. She had hidden her gender and had to work hard to prove herself. She had fought Huns and saved many men.

After that, the cartoon got ridiculous again. One single campaign? She'd served for years and fought in many battles. She'd been a Lieutenant with troops of her own when the truth came out.

Disgraced, disowned, and banished. There had been no Happy Ending. She'd never met the Emperor, let alone mounted a rescue for him. Mulan hid her face in her hands when the men dressed as women. That had definitely never happened.

"Is it all true, Mulan?" Aoife, Merida's exuberant daughter, was so excited that she was bouncing up and down. Mulan was sitting on the floor, surrounded by children. They all looked at her like she was a hero. They thought she was a hero because of this cartoon movie.

"Is it true? Did you really do that?"

Mulan's disgust was momentarily forgotten. All the children were looking at her. Even Henry, Emma and Regina's son, was watching her with wide and curious eyes.

"It is-" She couldn't disappoint them. She couldn't lie either. "-almost right."

The girl's smile was huge. "That's what Mum says about her movie too!"

The cartoon movie (finally) ended and Mulan fought to keep her face impassive and to remain stoic. Her family had not accepted her back. She had never hugged her father. She'd never seen home again. The movie story was a lie.

All the children scampered off while names scrolled down the screen. They wanted to play games and eat. Mulan let her shoulders slump and dropped her face in her hands again. She had no appetite after watching that mess.

"So" Merida half-whispered, I guess isn't quite right?''

Mulan looked up. "Where can I find this Disney person? I would like to talk to him with my sword."

Merida threw her head back and laughed uproariously. "My wife says the same thing about mine." She held a hand out to help Mulan to her feet. "I think she takes offense because I have a movie and she only got a nursery rhyme."

Mulan locked arms with the other woman and stood up. She stretched, stiff from sitting on the floor for so long. She wasn't a youngster anymore.

"Come on, one of the lads from the station smuggled in some beer. I'll introduce ye to some adults."

"Maybe" Mulan sighed, "beer will help me forget that." She shook her head, "Travesty.'' A lot of beer.

Merida led her to the far side of the cafeteria, away from the children's games. There was a group of people, of various ages and dress. They had pushed some tables together. There was pizza, beer, and conversation. It was a mix of men and women and much more relaxed than the ball.

"Don't bother te remember all the names." Merida grabbed two bottles. "This lot will answer to anything.'' She popped the tops off and handed Mulan one.

There were many people, plain and friendly. They weren't particularly impressed or taken aback by her identity. They were small folk and fellow soldiers. Now, with simple folk, simple food, and good ale, she felt comfortable.

"And then" One man was telling an old war story. "Thackery got his ax, I kid you not, stuck in this guy's breastplate. It was in the gap you know. He didn't kill him. He stunned him a bit." The man chuckled, "But that didn't stop the fight. So Ol' Thack swings the man around and knocked two of his buddies over." He guzzled down half of his beer. "It was the funniest damn thing I'd ever seen. He never killed him, you know. Thack was laughing so hard that he eventually let the man and his ax go. I think he wet himself laughing."

"Oh, that's horseshite, Manny!" A heavyset man with more hair in his beard than on his head protested.

Now, this was familiar, universal. Soldier talk was soldier talk in any language.

"That's nothing!" A very thin blonde man boosted himself up to sit on the table between two large boxes of pizza. "One time I was on guard duty at The Queen's castle and I swear she used her magic to make the cats as smart as a man. All the animals were smart, but the cats were like her familiars. One of them stole a chunk of ham right outta my hand. Then the bugger meowed like he was laughing at me."

"That's just a cat, man." Jill, Merida's wife, slapped him on the shoulder. "And most of them are smarter than you." Everyone laughed.

He laughed too. "I'll still swear to it."

"Ye should be sneering off booze instead!" Merida, her dress jacket abandoned, slung her arm her wife's waist and grinned at him.

Even Mulan laughed that time.

"What about you, Mulan?" One man, tall and wide with red wind-chapped skin, asked. "Are you looking for work? A lot of us work at the cannery or on the boats.

A lanky woman who had a baby strapped to her chest, nodded, "There is always a need for field hands in the summer too."

"We need more job opportunities around here." Manny drained his beer. "My kid wants to learn how to program computers and make video games. It's all she talks about. We don't have nothing like that here."

A dark-haired woman, Mulan thought her name might be Edda, sighed. "My boy has his heart set on playing college ball. Wants to go to North Carolina like Michael Jordan. He wants to get a degree in some kind of chemistry too."

"We gotta open up the border." A younger man with shaggy brown hair added. "I've been promising my wife we'd go to Las Vegas for twenty-eight years."

