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Emma couldn’t sleep. That afternoon when she’d seen Henry, he’d mentioned something about a mysterious piece of glass he’d found when he’d been trapped down in the mine shaft, and for some reason she just couldn’t get it out of her head. Sighing, she sat up and turned on the light before quietly walking across to where her red leather jacket was draped over a chair. She slipped her hand into the pocket and pulled out the piece of paper Henry had given her during their conversation. She was unfolding it when there was a gentle tap at her door. “Come in,” she called softly. Mary Margaret slowly opened the door and poked her head through the crack, smiling apologetically. “I couldn’t sleep and I saw your light on so I thought I’d bring you some hot cocoa.”“Thanks.” Emma gestured for Mary Margaret to come in then resumed unfolding the paper. “What is that?” Mary Margaret asked curiously as she handed Emma a mug. “I’m not sure. Something Henry saw when he was trapped in the mine shaft.”“May I see it?”Emma shrugged and let Mary Margaret take it while she took a sip of her hot cocoa. She watched as Mary Margaret frowned at the image. “What is it?”“I’m not sure,” Mary Margaret said slowly. “Something about this seems awfully familiar. It’s like I’ve seen it, or something like it, before.” “Where?”“That’s the thing, I have no idea.” Mary Margaret handed the paper back to Emma. “I’m probably just tired.” “Yeah,” Emma said distractedly, accepting the paper again. “Probably.”“Well, I think I’ll try to sleep again. Have a good night, Emma.”“You too,” Emma said while still staring at the paper. “Thanks for the cocoa.” “No problem.”Emma barely heard the door click shut. Something about Mary Margaret’s reaction to the image was niggling at her. If Henry had seen it in the mine, how would Mary Margaret have ever seen it? Unless it was something she knew from before… Emma winced. What was she thinking? She’d been spending too much time with Henry - the curse wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. Still, as Emma crawled back into bed, a niggle of doubt crept into her mind. #####When Emma woke a few hours later she was aware that she’d been dreaming but she couldn’t remember what the dream had been about. It was still dark outside and the only light in the room came from the moon shining through the window, reflecting on the wall across the room. Emma’s eyes narrowed as something glinted. What did she have over there that could possibly catch the moonlight? Curious, Emma crawled out of bed and nearly laughed aloud when she discovered that the glint had come from a jewel that adorned Henry’s fairytale book. Bemused, she shook her head and brought the book back to the bed with her. She sat for a while flipping idly through the pages, periodically pausing to glance at an illustration or skim a few lines of text. Suddenly she froze, her heart racing as she came to an image of Snow White entombed in the forest with the seven dwarfs surrounding her. Emma traced her fingers over the intricate pattern on the glass casket. The design was very unique and yet it seemed incredibly familiar.Emma gasped and sprang from the bed. She quickly grabbed Henry’s drawing from the night before and brought it back, laying it beside the illustration. To her combined amazement and disbelief, the pattern Henry had drawn seemed to match the style of the pattern on the casket in the illustration. How was that possible? Could it be that there was some truth to Henry’s tales after all? The niggle of doubt she’d felt before she’d fallen asleep began to grow. Suddenly it felt important that she know for sure. This was a start but she needed more; some kind of proof either way. Emma grabbed the book and the image and shoved them into her bag along with a flashlight. She knew exactly where to begin looking. #####Regina was wrenched awake by the ringing of her phone. “What is it?” she barked, annoyed. Whoever it was had woken her from a most delicious dream. “I… I’m sorry to wake you Madam Mayor, but you told me to call if I ever saw anyone near that old mine again.” Regina stiffened. She should have dealt with the mine when she’d had the chance, but she’d been too distracted by Henry’s rescue to take action right away. “Who did you see and when?” “The new Deputy Sheriff, Emma Swan; about ten minutes ago.” Regina scowled. Of course it was Emma. It was always Emma. That girl and her constant meddling were really beginning to drive her crazy. “I’m on my way,” she said brusquely, climbing out of bed. “Oh, and Leroy. Don’t mention what you saw to anyone else.”