Chapter 11

Present

After the night Graham shared with Nora, he woke up only to not find her sleeping beside him. He soon looked over when he heard something crack and saw Nora's hair in a messy bun wearing only his shirt and cracking some eggs in the sink.

Her back was turned to him when she whisked the yolks in a bowl, so he got up and sat by the island watching her. He carried a warm expression as he saw how lively she was. A smile soon groomed his face as he watched her dancing a bit to the radio playing beside her. It wasn't until when she turned around and looked up from her bowl that made her stop and gasp.

Graham just had a cheeky grin on his face as he wished her a good morning. She smiled awkwardly, and Graham saw her cheeks reddening a bit from embarrassment after he caught her. He still couldn't explain it when he first met her, but he was incredibly attracted to her. She was beautiful of course, but there was something there that he couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was if he knew her for a long time yet they never officially met until she spilled her coffee on him.

"Hungry?"

Her eyes carried a little playfulness to them, so he responded, "Starving."

"Good, 'cause I'm making omelettes."

He smirked and went over to her. She smiled seeing that he was willing to help her out. They had a great time cooking together by mixing mushrooms, spinach, and cheese in the pan after they poured the whisked tiles in the pan with the melted butter sizzling. Graham then took the pan from her and attempted to flip the omelette only to make Nora laugh when half of the omelette splattered to the floor. Nora then cheekily commented that she'll handle the cooking which made Graham agree as he smirked at her and cleaned up the mess he made.

After they finished, they sat at the dinner table and ate. Graham even poured themselves some orange juice after he asked her if she wanted something to drink. They ate in silence, but they couldn't help but glance at each other from time to time as Nora asked him if the food was good to which he told her that it was. When they finished, they then washed the dishes and dried them.

As soon as Nora put the last plate away, Graham snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned her head back against him, and he knew she was smiling at him since she accepted his touch right away. He kissed her cheek, causing her to turn around and kiss him, so he savored the moment by bringing her closer to him to ignite the same spark they shared last night as he lifted her onto the counter and kissed her more deeply.

Nora meant everything to him. He made a mistake not telling her about the case, and now that she was his again, he was not going to let anyone tear them apart.

Past

Grim never missed his target when he fired his arrow at the training grounds. Ever since he lost his heart to the Queen, he had been stuck at her castle until she called him to warn her bed. He was nothing more than a slave after defying her order and it was all because he let Snow White go.

Ever since he'd been here, he kept his mouth shut and did as he was told. He especially couldn't stand Sinbad when he barked orders at the other soldiers. There were a few soldiers who weren't so good though. They could hardly hold a proper sword because it was too heavy for them or they casted their arrows into the trees and bushes. Most of them though weren't even properly trained or skilled since they came from the villages—volunteers to aid the Queen.

There was one new trainee though that caught Grim's attention. He was leaner than Grim with shaggy brown hair and rugged hands that told Grim how long he had been out in the fields. It was clear that he had no idea what he was doing when his arrow flies through to hit the wall behind the target.

Sinbad went up behind the man and gave him a wicked smirk. "That was pathetic."

The man avoided Sinbad's cold stare by bringing his head down and reminding him, "I'm trying, my lord."

"If you're horrible with a bow, then let's see if you're at least adaptable with a sword." When Sinbad unsheathed his sword, the man made no motion to draw his weapon out, "Are you afraid?"

At that moment, the man looked up at him and told him firmly but Grim noticed how his voice shook a bit, "No. I'm here to fight for my family, fight for myself, but I won't fight just for you to show everyone how skilled you are."

"Maybe you should fight out of anger then."

Everyone stopped to see Sinbad punch the poor man as he grunted in pain and collapsed to the ground so quick that Grim didn't think the man didn't know what Sinbad just did. He was taken aback to see the man quickly get up when Sinbad's back was turned to tell the rest of the men what happened to anyone who disobeyed him before giving him a right hook to his cheek. Sinbad clearly didn't like that as he looked at the blood on his fingertips but smirked.

"I bet that made you feel good, did it?" Sinbad asked before punching him in the gut, causing the man to jerk forward before Sinbad brought his hands together to make one fist as he brought it down to the man's back, forcing him to collapse to the ground.

Grim turned stiff when Sinbad pressed his boot against the man's throat, causing him to suffocate. He did all that he could to lift his boot off of him but it didn't even budge. Sinbad clearly outmatched him in strength. However, Grim wasn't going to stand by to watch this anymore.

"That's enough." He stepped forward, gaining Sinbad's attention. "You've already shown him that you're in charge. You don't need to make him suffer anymore."

Sinbad finally allowed the man to suck in a breath when he lifted his boot while sneering at Grim. "And who are you?"

"Grim."

"Grim, do you want to take his place?"

Grim didn't mind fighting since he believed that every human was arrogant and self-righteous. Every single one of them were all just like Sinbad—looking down on those who thought they were above others. That was why most of his pack was killed except for Akela.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," Grim told him. "We're all here to serve the Queen."

"Hmph, you're right, which means that as her soldiers you must face even the most foulest creatures there is, so let's test that courage. Beyond her castle lies a maze, just under the hills, and in the center of it is a golden shield. Bring it back in one piece, and you will be spared for your defiance." He then nodded over to the man on the ground as he continued huffing out breaths. "Bring him along. You'll need aid. Although, I doubt he'll be of much help."

