While Rumple gets a little closer to discovering when and why the former Mayor and Sheriff changed completely, Regina and Emma, becoming even more frustrated at their lack of progress, are considering a very different, and permanent change.

Manhattan, New York

"Well, I'll be damned! Seems that old serpent was telling the truth, after all."

After they'd left Chinatown, following their unsuccessful meeting with the Dragon, they'd headed straight to the nearest drugstore, to buy three home pregnancy test kits, all different brands. Now, they sat on the bed of their hotel room, looking at two of the results. Both positive.

"Looks like it. How're you feeling?"

"Surprised and confused? I never imagined this could possibly happen."

"Yeah I get that, but I mean, are you happy about it, or not?"

"Ask me later, I'm too stunned right now and it's a lot to take in? If it's true, I'm not even sure I want to keep it."

"If you do, are you going to tell Hood?"

"No. Even though he's the father, he's my past." She finally put the test stick down, turning to face her. "Although what I do next, partly depends on you, as you're my future now. Do you want this?"

"I want you! Whether that's with a baby, or not. I love you, Regina. And let's face it, we've brought up a son together before, haven't we? Even if he has turned out to be such a disappointment. Think about it, raising a little one together from scratch would be rather cool wouldn't it? Hell, I wish I could get you pregnant myself!"

"In the magical realms, many women have tried in the past, but magic babies by female couples seem to be a myth. But you're already a wonderful mother. Still, we have other things to worry about right now." She rubbed her wrist. "Namely, getting rid of these damn things!"

"Yeah, it sucks. He said they're not tattoos but within our bodies? How's that even possible? I'm wondering whether the longer we stay away from Storybrooke and the magic, they'd eventually fade and disappear?"

"I've no idea, but the thought of not going back does seem to be an attractive one. After all, I currently have no magic, no job, and a son who's betrayed me? It's not like there's anything there for me now, is there? Apart from my revenge."

"Same. And with you here, there's nothing I want to go back for. Hope can wait and I can deal with Killian-fucking-Jones any time."

"What about the rest of the family? Your parents?"

"I don't know. It's like, now that I know how we both feel about each other, I don't really care anymore? They weren't there for the first twenty-eight years! Nope, if we're not going to get our magic back, I could quite easily settle anywhere with you. Not in a big city like New York, but somewhere not too far away? Once I sell my place, I'll have enough to find something maybe a little smaller? I can easily find work, I reckon, even if it's not in law enforcement. We could make a home together, maybe have a new star with your baby?"

"Our baby! It's a lovely thought, Emma. I do have some money outside Storybrooke, but I'd still need to sell the house eventually; though I can't imagine who to? I'm not going near the imp, and unless the Hatter or the Briars were interested, that could take a very long time. Still, I do still have access to funds."

"Well we're suspended, not sacked, so the money should still keep coming in for the moment. So, what say we check out of here and fly to Miami tomorrow morning?" She looked her up and down, licking her lips. "I still want to see you in a bikini!"

"Well enjoy it while it lasts! Because if I do keep this pregnancy, I'm going to be losing my figure pretty quickly!" Her hand roamed over her, currently almost flat, abdomen. "Anyway, I haven't packed any bikinis. I've brought swimsuits."

"Just as well I've brought two of mine then, isn't it? You'll easily get into them..." Emma gave her a lascivious grin, pushing her onto her back, before climbing over her. "In every way I can think of."

Regina reached up, pecking her lips. "Why wait till I've changed?"

The Sherwood Inn

Robin sat at one of the tables nearest the window, watching his son outside, playing on the recently laid lawn of the forest inn he'd built only two years ago, playing with two friends. Opposite him sat his stepson, Henry.

"So like you, Gold's convinced it's a curse or a potion or something? He's got a lead?"

"He thinks so. Apparently he used some hair, a dreamcatcher and magic, to show every time they've have been together over the last two weeks, to figure out what happened. He invited me to sit in with him but…well, you know?"

Robin shrugged. "No child wants to see their parent, mother or father, being intimate. With anyone."

"Exactly. It'd be horrific. Anyway, he went back as far as a day before the summer fête, when everything seemed normal? They were arguing in the town hall about budgets, admin and stuff."

He gave him a sad smile back. "Ah, the good old days! I think Regina just loved baiting her. Apart from me, I think Emma was one of the few people who always came back at her? They used to squabble all the time, but Gina usually gave her what she wanted in the end. Within reason."

"Yeah, well, it seems after the fête, they had an evening dinner at your place. Everything was good and you guys were entertaining ma, Killian and Hope at your place? I was still at Harvard."

"I remember. It was a good evening. Hope stayed over, Regina read her a bedtime story, and Emma settled Rolly before they sat down with us to eat. Everything was normal."