#####Emma tugged one last time at the rope she’d tied to a tree a few meters away from the mine shaft where Henry and Doctor Hopper had been rescued a few days earlier. It was flimsy, but it was the best she could do in the dim light and with minimal equipment.Moving with precision and care, she carefully tugged the safety grating free and prepared to lower herself down. She knew she’d have to move extremely slowly and carefully so as not to cause the mine to collapse any further. Taking a deep breath, Emma secured her bag and began her descent. The first 500 meters went so smoothly that she soon forgot to take continued care and as she bumped her shoulder against the side of the shaft, everything began to shake. Emma closed her eyes and held her breath as debris and dust fell around her and plummeted to the bottom far below. Despite the increased danger, Emma continued to lower herself into the mine. She knew it was foolish but she wanted the mystery cleared up one way or the other and this was her best clue. Suddenly she heard a tearing sound and she felt herself start to slip further toward the bottom. Another tear and the rope snapped. Emma’s heart raced as she began to fall, gaining speed as she plummeted deeper and deeper into the earth. She had a moment to reflect on how she felt a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole before she landed on something cold and hard with a loud thud. The force of her impact seemed to upset the stability of the mine and once again everything around her shook. Emma quickly tucked her head under her arm, wincing as she felt heavy rocks and soil rain down on her. As soon as the dust settled she tried to stand.“Ugh!” Emma cried out as she felt searing pain in her leg. “Shit.”She collapsed and looked dismally at her right leg. It was sticking out at a funny angle and it hurt like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Swearing under her breath Emma dug in her pocket for her phone. Her heart sank when all she felt was the cool fabric of her jacket. Her phone must have slipped during the fall. Careful not to move too quickly for fear of hurting her leg more, Emma scrambled around on the ground, using her hands to feel for her phone. “Ouch!” she exclaimed as her hand hit something sharp and it cut her. She groped in her bag with her other hand, pulling out the flashlight and shining it in front of her. She squinted as the light reflected back at her. Glass! Whatever it was that she’d cut herself on, it was made of glass, and it wasn’t small. #####TBC
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Regina wasted no time in getting dressed. She needed to get Emma away from those mines immediately. After grabbing her keys, Regina quickly looked in on Henry, pleased to see he was still sleeping. If she was lucky, she’d be back within the hour and he’d still be sleeping when she returned. After pulling his door quietly shut behind her, Regina glided down the stairs and outside to her car. Her hands were shaking as she put the key in the ignition and she forced herself to pause for a moment to compose herself. She couldn’t let this woman - no, this girl - get the better of her. She was the mayor of this town, she was in charge and it was about time Emma got that through her thick head. It was going to be fine, Regina told herself as she started the car and turned towards the mine. The casket was buried deep below the surface, there was no way Emma would find it - not without putting herself in great danger. No, her secret was safe for now, and as soon as she got into the office this morning she’d get the paperwork in order to fill in the entire mine shaft with concrete. And then the truth would be well and truly hidden. Forever. #####Ignoring the searing pain in her leg, Emma used her arms to help drag her body closer to the glass object she’d just found. She aimed the flashlight toward it and squinted as the light reflected back at her. After adjusting the angle of the beam, she was able to see what it was and her eyes immediately widened in disbelief. Without peeling her eyes away from the sight before her, Emma dug Henry’s book out of her bag and quickly opened it to the marked page. She glanced down at the image, her theory confirmed. There were pieces missing here and there - no doubt due to an extended length of time underground - but Emma no longer had any doubt: it looked exactly like Snow White’s casket. Emma shifted and new spikes of pain shot through her leg, causing her to yelp. She stilled and took a deep breath as she tried to recover. She carefully leaned her back against a corner of the casket and started to contemplate her situation. Now that she’d solved the mystery, Emma needed to figure out what to do about it. What she needed to do was talk to Henry, and possibly Dr. Hopper, but in order to do that she needed to figure out how she was going to get out of the mine with a broken rope, a non-functioning mobile and what was probably a broken leg.Why hadn’t she thought to leave Mary Margaret a note to let her know where she was going? Emma berated herself even though she already knew the answer. It was simple. She was used to being alone, to doing things alone, to depending on herself. But now, here she was in a situation where she needed help and she had no way to ask for it. Emma sighed in frustration and rested the back of her head against the top of the casket. Suddenly there was a burst of light and once again the ground shook and debris rained down upon her. #####Just