The whole group erupted with groans and boos. "Party foul!" Manny bellowed. "The Rook" He continued, "owes us all a drink!"

Jill leaned closer to her to explain. "Everyone is sick to death of hearing about how long we were cursed."

Mulan nodded because she understood that. People wanted to move forward and live their lives. She listened to them and filed things away in her head to look into later.

The internet was the most powerful learning tool in any realm. She had even found that there was an equivalent of her homeland, and her land's language, in this realm. It was on the other side of the world. So close, yet still so far away. Mulan wanted to show Aurora her homeland, even if this China wasn't exactly hers. If they took one of the airplane machines, they could be there in twenty hours. It was practically magic.

"Well, if ye ask me-"

Merida stopped speaking because the earth shook. The windows rattled and cracked. The children screamed. Black and white light cut across the sky. Something was wrong.

"Magic!'' someone bellowed. "There's some kind of magic light show coming from Town Hall!"

Cora.

Mulan abandoned her drink and reached for the sword that she did not have.

"Henry!"

Emma Swan rushed into the room. She looked worried and determined. She looked around, eyes scanning the chaotic crowd. The second she saw her son, she rushed to him.

Henry ran to meet her in the middle of the room.

"Kid!" Emma knelt down. "Are you okay?"

He was fine. Everyone was safe but scared.

"Kid, have you seen your Mom? Is she in here?"

Regina had not come into the cafeteria at all that night.

"Hill!"

Merida immediately straightened up, all silliness gone. She was a soldier, a leader, and she looked at it. She walked away from her own children and to the center of the room. "Swan."

"Something is going on at Town Hall. Coordinate with David. I need you and your team to lock this place down. I don't want the civilians and children to take a single step out of the doors. Not until we know what we're dealing with."

Merida nodded, "Ye heard the Sheriff, lads!" She looked around, "This is what we've been training for."

Emma was already on her way to Town Hall. She didn't even seem to notice Henry following her.

"What about us?" One of the former warriors folded his arms over his chest.

"You think we're gonna stand around with our thumbs up our asses while the Queen of Hearts attacks our town?" Emma paused at the door. "Half of you with Hill, half of you with David. Do what you can, but your priority is to protect our people. Our kids. Do not go on a witch hunt. Cora doesn't care if she hurts innocent people. It's her freaking hobby. She's not an evil queen, she's a million times worse.

Every one of them nodded, ready to fight. They were soldiers, this was what they did. So was she. Someone had to protect Aurora. It was Mulan's sworn duty, her heart's calling, to protect her princess.

Where was Aurora?

Emma turned to look at her son. "Kid, Henry, I need you to stay here. I don't know what is happening-

"No!" He protested. "I can help! I know I can!"

Emma grabbed him by his thin shoulders. "No. No, Kid. Cora is dangerous, crazy, the worst kind of evil. She won't hesitate to hurt you. I need to know you are safe. Your Mom needs to know you are safe. We can't fight if we're worried about you."

"But I want to be a hero too!" Henry stomped his foot. "Mom might be in trouble and it's my job to protect her!"

Emma kissed his forehead. "I'm the Savior. My job is to protect you and your mom. Your job is to make sure all your classmates stay calm. You're a prince, right? Princes take care of their people. These other kids are your people, so take care of them."

Henry scrubbed at his eyes, wiping tears away. "Fine." he didn't sound happy, but he nodded.

"Thanks, Kid."

She gave Henry another hug then stood up. Emma Swan was a warrior, an unconventional one, but a warrior still. When she straightened back up, her face was hard and her eyes had a fire in them. She was ready to fight. She rushed out the door.

"Emma!" Mulan ran after her. The gold-clad Sheriff only barely slowed down. "Where is Aurora?!"

Emma finally stopped, frozen mid-step, "I haven't seen her in a while.''

She furrowed her brows. "Have you seen Regina?"

Mulan shook her head. She had not seen her since her grand entrance.

"Shit!" Emma pounded her fist against the corridor wall.

The realization hit Mulan like that blow. She swayed on her feet. All the pieces came crashing together in her head. The books, research, and spells. She remembered Belle's perseverance and Aurora's hope. First came shock, then fury. It boiled and frothed in her blood. She took a quick breath and tried to control herself. "You haven't seen Belle either, have you?" She didn't wait for an answer. She knew, could feel it in her gut, what those women had sneaked off to do. "We need to get over there. Now."

The last time the AM/FM radio in the police cruiser worked had been in 1998. Graham hadn't minded, he'd liked the quiet. Ruby hated it, so she patrolled to the sound of her own versions of 80s Classic Rock.

Storybrooke was calm and quiet tonight. Almost everyone was at the Ball. Those who weren't were working the night shift or drowning their sorrows at the Rabbit Hole. Directing the traffic after the ball ended would be a freaking nightmare.