"Yeah, well anyway, that all changed on the Monday after. The seventh? Grandpa said the images showed them together somewhere, in what looked like an old cottage, searching for something. Apparently the sound coming through was a bit ropey, so he couldn't quite hear what they were saying. But ma suddenly kissed her, Regina kissed back and then, they…well, you can imagine? It's not something you and I would want to see, to be honest."

"So whatever happened, happened inside this 'cottage'? Or immediately before it?" Henry nodded. Robin turned his head, and yelled at someone working behind the bar.

"GILBERT? WHAT WAS I DOING THE MONDAY BEFORE LAST?"

The man, one of Robin's old crew, looked up at him. "MONDAY THE SEVENTH ? YOU BUGGERED OFF, AND LEFT ME COVERING LUNCHTIME, ON A WILD GOOSE CHASE TO CATCH THAT BLACK FAIRY, REMEMBER?"

"Of course! Thanks Gill! It turned out to be some silly girl, and her friends, horsing around. David told me she'd apologised and showed them her outfit, or something. But at the time, they thought it was a high risk, so they organised a search. We also split into pairs. John and I went into the west woods, near the old gypsy encampment."

"And my mums? They paired up, too?"

"I seem to recall Regina saying something about searching the very centre of the forest with Emma, as it'd be the hardest area to get around without magic. She also said Fiona, the Black Fairy, would find it easiest to hide out there, and that if she was cornered, the two of them were best placed to deal with her."

"And they only went together?"

"I said I'd join them as I probably know forest tracks better than anyone, but she said we shouldn't be together if one of us got attacked, for the children's sake?" He smiled as he remembered. "That was typical Regina; always thinking of the children."

"Robin, as you know that area like the back of your hand, if you watched the dreamcatcher, do you think you could locate the cottage where they went? It might give us some more clues as to what happened?"

"Of course."

"I'll call grandpa."

The Gold Mansion - two hours later

"Thanks for doing this all over again, grandpa. And thanks for the money! It got me out of a hole!"

Robin and Henry had now joined Rumple, sitting around his desk, with the large dreamcatcher now fixed on the wall, and the now highly discoloured tray with the used hair locks and weird looking dark green, almost black, liquid.

"It's no problem, my boy."

Robin's brow arched. He was curious as to what he was referring to, but as it was really none of his business, he stayed silent. But Henry saw his look, so he explained.

"Mum's stopped the payments for my first term fees for Harvard, and she suspended my main account and my cards! Grandpa stepped in when I told him, and loaned me the money to cover it. I couldn't have been accepted, without it. He's also given me an endowment. I owe him, big time!" He looked over at his grandfather, who smiled back.

"You owe me nothing Henry, you're Baelfire's boy! I'm merely helping you, in a way that I never had the chance to help your father. And despite what you said yesterday, it's not a loan, but a gift. I never want to see a grandson of mine beholden to anyone, for the sake of mere money. Coin is of no interest to a man who spins gold, after all."

"Yeah well, you got me out of the shit, and I'm grateful. Can Robin and I see what you were talking about this morning?"

"Of course. Now I must warn you, the quality is deteriorating every time I do this, and I've done it four times already. I won't have the next batch of discovery serum ready until tomorrow at the earliest. The image quality and sound is breaking down, so I'll try and narrow it down to the day in question and hope it lasts?"

With the curtains drawn, the three of them watched as the dreamcatcher suddenly sprang into life. Robin jaw dropped as the moving images, sliding backwards, very fast, covered the incidents in the diner when Emma had attacked Roland, and himself. And he grimaced, turning away at the regular intimate scenes between two women having sex backwards. He noticed Henry was doing the same. Fortunately, it sped up again before finally stopping at a scene that appeared to be set inside the Sheriff's Office:

~oOo~

The dreamcatcher:

There were at least eight of the heroes gathered around David Nolan, as he sat in the centre, a map of the area laid out before them:-

"Okay then. Philip, I suggest you and Paul take the ridge to the north? Phil, you know most of the militia people around there, so it'll be easier for you to prevent any panic. Snow, I propose you and Ruby take the west, as with all that woodland for someone to lie in wait, Ruby can get you both out of there quick if need be? Robin, I suggest you team up with Emma to handle this central part here to the east of the lake?" He pointed to a position on the map. "It gets very dark in parts of it, so as Emma has the magic for protection and you know the terrain better than anyone, you should keep each other out of trouble. Regina, you and I should cover this area to the west of the lake. August, I-"

"Wait!" Regina interrupted him. "I understand your logic, but you need to think of it from the eyes of someone hiding from us. Someone with magic! If the Black Fairy were to hide anywhere, it would be in that central part, where you're sending Emma. It's certainly where I would hide! Fiona's magic is powerful, so I suggest Emma and I go there together."