as Regina pulled her car to the side of the road next to the mine, and stepped out of it, the ground began to shake violently and she had to fight to keep her footing. When it stopped she slammed the car door and cursed internally. What had that infernal girl done now? She quickly scanned the vicinity, but Emma was definitely not in sight. Maybe she’d already gone home? Given the girl’s stubbornness though, it seemed unlikely. After rummaging through the trunk to locate her flashlight, Regina crossed under the police tape and started to search properly. She tried the boarded entrance to the mine first but when she shone the light around the boards all she could see were piles of rocks. The collapse from a few days before had ensured that no one would be able to enter the tunnels that way ever again. A faint moan from the direction of the shaft where they’d rescued Henry drew Regina’s attention and her eyes narrowed. Was Emma really that foolish? She stalked toward the spot and noticed that the grate covering the shaft had been pushed aside. Another quick scan revealed a thick rope tied to a tree several yards away. The bit closest to the tunnel was frayed and severed. Apparently Emma was that foolish.Regina approached the entrance carefully, straining her ears to listen for any signs of movement or cries for help. She heard another moan, confirming that Emma was down the tunnel and most probably hurt. Regina paused, her mind whirring. It would be so easy to just leave her there, let her die. It would certainly make her life easier. She could simply tell Henry that she’d left town, moved on to the next adventure. Although, knowing Henry, he wouldn’t accept it and he’d want to go looking for her. She could forbid him from doing it but lately forbidding him to do things merely seemed to make him even more determined to do them so perhaps that wasn’t really the best course of action. Besides, if Henry ever did find out the truth of what happened he’d never forgive her. No, perhaps it would be better to save her. In fact, if she did, maybe Henry would be grateful. Maybe he’d finally start to warm up to her again. Yes, that would be good. She’d act the hero - he’d never see that coming. Her decision made, Regina carefully knelt next to the entrance and shone her flashlight, straining to see how far down Emma was trapped. She couldn’t see anything. “Hello?” She called in her best concerned voice. “Is anyone down there?”#####Emma’s heart leapt as she saw a faint flicker of light filter over the ground beside her. Someone had found her! But how? she wondered. How did they know where she was?A moment later she heard a voice. “Hello?” it called. “Is anyone down there?” “I’m here!” Emma yelled. “Don’t move. I’m getting help.” Emma froze. She recognised that voice. What was Regina doing here? How had she found her? Suddenly her relief at being rescued became panic. Regina couldn’t find her down here. Not next to the casket. If Henry was right, and Emma was starting to believe that it was actually possible he was, then Regina was the Evil Queen who had put Snow White in the casket in the first place. If she saw it, it might trigger her memory and that was the last thing they needed right now. Emma frowned - unless she already remembered. The story in the book said the Evil Queen enacted the curse, so it was possible she was immune to it. She could be the only one who remembered. And if she was, well, discovering that Emma had found the casket would make things worse. Emma heard scuffling sounds above. She was running out of time. She looked down at her injured leg. Moving again was a bad idea, but continuing to lean against the casket was not an option. In fact, it was imperative that she hide the casket. Regina must not suspect that Emma believed Henry’s story or had seen proof. They needed to keep the upper hand, and to do that, Regina needed to remain in the dark about what Emma had found. Biting her lip to help cope with the pain, Emma pushed herself away from the casket and started to shove as much dirt and debris as she could towards it, blocking it from sight. Her leg was throbbing by the end, but after only a few minutes, Emma had managed to conceal the casket. Still, not wanting to take any chances, she shuffled herself over to the other side of the mine - towards the tunnels. Tears sprang to her eyes from the pain, but Emma persisted, dragging herself over the dirt floor until she was far enough away from the casket that she felt safe. Less than a minute later, Regina appeared, dangling from a pulley. #####TBC