Ruby tugged at her polo shirt's collar. She couldn't remember the correct hand signals and order to handle a four-way stop. She should have reviewed it in the handbook at the station before she'd left. She'd seen the awful traffic jam that afternoon. Ruby didn't want it to happen again.

She had her bright yellow vest in the backseat. Khakis, a polo, and a fluorescent vest. It was the sexiest outfit she'd ever worn. She chuckled at her own joke. Her new job was so glamorous.

Ruby turned from Lilac Ave and onto Birch Street. She was the only car on the road. There weren't even any teenagers loitering around and smoking. Yup, being a deputy was glamorous and exciting. Just like balls.

She tried not to think about Belle in some fancy dress dancing the night away without her. Which was not fair since she'd danced with both Ems and Rory. Still, though, she'd rather dance with Belle.

Belle always looked beautiful. Tonight she probably looked exactly like the noble lady she was. Emma had teased her about Belle's dress. Apparently, it was gorgeous and literally made for her. A beautiful dress for a beautiful Lady. Because Belle was a Lady. She knew all the right dance steps and curtsies. Men had to be tripping over themselves to dance with her. Unless Mr. Gold had thrown on one of his thousand dollar suits and swept her off her feet. That dark bastard. Ruby felt a growl rumble in her chest. She swallowed it down. Balls were dumb anyway.

Besides, even if she got to go to the ball, Ruby wouldn't get to dance. She would work there too. She'd be shoveling out appetizers or carting around drinks. Smiling and deferring to royal and noble snobs. She would have to watch everyone else have fun and hope for tips that would never come. She was better off being a deputy.

Ruby drummed her fingers on the steering wheel to the almost-rhythm of Bon Jovi's best song, "You Give Love A Bad Name". She snorted and rolled her eyes. She couldn't even blame a radio DJ. She was torturing herself.

She forced the old window crank around to roll down the window. Ruby needed some air. The breeze hit her face and helped banish her thoughts, momentarily at least. She could smell the car's exhaust, the ocean, the cannery and hints of the forest. Those were good smells, normal smells, Storybrooke smells.

She continued her route and sang and mumbled her way through Madonna's "Living on a Prayer". '89 had been a good year. Things had been easy back then, simple. She'd argued with Granny, had girl nights with Mary Margaret and gone on ride-alongs with Graham. It had been to keep her out of trouble and to keep him entertained. She missed him.

She and Graham had been friends, good friends. She was pretty sure it was a wolf thing. They would have made a good couple, but it had never happened. They had been more like siblings, like pack. Ruby blew out a breath. She, everybody, knew that Regina Mills had killed him. That, and the poisoned apple turnover had been her last horrific acts of evil.

Now Emma, Graham's good friend, and her bestie was dating her. Great.

Ruby wasn't exactly thrilled about Emma and Regina's super-secret-relationship. Graham's murder was the tip of Regina's big ol' evil deeds iceberg. It was like she had told Emma and Henry, though. She could tell that Regina was different, that she was trying to be better. Ruby doubted that she would ever call the queen a friend, or trust her further than she could throw her. Still, Regina was not the Evil Queen anymore. She wasn't a saint either. Neither was Ruby. They both had inner beasts they had to accept and control.

She had wrestled with it and decided that she would give Regina a chance, for now. Ruby wouldn't interfere. Hell, when Snow found out, she would even run interference.

The moment that Regina hurt Ems and Henry though, Ruby would do what she should have done back in the beginning. She'd destroy the Evil Queen. All she would leave were some designer heels and some bloody scraps of a pants suit.

No. Ruby dismissed that idea as she made a lazy left turn onto Drury Lane. Regina would rip out her own spleen before she intentionally hurt Henry again. Since she'd cast a curse over losing her last boyfriend, Emma was safe too.

Besides, she'd had several chances to wolf-out at the Evil Queen but never had. She tried not to think about it too much. Ruby tried not to think about a lot of things. Especially things from the Old World. She much preferred this world.

Speaking of this world and thinking about things. If Ruby was honest, she had seen this coming. Regina and Emma had danced around each other since the day they'd met. Ruby had never seen anyone rile up Madam Mayor the way Emma did.

She had spent years trying to rile Regina and had never got a second glance. Which in hindsight was not the ego-killer she'd thought it was. Not that she would admit any of that to anyone, ever.

Ruby was oh-for-two. Regina had looked right through her. She'd been waiting for Princess Charming. Belle looked at her like a best friend because what else would they be? Just friends, yeah.

Now, as if dating in Storybrooke wasn't hard enough already, she had to compete against Mulan. Mulan the hero. Mulan who had a kick-ass sword and movie. Mulan who was probably dancing with Belle and Aurora, having the time of her ass-kicking life. Mulan, Storybrooke's newest most eligible bachelorette.