Grim glared at Sinbad, wondering what he knew about the maze. He speculated that there had to be something else inside, otherwise, why else would Sinbad let him go. The mischief that crossed Sinbad's eyes told Grim that he was up to no good.

"If you're not back before tomorrow morning, then you'll be thrown in the dungeons and him over there will be beheaded," Sinbad warned Grim with a cruel smirk.

Grim didn't waste time as he went on ahead while the man trotted over to him as they headed outside the gates and went to the maze that Sinbad told them where to go to. "Thanks...for what you did." When Grim didn't acknowledge the man, Grim found out the man's name when he told him, "I'm Derek."

"I don't care," Grim told him flatly.

He was a little taken aback to hear Grim's tone, but he quickly composed himself. "What do you think's in the maze? Do you think a monster or something is guarding it?"

"Doesn't matter."

Grim wished that Derek got the hint that he didn't want to talk to him when he heard him ask, "So, are you a farmer too? I came here to help my family because of the economy-"

"Look, I'm only doing this because I have no choice now, not because I want to help you," Grim told him firmly. "You humans are all the same, wanting people to feel pity for you."

Derek's brow rose in confusion as he asked, "But, aren't you human?"

It took a moment for Grim to answer, "I was raised by wolves after the humans who conceived me threw me in front of Raksha. She's my mother."

"I'm sorry."

After hearing the sincerity in his voice, Grim looked at him and didn't say anything else. He just stared straight ahead by following Sinbad's direction to the maze, and sure enough, Sinbad was right. They reached the maze when they went down the hill, and it was huge. The walls were made of thick stone, and they were taller than a watch tower. Grim was prepared though. He wasn't going to be punished. He was going to push through no matter what came his way.

"Let's go," Grim said before heading inside with Derek.

Present

When Amir stepped out of his bar to go strolling through town, he tried to figure out what to do with Graham. He had always been a thorn on his side ever since Derek died. Amir never even saw Graham like this before. Normally, he could predict what he was going to do, but it was unusual how Graham vanished without a trace only to reappear.

He not only had an eyewitness report from one of his employees since they saw him in town when he was handling those children but yesterday Graham was at his bar with Nora Moon kissing another man in front of him. Amir had no doubt that Graham was jealous. Nora's motivation was a bit amusing to be displayed in from Humbert, but it also made Amir's first clench and his jaw tensed to see her with someone else for a moment. That was why he continued having sips of his scotch to let the liquor burn his throat in a pleasant way.

Not only was he a little annoyed by the situation, but a scowl loomed over his face when he saw Nora Moon and Graham Humbert heading over to the diner. She had a beaming smile on her face when she put her arm around his. They even shared a kiss before Graham wished her well at work and headed inside without her.

It really enraged Amir to see them so intimate, and he was not going to allow Nora to get away with it. He followed her down the street and saw that she was heading towards her shop. He wanted to stop her before she went inside, so he cut her off by grabbing her arm and went in front of her.

"Amir,...what are you doing?"

She looked surprised to see him, and Amir was loving every moment of it. "I saw you with Humbert. You're back together with him?"

Her silence and when she avoided his eye contact confirmed it, and she tried dodging his question by brushing against his shoulder so that he was out of her way when she tried moving past him. "It's none of your business, Amir."

He couldn't stand being ignored, especially when he knew that she kept it hidden from him, so he grabbed her wrist, causing her to be concerned as her eyes snapped back to him. "I know how you must be over the moon to be with him again despite him fooling around with the mayor, but have you been honest with him at least? I mean, think about it. As soon as he leaves, you go to the first man to be with him instead, and now, you're back together with him only because you kept such a dirty secret."

He saw her looking away as he spoke. She was clearly uncomfortable by the accusation, but Amir didn't care since it was the truth. Instead of waiting to hear Graham's pathetic excuse, she went along with Amir, and she was going to pay the price for it as he smirked coldly at her. "You're a little minx, you know that?"

His toothy grin didn't extend to his eyes, and when his grip became a little painful for her, she told him to please let her go, but he didn't. In fact, it made him clench harder to make his point not to cross him. When she told him to let her go again because he was hurting her, he clenched a little harder until he finally let go, causing her to jerk her hand back to her. He knew her wrist would bruise, but he honestly didn't care. He found it a bit amusing to see her finally see a darker shade of Amir.

"Miss Moon," Amir and Nora saw Mr. Gold approaching them, and he had an unpleasant scowl on his face. He stood by Nora's side and addressed Amir with an unpleasant scowl on his face. "It's time for you to be working I believe."

Nora looked at the exchange between Gold and Amir and saw how they couldn't take their eyes off of each other. It was clear how the environment became very intense, and Nora thanked Mr. Gold for stepping in before she headed inside her shop. Gold and Amir still refused to break eye contact as they just stood there staring at each other.

It wasn't until Gold broke into a sickening smirk and told him, "There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"I'm assuming it's about Nora Moon."