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“I’d ask you what you’re doing down here,” Regina said snarkily, “but it’s clear you’re as reckless as I always suspected.”Emma sighed. “Regina, can we please do this later? I’m pretty sure my leg is broken.” She bit her lip, her breath ragged as she tried to ignore the pain in her leg.Regina’s eyes narrowed and she looked Emma over shrewdly. When she got to the leg that was broken, Regina’s face seemed to soften slightly. “I guess we need to get you to a hospital,” Regina said, resigned to helping the girl who was the bane of her existence. Emma tried to laugh but it was flat and joyless. “Yeah, probably.” Regina was in the process of carefully fastening the harness around Emma when the ground began shaking again. She yelped and ducked her head under her arm as rocks and boulders rained down on them. #####Thankfully the latest collapse hadn’t resulted in any further injuries for either Emma or Regina, however it had effectively severed Regina’s harness rope and the passage back to the surface was almost completely blocked by new debris. Emma groaned. She was trapped with one of her least favourite people in the world. Could this night get any worse? She turned to Regina who had rolled to her knees and was brushing herself off. “Are you all right?”“I’m fine, Miss Swan!” Regina snapped, her scathing glare implying that this was all Emma’s fault. Regina leaned against one of the boulders that was concealing the glass casket and Emma held her breath, releasing it only once she was certain that the rock was going to hold. “So, I guess we’re kind of stuck,” Emma said lightly, trying to ease the heaviness that hung in the air between them. “Your powers of deduction astound me, Miss Swan,” Regina remarked with a snarl. “Any thoughts on how we get out of this mess?”Emma shook her head slowly. “No one knows I’m down here and I lost my phone during the fall - not that I’d even be likely to get a signal down here anyway.”Regina considered this and dug her own phone out of the pocket of her jacket. She pressed a sequence of buttons and studied the screen intently. “Anything?” Emma asked after several moments of silence had passed. Regina’s sharp gaze fixed on her. “We’re below the surface, Miss Swan, of course I don’t have anything.”“So we’re stuck.” Emma closed her eyes. The pain in her leg was getting worse by the minute. “So it seems.” Regina pursed her lips and slid her phone back in her pocket before giving Emma a look so intent it made her shiver. Regina seemed to make up her mind about something and she smiled shrewdly. “Perhaps, since we’ve got nothing better to do right now it’s time you and I settled a few outstanding issues.”“If you’re talking about Henry, I’m not changing my mind. He’s my son and I have a right to stay here for as long as he wants me to.” “Actually, I think you will find that you gave up the right to call him your son the day you signed the adoption papers.” Regina smiled. “However, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”“It’s not?” Emma frowned. “No. What I want to talk about is your recent tendency to meddle in affairs that are absolutely non of your concern.” “If you’re talking about David—” Emma began. “I’m talking about everyone. This is not your town, Miss Swan. You have no right -”“No right to what? Help people?” Emma gaped at Regina. Regina seemed to be struggling to hold on to her temper. “Once again you’re twisting my words into something sinister when I mean no harm.” Emma scoffed. “I’ll believe that when I see it,” she muttered under her breath. “What was that?” “Nothing.” Emma glared at Regina and for several long moments they stared at each other malevolently. Regina finally broke the silence. “All I mean,” she said in a measured tone. “Is that you keep interfering in things that you know nothing about. This town was just fine before you came here and believe me when I tell you that your meddling is not welcome.” “I’m the deputy sheriff,” Emma reminded her. “It’s my job to help people.” Regina scowled. “Be that as it may, I suggest you be careful who you help in the future.” “Is that a threat?” Emma countered. She was sick of Regina’s mightier-than-thou attitude. Just because she was mayor of Storybrook it did not mean that she had a right to dictate what Emma could and couldn’t do. “Consider it friendly advice.” Emma opened her mouth to retort but all of her energy suddenly seemed to leave her. She was tired of fighting. She ached everywhere, her leg was throbbing and she was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe. “Look, Regina, can we please drop this for now?” Emma said in a tone that was much softer and calmer than she’d been a few minutes before. “We should probably be conserving our air.” “Fine.” Regina crossed her arms. “But this is far from over.” Emma nodded and closed her eyes. She was suddenly completely and utterly exhausted and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep. #####Regina watched as Emma’s eyes began to droop and flutter closed. She sighed and grudgingly started to manoeuvre herself toward Emma. As much as the girl irritated her, she was fairly certain that letting her die from lack of oxygen or possible concussion would not be wise. Regina crawled the rest of the way to Emma’s side and settled against the wall beside her. Before waking her, Regina took a moment to survey the situation. First, she glanced toward the pile of rocks she had been leaning against - the pile of rocks she knew concealed her secret. Thankfully it was fully covered so the