The worst part? Ruby couldn't be mad at her. Mulan was an awesome person. She also had, like, the best Disney movie. Some chicks got all the breaks.

Damn it! Ruby stuck her arm out the window and let the wind whip through her fingers. She had to stop with the pity party. "Get it together, Red." She sighed. Now she was talking to herself. Great.

She needed a distraction. A long run in the woods or something. A fight, a bruised and bloody knuckle bar brawl. Yeah, that would be great. She could work off her funk and arrest her first perps. Too bad everyone was on their best behavior at the ball. Balls were so so dumb.

The smell hit her hard and fast that she almost blacked out. She swerved hard to the left. She hit the curb and jammed on the brakes with both feet. Rubber and metal screeched against concrete and she slammed against the steering wheel. "Shit!"

Ruby rubbed the aching spot on her shoulder and chest. She should have worn her seatbelt. She wasn't sure what was worse, the pain or the smell. She retched and gagged. The air was foul, like gangrene and scorched flesh. The smell of death was unmistakable. Goosebumps prickled over her skin. She could feel energy crackling in the air. Magic. She recognized that as easily as she did death.

Ruby threw the cruiser into park and got out. She looked up and felt icicles replace her bones. The sky above the middle of town was flashing white and unnatural black against foreboding gray clouds. It looked like the Fourth of July and a laser rock show made an unholy baby.

Cora. It had to be Cora. She was up to something right in the middle of town. Everyone was at the school. Almost every man, woman, and child in Storybrooke. They were dancing and playing, oblivious to the danger coming their way.

Not on her watch. Ruby got back into the cruiser. She shifted into reverse and hit the gas so hard that she left tire marks on the sidewalk and road. She destroyed the speed limit and ran her lights and sirens the entire way. Which would be cool if she wasn't out of her mind with fear and adrenaline.

It didn't take long to get anywhere in Storybrooke, but Ruby was pretty sure she broke a few land speed records.

She pulled the e-brake and came to a jerky stop in front of Town Hall. The lights were shooting out of broken windows and the concrete was shaking so hard it was cracking. Ruby got out and stared at the apocalyptic damage. The sound, the smell, the vibes. This was not good.

"Holy Sh-"

"Rubes!" Emma, still in her princess dress and heels, jogged over to her. She winced with every step. Mulan followed her in a snappy suit.

"What in the hell is going on here, Boss?!"

Emma shook her head. "We don't know exactly! The doors are magically sealed or something." Emma shoved her fingers through her curls. "We can't get in!"

"Is it Cora?" Ruby had never met her, but Snow had told her stories.

Emma threw up her hands, frustrated. She was practically vibrating with nerves. "I don't know. Maybe. Mulan-"

Mulan looked stoic but smelled like fear too.

"-said that Aurora and Belle might be trying to summon a fucking wraith ."

"Why?" Ruby choked on her words. Why would anybody do that on purpose? Belle was smarter than that! "How?!"

Emma sighed, "I can't find Regina."

Oh hell no! Ruby's heart stuttered to a stop. "You think Belle is in there with the Evil Queen and a soul-sucking monster?!"

If The Evil Freaking Queen harmed one single hair on Belle's head, she would rip her apart.

"Have you tried to go through the station?" She pulled the keys from her duty belt. "Let's go!"

The doors to the Sheriff Station opened up with the key and a quick push. The Station connected to the rest of City Hall through a short hallway. Ruby knew the way in her sleep. She'd walked it a million times. Before they rushed headlong into who-knew-what, they needed to gear up.

Ruby went right to the gun cabinet and grabbed the shotgun. She had cleaned and loaded the weapon the day before. "Sheriff.''

Ruby tossed it to her and Emma caught it with one hand.

Emma cocked the shotgun with one hand and a hard jerk. Then she kicked off her heels and kicked them across the room. "This is some Charlie's Angels bullshit."

Ruby would laugh if she wasn't scared out of her mind. Instead, she went to David's desk and grabbed his sword. "Mulan." She held it out to the other woman. Ruby figured that she would prefer a weapon she recognized over a gun.

Mulan took and twisted a sword around with skill that was both a gift and a hard-won skill. Mulan was deadly with a blade and everyone knew it.

Emma looked at them, then at the connecting hallways. There was no telling what was on the other side. Ruby recognized the look on Emma's face. She had the same look that Snow always had when she was about to dive into danger.

"Let's go"

Emma's face was a mess of emotions: determination, fear, hope, love, anger. Ruby felt all those and more pumping though her. Her Wolf was howling to run, to fight, to protect.

"get our girls."