"Indeed." Gold's lips tightened with his eyes filled with hatred as he proceeded to walk down the street with Amir following beside him until they reached an alleyway so that Gold could have privacy when he talked to him as his tone grew somewhat serious. "I want you to stop what you are doing by getting closer to her."

"Do you?" Amir chuckled a bit. "And what exactly do youthinkI'm doing?"

"I think we both know exactly what you're doing."

Gold already knew what Amir was planning which was to expected. He practically knew everything that goes on in this town just like Amir. It amused him seeing Gold this way though. When he knew him back in The Enchanted Forest, he was the most powerful being to ever exist. Now, he was just like the rest of them, using dirty tactics to get what they want instead of magic. However, that doesn't mean that he couldn't have his fun with Gold a bit by showing him what his weakness was.

Amir soon had a cheeky grin on his face. "You know, maybe I should involve Nora into my business. She would draw so much attention to many men. After all, who couldn't resist a beautiful woman?"

At an instant, Gold pinned Amir against the wall with his cane against his neck. He knew Gold would be furious, but he never thought he would be bold enough to do this. It explained why he walked towards the alleyway so that he could intimidate Amir. It was as if he turned back to the imp back in their world by hurting people.

"I'll have you breathing in a moment, but I want you to know that if you ever evenblinkin her direction again, then I will destroy everything you hold most dear, do you understand?" Amir could hardly breathe since his cane was pressed so hard against his neck as he struggled against Gold's hold. "Do you understand?" Gold seethed this time.

"Yes," Amir finally chocked out.

"Good." When Gold finally released him, he backed away to let Amir breathe as he nearly crumbled to the ground before catching himself and held his throat as he coughed before glaring at Gold. "Get out of my sight."

As Amir walked away from Gold, he couldn't help but glance back watching Gold sneering at him. Even though Gold tried to convince Regina and Amir that he didn't have his memories, Amir knew that he had them from the moment Gold tore Nora and Graham's relationship apart by sending his own daughters flowers to lead her to Graham seeing Regina. Now that Amir had what he wanted, he knew he needed to be careful since Gold wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he knew that he already involved Nora. All that was left was to use the video against her since Amir was determined to have power over this town.

Meanwhile, Graham got his coffee from Ruby, and he looked around the room where he noticed Mary Margaret and Emma. He couldn't help but overhear their conversation. Emma was clearly upset about Regina getting in the way of having her be with her son, Henry. From what Graham understood, Regina found Henry's hiding place at the castle he normally played at. She couldn't stand how Regina knew everything about this town, and Graham knew exactly how she felt.

When Mary Margaret told Emma that she saw the effect Regina had on Henry, Emma told her that she wished everyone else in the town did. It then gave Graham an idea. Maybe if he couldn't get to Amir Khan just yet, he could probably get to Regina. After believing that she was the one who sent the flowers to ruin his relationship with Nora, he needed to intervene by showing her that he won't let her get away with it.

That was why Graham stepped in when Mary Margret wished Emma well before she left her alone at the table. "Maybe I can help. If you really want to take Regina down, then you need someone to help you. Someone who knows the ins and outs of the law."

"So you don't want to be my deputy, but you'll still help me expose Regina?" Emma raised a quizzical brow.

"After everything she's done to me, yes."

Emma was hesitant at first, but she eventually agreed. "Alright, do you know anything that could help?"

"Not much, but that doesn't mean we can't find out." Emma was confused at first as Graham looked around to make sure no one else heard him as he explained, "Tap her phone, GPS her car, and hacking into her email."

Graham was disappointed to hear her say, "No. I'm sheriff now. I have to be responsible. I have to do this by the book."

"And how's that working out for you?" He knew he had Emma when she looked away, which was why he pointed out, "You want to go by the book? Fine, but it won't do you any good. I've tried to expose both her and Khan for years by following the rules, and look where it got me. I can't even get a warrant because the only one who could approve it is a judge and they're all owned by-"

"Regina," Emma cut in.

"Maybe the reason that's why they were always one step ahead, because they played the same dirty tricks they used against you and to me. We may not like it, but sometimes you have to sink to their level to get control. If what we're doing is right, then it won't make us bad people."

"Wow. You're doing a whole lot of rationalizing."

"I'm done with her games, Emma, and after everything she's done to your son and to you, aren't you tired of it too?"

Emma was finally convinced as she said, "Okay. Let's do it."

Past

As Grim and Derek ventured through the maze, they didn't realize how incredibly difficult it was. They felt like they had been walking for hours. Not long after, night took its toll, and they hardly saw anything. Thankfully, there were some torches to light their path. However, Grim was sure that they went around in circles many times. It really aggravated them, Grim especially.

"How are we supposed to find the shield in this horrible maze?" Derek asked.

"Instead of worrying about it, just shut up and find it."

Derek was unfazed by Grim's tone since he knew that Grim was just as frustrated as him, so he let it go, but it didn't stop his mouth from moving. "So, you still have yet to say why you're really at the castle. You don't seem like you want to be there."

"That's not any of your concern," Grim retorted.

"I know, but I think in order for us to work together, then we should trust each other by getting along. At least, that's what I think."

Grim continued walking with Derek slowly catching up to him. "I'm not here to make any friends."

"Except, you can't do everything on your own. If you were really raised by a pack, then you should know that you need help. You win more if you have people to depend on."