Robin nodded, seeing as it made sense. "Fine, the three of us should go."

"No Robin, you and I shouldn't be together for this! If more than one of us were to get hurt, or worse? Think of the children"

"I'm sorry Regina, but I have to disagree! If-"

"She's right, Robin." Snow rested a hand on his. "It's one of the reasons David and I don't pair up anymore on dangerous missions. Even when I want to! I have to think about Neal. Losing one parent would be bad enough. But two?"

Again, Robin could see the logic, unfortunately. "Very well, but you call me back, or get the hell out of there, if you encounter any problems? Understood?"

Regina beamed back at him, loving his protective nature. "You know I will. The same goes for you."

"So let's get to it?" David concluded the gathering. "I'll cover the south, with August. Unless there's any questions? Good luck, everyone."

~oOo~

As Rumple fast forwarded the images, Henry leant over to Robin.

"That look mum gave you before you all left? Now you try telling me, that that wasn't someone completely in love with you?"

The archer gave him a sad smile. "You have a point. What's next?"

Rumple stopped at a particular section.

"Next, you'll see the two of them, having apparated into the darker part of the forest, talking. Then it breaks up again, which tells me that magic may have somehow been involved in stopping the images. But it reappears when they're seen inside some sort of cottage. I've watched this interior scene several times now, and the setting is somehow...familiar? But for the life of me, I can't remember where, and I'm hoping one of you can. Now watch carefully…"

The moving images, interspersed with fragmented sound, regularly broke up and came back. Robin watched as, moving outside from the Sheriff's Office, his now-estranged wife said something incoherent, before a second later, they reappeared with trees surrounding them, Regina having clearly teleported them somewhere? They then separated, walking in single file along a track between banks of trees as the background light became darker. Then the images blanked out for a second, before firing up again. Now the two women appeared to be walking into what looked like a derelict old thatched cottage, before blanking out yet again. Next scene, lasting barely seconds, showed Emma heading towards a sink, Regina moving away from Emma, towards a bed.

"Can you freeze it now?" Rumple stopped the image as Robin requested. "That fireplace is lit! Who would have a fire burning in June? And it seems too bright in there? Would you get electricity in the middle of the forest, miles from anywhere, like that? We've got a generator in Sherwood, but that's for the whole pub!"

Rumple looked closer. "Yes. Very observant, Locksley. You're right, a blazing fire in the summer seems odd, especially as the ladies were dressed in lighter clothing, and it would appear to be a sunny day outside? I would hazard a guess that both the fire and the lighting are magically produced. Perhaps we have our first clue?" His fingers twitched and the visions restarted:

Both women now appeared near a sink and cupboards, before blanking out again. They'd been looking at something Emma was holding. A glass jar? The images blanked out yet again, and in the next scene, Emma was standing by a wall, pointing at the bed. Again, they couldn't hear what they were saying due to the sound quality. However, what happened next was very different, as Regina suddenly appeared right behind Emma. Then unexpectedly, the blonde appeared to suddenly kiss the brunette on the lips! Their heads then drew back, as though they were both shocked. Then moments later it was Regina who, with a sudden lust-fuelled look picked up by the dreamcatcher, launched herself on the other woman, sealing their lips to start what would become a far more heated kiss.

Rumple froze the image once again. "I think I'll stop it there, to spare your blushes. But needless to say, what followed next was a fairly heated intimacy between the two of them, leading to even more of the same. I believe something happened in that cottage, which has magic present, that has changed them. We need to uncover more."

"Mr. Gold, I have a question if I may?" Robin studied the older man's expression closely as he nodded for him to continue. "I hope you'll forgive me for saying this, but the Dark One isn't exactly famous for acts of charity or deeds of kindness. But you've put a great deal of time and effort into this. You say magic always comes with a price? What is the price for helping us get to the bottom of this?"

From the odd way he looked back at him, Robin couldn't tell whether he was annoyed by the question, or not. Either way, he's going to find out any moment now.

"You forget, The Dark One and I can sometimes be very different people, especially when it comes to my family. This young man here is my last living link to the son I lost, through my own cowardice and stupidity many years ago. I owe so much to Baelfire, which I will never be able to repay. If I can go some way to help his own son, even if it involves taking advantage of my Dark One side, then so be it."

"I understand. How can I help?"

"I first need to ascertain where this cottage is, so I can inspect it. Unless you have any clues, I need to wait for the additional serum to be ready to use with the hair. I think part of the problem is that I didn't use enough blood last time to make the batch."

Henry's ears picked up. "I forgot to ask you grandpa, how did you get their blood samples?"