chances of Emma finding it, especially in her injured state, were miniscule. Good. She thought with satisfaction as she shifted her attention to Emma. Even at a glance and in the dim light that peeked through the holes in the rocks blocking their way, Regina could see that her leg was a complete mess. It was bent unnaturally in multiple places and she was fairly certain that Emma’s guess that it was broken was accurate. How she’d managed to carry on her half of the conversation while she was in what was likely immeasurable pain was beyond her. Perhaps Emma Swan was stronger than Regina first thought. Impressed yet also weary, and storing the information away in case she needed it later, Regina pulled out her phone and sent the text message she’d typed earlier to Graham. It was time to summon help. Her message sent, Regina looked at Emma. She looked so helpless that for a second time she felt compelled to take care of her once and for all. No, Regina reminded herself, It’s not the time. Regina indulged herself for another moment, relishing in the rare opportunity to study the girl without being caught. She’s actually quite pretty, she decided after a moment’s thought. Not Snow White pretty, thankfully. She scowled as she always did when unwelcome thoughts of Snow intruded her carefully guarded mind. She shook her head and refocused on Emma, noting again how truly attractive she was. Almost unconsciously, as though she were being drawn by some invisible magnetic force, Regina reached out to brush a golden curl from Emma’s face.Emma’s eyes fluttered open and widened in shock. Regina quickly pulled her hand away. Emma spoke faintly and Regina had to strain to hear the words. “Can’t breathe.” “Help is coming,” Regina assured her, relieved that her shock seemed to be due to the lack of air and not Regina’s touch. “How?” Emma asked, her voice hoarse. “It doesn’t matter,” Regina said. “You need to save your breath.” Emma nodded and immediately winced. “Don’t try to move,” Regina ordered. Emma’s eyes drifted closed again and Regina sighed. She needed to keep her awake. “Miss Swan, open your eyes. You need to stay awake.” Her eyes fluttered open again. They really were lovely eyes. Where were these thoughts coming from? Regina swallowed. She needed a distraction and Emma needed something to keep her awake. She needed to talk. “Henry,” Emma whispered. “What?” Regina’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me more about Henry.” The words had taken a lot of effort Regina could tell as Emma’s chest heaved and she winced again. Regina considered it for a moment. She supposed it would be fairly harmless to tell Emma about Henry’s childhood while they waited, especially given her current state of lucidity.“Ten years ago —” she began. Besides, it wasn’t like she couldn’t tweak significant details here and there. #####TBC
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EpilogueEmma groaned as bright light flooded in through her partially open eyes. She squeezed them shut again, as she became aware of the rest of her body. She still ached everywhere but her leg was now oddly numb and the ground beneath her was no longer hard. In fact, it was actually quite soft and comfortable. She opened her eyes again, more slowly this time, allowing her eyes to adjust before opening them fully. “Hi Mom!” Henry said brightly, smiling down at her before turning away to shout, “She’s awake!” “Henry?” It came out in a croak and it was only then that Emma registered how dry and sore her throat was. She cleared her throat gently and tried again. “Where am I?” “You’re in the hospital,” said a soft, familiar voice. Emma turned toward the sound, smiling at Mary Margaret. “How —“ Emma began but the effort caused her to cough. She winced at the resulting pain. “Sheriff Graham rescued you,” Henry answered. He was frowning at her as though he wanted to say something else but wasn’t sure how to say it. “Have you already forgotten that I helped?” Regina’s voice sounded resentful as she approached the bed. “Mom!” Henry said in surprise. “When did you get here?” “I heard that Miss Swan was awake and I came to make sure she was okay.” Henry’s eyes narrowed. “Why?” “Because, contrary to what you all seem to think, I care.” Before anyone could respond she narrowed her eyes at Henry. “What are you doing here anyway? I told you to go straight home after school.” “I had to check on Emma.” “Well, clearly she’s fine and needs to rest. We should go home.” “But she just woke up, can’t we stay just five more minutes?” She looked at them hesitantantly but after a long beat, she nodded. “Fine, but after that we’re leaving, Miss Swan needs to rest.” Regina strode to the door and then paused. “I really am glad you’re okay, Miss Swan,” she said before leaving the room. #####“Did you find anything down there?” Henry asked in a whisper once he was sure that Regina was gone. Emma nodded.Henry grinned. “I knew it! I knew there was proof down there. What was it?” Emma held his gaze for a moment before turning to look at Mary Margaret. “Snow White’s casket.” FIN