Grim couldn't stand how outspoken Derek was. It explained why Sinbad tried to teach him a lesson. Derek's carelessness was going to get him killed one of these days, and Grim wasn't going to be there to help when that day came. He would just let him die while Grim carried on, trying to stay alive.

"You don't have to tell me what I need. I know what it is. Survival is key to everything. It's what gotten me through the woods since I was a child. My mother taught me."

"The wolf who raised you, you mean," Derek pointed out.

"Yeah." Grim admitted. "If you want to stay alive, then only look out for yourself and never let anyone influence you."

Derek seemed taken aback by Grim's cold words, but Grim didn't care. If there was one thing Grim knew, friends wouldn't get him anywhere. They would just hold him back. That was why he wouldn't allow himself to be attached to anyone since he lost nearly all of the wolves he cared after witnessing the cruel treatment from poachers.

Nevertheless, Grim had no choice but to be with Derek since they were in the same boat. If they didn't find the shield in time, then they would be punished. That was why Grim didn't say anything else and continued his search with Derek trotting behind him.

Present

Emma and Graham were sitting in the squad car, waiting for Regina to make a move. Graham inserted a GPS inside Regina's car so that he could track it on his phone. Even though Emma seemed against it at first, Graham was glad that he convinced her to go outside the law so that they could catch Regina. Since Graham believed that Regina was Amir's ally, then it was the first step to take him down by having his numbers dwindle.

"Do you think wherever she'll take us will help?" Emma asked.

"We've gotta try. We don't have any other choice. It's better to do it this way rather than confront her face to face. We can't let Regina know what we're up to, 'cause that's how she'll suspect it. We need to catch her off guard."

As Graham continued to watch over her office to see if she'll come out, Emma surprised him a bit by saying, "I'm guessing you're more eager to help expose her because of what she did between you and Nora."

"Wouldn't you, if she ruined your relationship to someone important to you?" Graham asked, causing Emma to be silent, confirming it. "It may have done damage, but I'm back together with Nora now. I told her everything."

That caused Emma to stare at him with somewhat concern. "You told her everything?"

"Why I was seeing Regina in the first place and about my investigation into Amir."

"So, Derek's case-"

"She knows about it," Graham cut her off.

It took Emma a moment to say, "And,...how did she take it?"

"She didn't really say anything about it, but she was relieved that I had good intentions."

"That's it? She just forgave you like that?"

"I know how it sounds, but yeah."

Emma didn't say anything else, and Graham didn't care what she thought. As long as he had Nora back, then he didn't mind. All he ever wanted was for Nora to be safe, and now that Nora was aware of the information, he needed to make sure that Amir never knew what she knew.

Graham soon snapped out of his thoughts though when Emma pointed out, "She's coming out."

He looked to see Regina getting out of her office and heading to her car. They then followed her but made sure they a safe distance away so that she would have no idea what they were up to. When she drove out of town and into the woods, they knew that they were on the right track as she took a right into Access Road 23.

Graham didn't understand why Emma wasn't slowing down to turn. "Emma?"

"It won't stop." They then went past the turn as the car accelerated down the road, causing Graham to hold onto his seat when he saw the sign up ahead as they came forward and crashed into it, sending the sign flying. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah."

They exited out of the vehicle and inspected the car. Smoke wheezed out of the hood, and one of the tires lost some air from going over a log. Graham inspected the car by going on his knees to see inside. There was a small little device similar to the one Graham used in Regina's car, so he pulled it out and showed it to Emma.

"She must have known we were already onto her."

"How?" Emma asked.

"Amir, probably. No matter what, him and Regina are allies."

"You think Amir did this?"

"If not him, then one of his employees. He always covers his tracks. He might even be responsible for the brakes not working."

"Okay, let's just-do you still have your tracker on Regina's car?"

Graham looked at his phone, so he nodded for Emma to follow him as he led the way. They ventured deeper into the woods with the GPS leading them inside. Both Emma and Graham were determined to find Regina to see what she was up to, and when they saw the tracker remained stationary, they knew that they would find her when they reached closer to her location. However, it wasn't until when they found an open space where the tracker led them that there was no Regina.

Graham stepped forward and found the bug he planted by a set of bushes, so he picked it up and shook his head, knowing that they failed. "So she knew?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay, but where is she? We saw her drive here, so she can't be too far."

When Emma tried to go on ahead, Graham caught her arm. "What are you doing?"

"The bitch tried to have me killed. I'm finding her!"

He couldn't let Emma do this, not now. "Emma, think about this. We have to be smarter and more cautious."

"To hell with cautious. I'm gonna find out what she's doing and why she's out here."

Their heads soon snapped over to Amir Khan when they heard his voice, "She was meeting me."

He carried smug expression on his face and a briefcase, and Emma clearly didn't like how he was out here. "What are you doing out here with her?"

"Just a little business transaction."

"What business transaction?" Graham asked coldly.

"Well, Regina asks for loans from time to time, and as everyone in town knows, I'm the man to go to if they need anything."

"What would she want a loan for, and why would she want to meet you all the way out here?" Emma sounded like she interrogated him, which seemed to amuse Amir.