"Through magic. Don't worry Henry, nobody was harmed in obtaining it, and there was no objection." Only because they were asleep at the time, and a small bruise or two isn't harm now, is it?

Robin recognised something. "You know, looking at those few scenes when they were walking down that little narrow track, in line, I think I may know where that cottage is! There's a line of ash trees on the right and beeches to the left, and as I recall they're definitely to the east of the lake near the centre. I can take us there to save time if you prefer?"

Manhattan - The following morning

"I'm sorry Mayor Locksley, but the card's been declined. Do you have another we can use?"

"Here…" Regina gave the receptionist another charge card, masking her embarrassment. "I changed my last name back to Mills recently. They must have sent me its replacement back home and cancelled the card. Try this one instead?"

The receptionist shrugged, swiping the replacement. "That's gone through! Thank you for staying with us at the Ritz Carlton. May I get a concierge to help you both with your luggage?"

She stepped away, seething, walking back to Emma, who'd already spotted the annoyed frown.

"Problem?"

"They cancelled my bank cards!" She saw the confused look on the blonde. "The Mayor's office?"

"Ah. You want to pay with one of mine?"

"No, it's fine. I just got used to putting all my travel on the town hall card. I should've guessed this would happen. I settled it with one of mine instead."

"Okay, I'll pick up the next one in Miami, okay? Now, let's get out of here."

LaGuardia Airport – Two hours later

Finally settled in the departure lounge waiting for their flight, Regina smiled when she saw Emma walking back in from the restrooms. Her mind went back to their first kiss. The kiss that, once she realised the feelings the stunning blonde had for her, changed her life forever. How could she have been so blind to it? Everything about Emma was perfect, from her hair to her smile, and her supposed love for that outlaw was but a mere shadow compared to her. A distant memory. And after the first time they'd made love, in that strange little cottage, she knew that nothing, only Emma's happiness, mattered to her from now on, not even Henry.

Which was why she became anxious the moment she spotted the angry look on her lover's face, as she came closer, phone in hand!

"Emma, what's wrong? What is it?"

"Here, look at this?" She finally looked up, turning her phone around for her to see. "I got this email I got from Hank Morgan, this morning."

Regina did as asked, taking it and scrolling the email she'd been reading:-

Dear Emma,

The Storybrooke Governing Committee have informed me that you have been suspended as Sheriff, pending investigation into various allegations. Philip Briar, a member of the Governing Committee, has now been appointed Interim Mayor, and I've been appointed Interim Sheriff in your absence.

As I'm sure you're aware, in this position I'm now required to investigate the allegations fully. Therefore, I need to interview you at the earliest opportunity. Could you please call me at your earliest convenience, so we can agree a time?

As you may be charged at the end of the interview, I would suggest you also have a lawyer present.

I understand from others that you left Storybrooke several days ago? If that is still the case, I urge you to let me know when you will be returning? Acting Mayor Briar has asked me to remind you that, failing to attend an agreed interview or make yourself available for interview, it is fully within their power to withhold all further salary and other payments to you during suspension, until you can do so. I'm sure you understand.

Call or email me when you can?

Sincerely,

Hank Morgan, Acting Sheriff

Regina read it through for a second time. Lawyer?

"We should have expected this. They're turning the screws. I deliberately haven't read my emails for the last few days, but no doubt there'll be something similar in mine."

"So, when I go back, with this bloody cuff on, I've no choice but to be interviewed by Morgan? Everyone in that diner saw me lob Hood into the wall, didn't they? Basically, my job's over. For good."

"So's mine. If the Imp's broken Sidney's enchantment, he'll be singing like a canary."

"So, what Gold said about him was true?" Emma's brow arched. "He wasn't doing it voluntarily? You've been controlling him all along?"

"He was a genie I tricked when I was still married, back in the Enchanted Forest. It was a fairly straightforward spell to tie him to the mirror, but he proved too useful to me after the curse."

There was a time when Emma would have yelled at her for treating another human being as a slave. But now? She was too much in love with the goddess to allow any criticism, let alone make any herself.

"So, with these bracelets, and no one to help us up there, it looks like we'll also both be charged and possibly jailed? Screwed, effectively."

"Our prospects do seem rather bleak without our magic, I have to admit."

"Perhaps fate's trying to tell us something, Gina? Personally, I wouldn't care if I never saw Storybrooke again, provided I get to spend the rest of my life with you. Especially after what Henry did to us. Screw him, and screw the lot of them! But if you decided to keep the baby, we can start again. Together."

"You know Emma, I think I fall in love with you a little more each day?" Regina kissed her on the lips. "I can't wait for you to be my wife, so we should plan a wedding sooner rather than later. And as for living somewhere else, if you're there, it'll be home to me. Who knows, maybe we find somewhere in Florida to settle?"

~oOo~