The Divine Lament (Swan Queen)

Teamwork

Emma and Regina entered the station to find Ruby, Tinkerbell and Hook all gathered around a small table covered with several large sheets of paper. Regina recognized them immediately as the maps of Storybrooke. She and Emma watched as all three were diligently placing marks on various locations.

"During our last patrol of the border, Leroy reported nothing unusual. The line seemed intact and there were no spots that looked to be tampered with." Ruby said as she traced the area with her finger.

"Then how the hell did she get in?" Tinkerbell huffed.

"Is it possible she came by sea?" Hook asked pointing towards the area of the docks.

"Have you seen any magical boats lately?" Ruby snapped as her irritation grew.

Hook shook his head as he took a sip from his flask. As the rum burned his throat, he knew it was far too early to be drinking, but the thought of confronting a crazed sorceress sober held no appeal.

"There has to be a flaw in the barrier. If so shouldn't Regina be aware of it?" Tinkerbell swiped the flask from Hook's hands, capping it while turning a disapproving eye on him.

"Excellent question Tinkerbell. Now would someone mind explaining to me exactly what I should be aware of?" Regina announced as she made her way to stand by the desk.

"Emma!" Ruby exclaimed before taking the Sheriff into her arms.

Emma quickly steadied herself to prevent them from both falling over as her friend nearly collapsed in her arms. The wolf clung to her, sobs racking her body as she released the torrent of emotions she had bottled since Belle's attack. Emma wrapped her arms tighter around Ruby and offered soothing words in an attempt to quiet her. Slowly, Ruby pulled away and wiped at her face, trying to gain some composure.

"Sorry." Ruby weakly smiled.

"Don't apologize, Rubes. It's ok." Emma rubbed her hand against Ruby's arm.

Regina sensing Ruby's turmoil, respectfully motioned Tinkerbell to follow her into Emma's office. Tinkerbell looked over to Ruby who simply nodded. Once in the office, with the door shut, Tinkerbell began recounting the previous night's events.

"So you're sure you've never seen this woman before?" Emma asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"Trust me, if you'd seen her, you'd agree with me that she's definitely not the type to blend in." Ruby checked her phone once more. She hoped Belle would have called her by now.

"She was a regular siren, if I say so myself." Hook added.

"Ok, so what you're saying is she was good looking." Emma sneered at the pirate.

"What I am saying Swan, is there are no words to describe her beauty. Even you would have been hard pressed to find her equal." Hook smirked, as he polished his hook.

Emma subconsciously turned her gaze towards her office. Her eyes naturally falling on Regina's form just visible through the glass.

"Yeah, and I got suckered by that pretty face and it nearly cost Belle her life." Ruby spat as her hand connected with the file cabinet, leaving an indent the size of her fist.

Emma made her way over to Ruby and grabbed her by the arms.

"It wasn't your fault so I need you to relax. We will find this woman, I promise." Emma proclaimed confidently.

Ruby took in a deep breath and nodded. Her unwavering faith in the Savior helped calm her fears.

"Hook, go fetch Tink and Regina. We need to formulate a plan together."