"I honestly don't know why she needs the money. As for our meeting in the woods, well, people in town already have their horrible opinions about me, so it's only natural for the mayor to not have her association with me brought up in public just like everyone else who wants something from me and need to discuss it in private." Amir then took daunting steps towards Emma as he reminded her with a calculated mirk. "If I were you, I'd be careful, Swan. Whatever is going on in that head of yours about Regina, it's best to drop them, because you haven't seen what she's really capable of yet. My advice: be careful."

As Amir walked away, Emma and Graham watched him leave, trying to understand the situation. Regina may have gotten the better of them this time, but they were determined to expose her. That was why they were willing to do whatever it took to bring her down.

Past

After walking for so long in the maze, Grim was getting more and more frustrated. At the rate they were going, they were never going to get the shield before the time was up. Derek was going to get killed and Grim was going to be punished severely. They not only needed to find the shield, but they also needed to find their way back out. However, Grim had a feeling that Sinbad knew what he got them into. He knew it would be almost impossible to make it back in time. That was why Grim stopped searching and sat on the ground, looking defeated.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked with concern.

"I can't anymore."

"You can't just give up-"

"Look around you!" Grim snapped. "We've been walking in circles! If you think we're ever going to find that shield and make it back before tomorrow morning, then you're wasting your time. I've tried what I could."

"Maybe you haven't tried everything." Grim then looked at him and saw Derek nodding up. "Give me a boost."

Grim got up right away and helped Derek by letting him go up the wall. It was a struggle since Grim did his best to give him a boost by lifting him up so that Derek was on his shoulders before he felt the weight off his shoulders when Derek jumped and grabbed the wall as he pulled himself up. Derek then tried to help Grim get up, but Grim couldn't reach him, so Grim needed a running start by going to the other side and ran as his feet swiftly ran up the wall in about four to five steps before Derek caught Grim's hand and pulled him up.

When Grim made it, he turned to Derek, who was panting. "Thank you," Grim finally breathed out.

"Well, we're in this together," Derek said, smiling at him.

They got up and balanced themselves by scaling the wall as they hurriedly walked through the maze. Derek soon pointed out a ring in the maze, so they knew it was the center of it. They practically ran towards it and jumped onto a column when they saw it. It became a good stepping stool to lead their way back up to the wall as they jumped down from it.

Derek and Grim dusted off the dust off their clothes before looking over and practically marveled at the sight in front of them. There on the pedestal stood a golden shield that shone brightly against the sun. They slowly approached it, and Grim was the one who reached out for it, but Derek stopped him. "Wait. What if it's a trap?"

"It doesn't matter. We came this far. We can't turn away now."

As soon as Grim slowly removed the shield from its pedestal, he waited for a reaction while Derek looked concerned for a moment, but nothing happened. The two men then turned to each other and smirked at the outcome, not believing how easy it was. They were about to head back to the column so that they could hurriedly head back, but as soon as they took their first step, Grim froze and extended his hand out to Derek, telling him to wait.

Grim felt some sort of vibration beneath his feet. It shook for a moment only for it to stop. It then started again, and Derek must have felt it too as he stared ahead at the entrance. They waited to see what was coming, and when a large beast-like hand clamped itself on the wall, they froze when it made its appearance.

There stood a great bull, but not just any bull. It stood on its hind legs, and its torso resembled somewhat of a muscled man. The great animal had narrow horns on its head, and it snarled ferociously at the two men as it slammed a fist on the wall, causing it crack and left a huge imprint. It then charged at them as Derek and Grim dodged out of the way, perturbed by the horrible creature they now have to face as it quickly regained its stance and roared ferociously at them.

Present

Afterdiscovering that Regina went to meet with Amir for a loan, Emma drove to Regina's office in her buggy with Graham. He didn't understand why they were there at first. He thought that they would just turn in and come up with a new plan the next day, but it didn't stop him from following Emma to find out what she's doing.

As they headed towards the door, Graham trotted to her side and asked, "What are we doing here?"

"We know she got a loan from Amir. We don't know why, but if she's meeting Amir secretly, then I'm willing to bet that it's not good. Maybe we could see what she purchased if she's ever taken money from Amir before."

She had a point, but there was another problem as Graham pointed, "And how do you expect to get in her office? It's locked, and she's got a state of the art security system with an alarm." As soon as he said that, Emma grabbed a brick from the ground and threw it at the glass on the door, triggering the alarm. "Emma!"

Emma broke some of the glass to reach inside and unlock the door as she reminded Graham, "Who does the alarm system alert? The police. I'm the police. Two minutes for her to get a call from the alarm company, one minute to get her coat and keys, three minutes to drive here. We got maybe six minutes."

They rushed upstairs into Regina's office where Emma immediately got a hold of the mayor's computer so that she could hack into the system after using flash drive. Six files soon appeared on the screen, and all Graham could do was grin as he told Emma that they did it before printing them out. Graham and Emma watched the files slowly being printing out. Graham even held one of them to look at it carefully only to be confused when he realized that it looked like a blueprint of something, but he couldn't make out what. He didn't have time to look at it here. He needed to take them to a secure location so that he could go over them without Regina seeing what they were doing, so he stored them in a folder when they were all printed out.

