Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 46 - The Fire Egnights

Emma walked into Granny's Diner and looked around she spotted Henry. She walked over to him and slided on the seat next to him.
"How was school?" she asked.
"Okay." he said staring at the newspaper in his hands.
"You're reading that paper pretty hard."
He turned it around. "Sidney wrote it." he showed her the paper.
On the front cover of the Storybrook Daily Mirror was the title Ex-jailbird and the subtitle was Emma Swan Birthed Babe Behind Bars. Underneath was a picture of Emma.
"Is it a lie?" asked Henry.
Emma stared at the paper, rage in her eyes. "No." she said, gritting her teeth.
"I was born in jail?"
"Yes."
Henry looked down at the table.
"These records were supposed to be sealed....... Tell me you're not scarred for life."
"I'm not. Well, not by this."
"Good." she took the paper. "Then let's throw this out and we will get our news from something more reliable. Like the Internet."
"This is what I've been trying to tell you. Good can't beat evil because good doesn't do this kind of thing. My mom plays dirty, that's why you can't beat her. Ever."
"I have a new ally. Mr. Gold said he's gonna help."
"Mr. Gold? He's even worse then she is. You already owe him one favour. You don't want to owe him anymore. Don't do this."

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Emma stormed into the Mayor's office.
"This was a juvie record." she said holding up the newspaper. "This was sealed by court order." she walked over to her. "I don't know how you got it, but that's abuse of power and illegal."
"Oh, I'm sorry. You didn't want people to know you cut his cord with a shiv?"
"I don't care what people know. But this hurts Henry."
"He would've learned eventually. We all lose our hero's at some point." she said packing away her things and walking to the door.
"He doesn't need to lose anything more. He's depressed, Madam Mayor. He doesn't have any...... hope." she followed her out of the room. "Don't you see that?"
"He's fine."
"He's not fine. I mean, think about it......"
Regina turned off the lights in the area and stepped into the hall.
".......Watching his adoptive mother throw an illegal smear campaign against his birth mother. You don't think that would be upsetting?"
"All I did was expose him to the truth." she stopped and looked at Emma. "And as for the legality, I did nothing wrong. But you and Sidney will have a chance to get into all that at the debate."
"Debate?"
"Yes, Miss. Swan, there's a debate." she walked on down the stairs that were covered in ranivation materials. "You two can talk about jail time and juvie records and maybe even your new association with Mr. Gold. He's a snake, Miss. Swan, you need to be careful who you get into bed with."
"I'm not getting into bed with anyone. I'm just fighting fire with........"
Before Emma could finish her sentence Regina opened the door and flames burst into the room, knocking them both accross the room onto the stairs.
Regina coughed and choked on the stairs while Emma got up and heaved the bar that was holding Regina to the floor.
"All right, come on. Let's go. We've got to get out of here." said Emma.
"I can't move!" said Regina. "You have to get me out. Help me." she cryed as the flames grew closer. Emma looked down at her then up the flames, fear in her eyes.

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"Keep that fire good and stoked, Bae. The sheep's fat needs to be liquid." said Rumplestiltskin.
They stood outside the house. Bae was stoking the fire and his father was sorting the wool.
"And get that wool good and soaked.
"Why are we doing this, Papa?" Bae asked. "This us good wool we can spin and sell."
"These are our keys to the castle, son. And once I'm inside, there's something I have to take."
"What do you need to take?"
"That old bigger, he told me a fine tale about the Duke and his magical dagger."
"What does it do?"
"If I own that dagger, I control the Dark One. If I kill the Dark One with the dagger, I take his powers."
"By God's name!"
"Imagine me with those powers! Can you imagine me with those powers, Bae? I could get to redeem myself. I could turn it towards good. I'll save all the children of the Frontlands. Not just you, my boy."
"I would love to see that. But if thelaw says I'm to fight, I can fight."
"No, no, the law doesn't want you to fight, son." he stuttered. "the law wants you to die. That's no battle. That's a sacrifice, son...... I mean, look at that red in the sky, son." he pointed to the horizon. "That's not the fires of the battlefield. That's the blood of our people, son. That's the blood of children. The blood of children like you. I mean, what sane person would want to get involved with that?" he went back to his work.
"So it's true."
"What?" he looked at him.
"It's true, it's true you ran."
"I had no choice, son."
"And mother? Did she leave you like the knight said? You told me she was dead."
He hesitated and went back to his work. "She is dead." he said silently.
They stood in silence for a few moments.
"So, what do we need to do?" asked Bae.
Rumplestiltskin sat down. "The Duke's castle is made of stone, but the floors and the rafters,......" he tapped his wooden stick. "...... made of wood."
"Why does that matter?"
"Because wood burns."

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Emma stepped in front of Regina. Regina grasped her arm. "You're gonna leave me, aren't you?"
Emma pulled free of her grasp and jumped over the flames and Regina watched her run, fear filling her eyes. She attempted to move away from the flames, but suddenly a mist blocked her view and Emma came in, a fire extinguisher in her hand. Emma took Regina's hand and helped her up.
She limped and held her arms over Emma's shoulder. Emma kicked the back door of the building open and stepped quickly outside. They both coughed and choked as the media watched and took photos of the scene. Sirens could be heard and people crowded around them. Emma let go of Regina.
"Ow........Ow......." she cryed. "My ankle! Will you set me down gently!" Regina shouted at Emma.
"Seriously? You're complaining about how I saved your life?" coughed Emma.
"The firemen are here. It's not like we were really in danger."
"Fine. Next time, I'll just...... I'll just....... No. You know what? Next time, I'd do the same thing. And the time after that because that is what a scent human beings do." she coughed. "That's what good people do." she turned away and walked off leaving Regina limping by the entrance.

"Did Emma really rescue my mom?" Henry asked the fireman near by.
The firman nodded.

Regina sat on an ambulance bed, two abundance men next to her, checking her heart rate and examining her ankle.
She pulled the air mask from her mouth. "Enough!" she shouted.
"Regina." said Sidney walking towards her.
"I'm fine." she said to the abundance men.
"A nice shit ofghe victim." said Sidney taking a photo of her.
"Sidney. What the hell are you doing?" she grabbed his colar and pulled him towards her. "Are you trying to hand this election to her?" she gritted ger teeth.
"But it's news."
"She's the competition, you fool." she pushed him away.

"Did you really rescue Regina?" Mary Margaret asked Emma.
"She did." Henry ran over to the small crowd of Emma, Mary Margaret, Archie, Granny and Ruby.
"The fireman said it. They saw it!" he went on.
"Well......" Emma said awkwardly. "You are a hero!" exclaimed Ruby.
"We should see if they have a picture of the rescue." said Mary Margaret.
"We can make campaign posters!" said Granny.
"Oh...... People would love that! It's a great idea." said Archie.
Emma opened her mouth to day something but was interrupted by Archie.
"Wait, so, I'll get the photo and then......." he walked off with Granny discussing their plan.
"Can you write up?" asked Granny.
Emma chuckled and vent down next to Henry. "This is how good wins. You do omitting good and people see it and then they want to help you."
"Maybe you're right." said Henry.
"You see, Henry? We don't have to fight dirty." she stood up and then looked at the burnt materials and rubble that lay next to her. In the mits of it all she saw some burnt rope. She walked over to it and kicked it with her boot. She looked around at the mess and figured the cause of the fire. Mr. Gold's lanolin.