"Let's go." Graham turned to Emma and watched her pull out a key ring with several keys and asked herself what the hell they opened to before putting back. Graham started to panic though when he realized that Emma wasn't leaving anytime soon as she started to look through several drawers. "Emma, we need to go. What are you doing?"

"Looking for Henry's book."

He couldn't believe this. If they didn't get out of there soon, then they were going to get caught. That was why they need to leave and forget about the book that she was trying to find. "Forget about it!"

"I can't just forget about it," Emma told him off. "That book means everything to Henry, and that's the only reason why I'm here."

Not long after she said that, the lights turned on, causing Emma and Graham to look to the door to see Regina rushing over to the alarm system to turn it off before noticing them when Emma shined her flashlight on her. "What are you doing?"

Graham was very nervous since he knew that if Regina found out why they were there, then she would never let this go, but thankfully, Emma was quick on her feet. "Some kids broke in. I heard the alarm so I'm checking it out 'cause I'm Sheriff."

"Well, that was an awfully quick response time."

"You told me to do my job and I'm doing it."

Regina then looked between Emma and Graham, so Graham looked away from Regina's accusatory gaze as she pointed out, "And you brought him?"

"Oh, well he saw it while he was on a walk. He's a witness," Emma lied smoothly.

That answer didn't seem to satisfy her as she turned to Graham. "Hmm. And, what did you see, Graham?"

He knew he needed to say something, especially with how Regina made it seem like that she was accusing him of something, so he followed Emma's lead and came up with a story. "A bunch of kids with a brick. That's why I went with the sheriff to see what was going on."

Regina stared at Graham for a moment, making him uncomfortable since he didn't want her to catch their lies, but to his relief, she walked around her office to examine it. She then asked if the supposed children took anything, but Emma told her that she didn't know since she didn't do a thorough sweep. When Regina commented that it seemed like it was all just a prank, Emma tried reassuring her by asking if she wanted her to take the place apart, but Regina told her that her services were no longer needed, so Emma excused herself with Graham as she reminded her that if she needed her, then she knew where to find her.

Past

Seeing the ferocious creature made Derek panic, but Grim didn't have time for him to be afraid. They needed to find a way to defeat the beast and head back with the shield before time was up, so Grim yelled at Derek to run as Grim grabbed the shield and headed for the column. When the rumbling occurred beneath their feet, Grim looked back for a brief second to see the beast charging at them, so Grim pushed Derek out of the way with the shield before dodging to the other side just in time before it banged its fists to the ground, smashing it.

Grim knew that both of them weren't going to make it out with the shield in time if they had to defeat this thing, especially since Derek was not combative at all. As tough as the decision was, Grim knew that Derek had to be the one to take the shield back. At least Grim wouldn't get killed if he made it back late, but Derek would if he did. That was why Grim needed to stay behind so that Derek could go on ahead.

"Get out of here!" Derek looked at him confused until Grim shouted even louder, "Go! Take the shield, and go back!"

"What about you?"

He couldn't believe that Derek was this naive to not realize the situation, which was why he yelled back, "Forget about me! I'll catch up with you later! Just go!"

Derek hesitated for a moment but soon ran over to the column. When the beast noticed Derek, it was about to charge at him until Grim drew one of his arrow and fired at it, causing it to cry out. It was torn between attacking Grim or Derek when it saw Derek climbing the column with the shield, so Grim made sure it focused on him by firing another arrow, causing it to glare menacingly at him.

When Grim saw that Derek was safe up on the wall, he cried out to the beast, challenging him. "Come on!"

The beast roared again before charging again and tried punching him, only for Grim to duck out of the way. He then jumped to the other side when it tried slamming its other fist on him so quickly. He then rolled out of the way when it attempted to bring its heavy, cloven hooves on him. When Grim got up though, it backhanded Grim so hard that he heard his nose crunch, and he was sent flying a few feet away from it.

Grim's head throbbed and he felt something tricking down to his lip, so he touched his nose and saw blood dribbling down. He tried getting up, but he didn't have time to process when the creature grabbed him with its rough hand and slammed him against the wall, causing Grim to grunt out in pain. It felt like a ton of weight was on him no matter how hard he tried wriggling out of its grip. Eventually, he gave up when he saw the beast snarling through its snout and raised its fist to deliver the final blow, so Grim shut his eyes only to open them when he heard the beast cry out.

He was shocked to see Derek jumping on the beast's back and stabbed it with the shield. It let go of Grim, causing him to crumble to the ground. Grim watched to see the beast struggling to get Derek off of it, but Derek just held onto the shield as it was embedded inside its back. Grim slowly got up and felt his muscles ache, but he knew he needed to do something when he saw Derek desperately holding on.

Grim ignored the pain when he drew his arrow and pulled it back by the bowstring, aiming at the beast. He needed to make this shot count. He needed to kill it, not aggravate it more. That was why Grim was thankful when Derek pulled out the shield to slam it down on its neck this time, causing it to stop and roar out. Grim then released the arrow, sending it flying through its mouth, killing it instantly. It stood there for a brief moment at first until it crumbled to the ground, causing Derek to yelp as he tumbled with the shield in his hand.

Grim held onto his ribs and looked over at Derek, glaring at him when he saw him panting with the blood-stained shield. "I told you to leave," Grim reminded him.

"I was going to, but then I realized, that we were in this together from the start. I couldn't just leave you here." Derek then offered the shield to him and gave him an encouraging smile. "Now, come on. Let's get out of here...together."

Grim couldn't believe that Derek actually came back for him. All of his life, Grim had known humans to be extremely selfish. They always thought about themselves. Derek, on the other hand, wasn't like that. He could have left, but he chose to save Grim, and that was something that Grim was thankful for.

Present

Emma and Graham were at the sheriff's station going through the files that they uncovered at Regina's office. There were blueprints and bank statements. Emma examined the blueprints carefully and wondered what Regina was building as she asked if it was a mansion given its size. It didn't seem to matter to Graham though.

He grinned from ear to ear when he found the gold mine. "We got her. These escrow statements have her name all over it. She's been using the town's funding for her own personal use. She's done. Now, everyone will see who she really is." Even though they should be thrilled that they finally have evidence against Regina, Emma was the only who wasn't pleased with the result. "Didn't you hear me? We finally got her."

"We stooped to her level. That's exactly what I promised Henry I wouldn't do."

He couldn't believe she was acting like this right now. "Emma, all we did was find what we needed to bring her down. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"It's fruits of the poisonous tree. Illegally obtained evidence. It'll get thrown out in court in a heartbeat."

As much as Graham would love to see her in jail, that wasn't what he had in mind when they got what they needed. "Maybe we don't need her to go to jail."

"Then what are we doing here?"

"Get everyone to see who she is. What she did to Henry she does to everyone. She destroys what people love." She still didn't seem convinced, so Graham needed to tell her the horrible truth since he knew about Regina's schemes ever since Emma arrived in Storybrooke with her son. "I didn't want to tell you this, but Regina's been keeping a watchful eye on you since the beginning. When I was...with Regina one night, I went through her drawers to find something that would help draw a connection between her and Amir, only to find pictures of you. There was one where you were walking down Main Street and another one where you were sitting with Henry at his castle."

"How'd she get them?" Emma asked with concern.

"Sidney. He always did what he was told. He followed you around and told her everything about what you were doing. There were times where she would even ask me if I'd seen you around, and if I did, then she would ask what you were doing. The only reason why I did was to gain her trust."

Graham was ashamed to admit that he spied on Emma, but he did it for good reason, and his reasoning seemed to have convinced Emma as they agreed to go to the town hall the next day since Regina was going to have her meeting with the people in Storybrooke to talk about their concerns or any questions they had. Emma and Graham were seated in the audience and made sure not to get noticed by Regina as she sat in the front with a gavel in her hand. Graham looked around the room and saw Gold staring at the mayor along with Amir, who was soon caught surprise when he noticed Graham and Emma but soon smirked at them.

Amir then stared straight ahead back at the mayor when she used her gavel to gain everyone's attention. "This session of the Storybrooke City Council will come to order. We will begin by reading the minutes from our last meeting."

Graham then used the opportunity to stand, gaining everyone's attention when he interrupted the mayor. "Mayor Mills, excuse me, but I have something I'd like to present to the city council."

"This is not an open forum, Mr. Humbert. And no one on this council's interested in hearing the complaints of a disgraced sheriff. Now sit down."

Regina was annoyed with Graham as she sneered down at him, but Emma quickly stood to defend him. "He's not the only one who has something to say."

"Miss Swan, this meeting is to discuss issues facing Storybrooke."

"Like the Mayor stealing thousands of dollars from the city and taking loans from Amir Khan to build herself a second home?"

The crowd gasped and murmured when they heard this shocking revelation, so Regina tried to control the situation by bringing her gavel down to get them to be quiet. "Miss Swan, you will sit down immediately or so help me—"

"What? You'll punish me? You'll bully me like everyone else in this town? No. Not today," Emma cut her off before pulling out one of the documents that she got from Graham as she turned to the audience to announce, "In my hand, I am holding documents proving that this woman, your mayor, stole funds from the city to build herself a lavish home in the woods. And this disgraced sheriff – you want to know why he really left? Because he couldn't stand the lies and the deceit anymore that you allowed in this town. That's why he stood up to her, and we all know what happens when you stand up against the mayor." She then turned to Regina to address her, "You claim that you act in the best interest of all of us, but that isn't the truth, is it? The truth is, you are a thug that doesn't care about anyone, or anything, but yourself. That is who you really are. And it is time for the people of Storybrooke to know that."

When Graham looked around at the audience, he thought that Emma's speech moved on as they all turned to the mayor with perturbed expressions. He thought that they actually won. However, Gold seemed stoic, almost as if he wasn't surprised to hear it. However, Amir's face unnerved Graham. Amir had a condescending smirk on his face as he watched Emma carefully, so Graham looked back at Emma and Regina, and saw Regina with the same smirk that Amir had.

"You're right, Miss Swan. I am building a house," The mayor calmly told Emma as she stood up and soon showed off her projection of a diagram as she added, "A play accusations are true. I did take city funds and a few loans from Mr. Khan. I wanted to build a playground so my son, Henry, and all the children of Storybrooke could have a special place to play. Safely. As for the sketch in your hands—it was inspired by a drawing in one of son's books. So, there you have it. Miss Swan, you've exposed me for who I really am."

Graham couldn't believe it. Regina was actually doing something good for the town. He couldn't believe that Regina actually got them. They were so close, but now Regina took them to start of the line so that they would have to work their way up again. Amir must be enjoying it too when Graham looked back at him. Amir couldn't stop smirking, and all Graham wanted to do was knock it off his face.

Past

It was hardly the break of day, and Derek helped Grim by putting his arm over his shoulder and helped him walk back to the Queen's castle as the gates opened for them. There stood Sinbad with a grim expression. He stared at the pair carefully. When Grim let go of Derek, he went over to Sinbad and presented him the shield. Instead of taking it, Sinbad just looked at it.

He then turned back to Grim and smirked. "I have to give you some credit for your bravery and for being noble, but you should find yourself very lucky that you didn't die today. You'll only find yourself in trouble if you keep going down that path." Sinbad then looked over at Derek, who practically stood his ground against him but soon looked away when Sinbad addressed him, "And the same goes for you."

With one final glare at Grim, Sinbad grabbed the shield and told one of the guards to store it away in the weapon's vault. He then walked away with the other soldiers trekking behind him. Grim then followed the other soldiers with Derek walking by his side.

Grim knew though that there was unfinished business between him and Derek as he stopped to tell him. "I never got a chance to thank you before."

"Well, now, you did," Derek said, smirking at him. "Oh, and I wouldn't listen to Sinbad. You were great today."

"Not as much as you. I was going to get killed before you stepped in and saved my life," Grim scoffed.

"That's because you don't abandon family or friends."

That caught Grim by surprise as he asked with slight interest. "So, we're friends now?"

"If you want to be, or if you don't like friends, then allies. That way we can help each other out if one of us gets into trouble, and knowing Sinbad after today, looks like we need all the help we can get."

Grim chuckled a bit and nodded. "Alright. Fine. Just...don't hold me back next time."

"Deal."

They both then headed to the infirmary to get treated for their wounds. Grim never would have thought about making friends with a human before. However, one thing was for sure though, he couldn't do everything by himself, and he knew that Derek was someone who he could count on to help him.

Present

When the city council was over, Graham and Emma watched Regina and Amir receiving press from Sidney Glass while answering questions from some of the other members from their audience earlier. Amir praised Regina for being dedicated to the town, while Regina told them that if it hadn't been for Amir's generosity, then she wouldn't have built the play house for all of the children in Storybrooke. It made Graham incredibly irritated to see them gain this much glory. Both Graham and Emma went outside the law to expose them, only for them to steal the spotlight again. He had no idea what to do now.

"Look at her. Queen of the castle." Graham looked to see Gold approaching them before he turned to Emma. "You know, what you did in there was commendable, Miss Swan. But if you really want to bring her down you're going to need a strong ally."

"Like yourself?Thanks. I'm still not interested."

"Oh, one can wish."

Gold smirked and limped away with his cane before Regina and Amir headed over to them. "Miss Swan? A word?" When Regina saw that Graham wasn't moving, she added, "Alone?"

Graham looked between Emma and Regina before he walked away with Amir Khan. He really didn't want Amir to follow him because he knew that Amir would say something obnoxious. He was not in the mood to deal with Amir after that embarrassing debacle.

"That was entertaining. An A for effort but still couldn't achieve anything." When Graham didn't respond back, Amir stopped him by going in front of him to block his path. "When are you ever going to learn that no matter how much you keep trying to dig up, you'll never find that gold mine."

Instead of saying anything, Graham just stared at him intently, somewhat amusing Amir. He would admit that he was right about one thing: he won't find it on his own. Even though Graham and Emma were unsuccessful at exposing Regina, they at least made it farther together by going above and beyond. Regina definitely wasn't expecting it which was why she needed to take drastic measures. Graham may not have proof, but he was certain that Amir had something with the brakes. He just wasn't going to say anything to him.

When Regina left, Amir turned to Graham and said, "You have yourself a good day, Humbert."

Amir then walked away, letting Emma approach Graham as he smirked over at Emma, while Graham just watched him go, and when Emma made it by his side, Graham knew that they would make a perfect team after today given how cunning Emma was by breaking into Regina's office to obtain the files. "Is that deputy position still open?"

Emma snapped her head at Amir, somewhat taken aback, but she nodded as she told him, "It is."

"Then how about letting me back in?" Emma stared at Graham when she heard how serious he was. "There's gotta be more skeletons in Regina's closet, and if you still want to take her down, then you got yourself an ally."

It took a moment for Emma to say, "We won't get fooled again."

I know this episode revolves around Sidney, but I wanted there to be a reason why Graham wants to be Emma's deputy, so I hope you enjoyed the little twist I made. I also hope that you liked the story of how Grim and Derek became friends/allies in the past. I felt like I needed to show how that happened since Grim didn't like humans despite being one himself, so there had to be a story behind why he became Derek's friend. Next chapter is one of my favorite episodes, Skin Deep, where we meet Belle, and trust me when I say, that it's going to be a rollercoaster ride with the amount of drama that you don't want to miss out on. Stay tuned for more exciting chapters heading your way!