"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Emma asks as she give her mom a quick hug outside of the station. Charming is already in the drivers seat a pinched look on his face that Snow hopes Emma attributes to worry over the witches.

"Oh no. We are worn out from our hike. You go ahead. Have a good time. We will see you back home." Snow gives her a half grin.

"Okay." Emma gives her a wary look before turning away. She crosses the few feet to where Killian is waiting under the light of a street lamp. He gives her a wide smile as she laces their fingers together and they begin walking toward Granny's. Snow watches them for a moment contemplating the relaxed easiness of their body language. Emma was happier than Snow had ever seen her and that happiness was about to be pulled apart.

Snow drops her own smile as she climbs into the truck. Charming grips the steering wheel but doesn't move to start the car. They sit in silence, lost in thought and the street light begins to flicker.

"She has changed so much since coming here. She is finally opening up her heart." Snow murmurs.

"Is that why you didn't tell her?"

She sighs. They had come to the station to tell Emma everything but after hearing her talk about her trust issues and seeing the best in people Snow couldn't do it. The moment of truth came and went and she choose to keep the secret and David had kept it with her. "I couldn't. Not after what she said."

"It wasn't because Hook was there?"

"No. I just think." Snow bit her lip "David I don't think we should tell her."

He turned to her and Snow could tell he wasn't really surprised but he didn't agree either. "Why?"

"Because…because Emma is just opening up her heart and if we tell her now. It will destroy what little faith she has in people."

"In people or in us?" He says it so quietly that Snow is tempted to pretend she doesn't hear him. She doesn't want to think about what he is implying. That her decision to not tell Emma is about her own pride, her own desire to maintain the image of a hero, her need to live up to Emma's idealized version of her. When she doesn't answer he shifts in his seat and grabs her hand.

"Snow. We can't fight them on our own. We need Emma's help to stop whatever Maleficent is up too."

"So we go to Regina."

"Regina!" he drops her hand to run his hands through his hair.

"She is still powerful. She knows them, knows how they think. She can go undercover, find out what they are up too." Snow speaks rapidly as she tries to convince him of the plan. "Then we will be one step ahead of them. Stop them before they can enact their revenge. Before Emma can find out what we did."

"Regina has come a long way but I don't think she will just jump in without a good reason."

"So we tell her what happened. We ask her to keep our secret. She will help us. I know she will."

"You want to tell Regina but not Emma?" Charming heaves a sigh. "Snow…"

"This will work David. Just trust me on this. I can make this right. Emma never has to know."

He considers her in the burnt orange light of the flickering street lamp. She endeavors to keep her eye steady and convey confidence but she knows he sees right through her. Sees how scared she is of Emma pulling away, of loosing the fragile relationship they have built with her. She can see the arguments forming in that stubborn brain of his. The street light flickers again and then goes out-plunging them into darkness.

"Okay." He says into the dark.

"Okay."

He turns the key and the engine roars to life. Snow pulls out her phone and calls Regina to arrange a meeting. As she dials she keeps telling herself that she is doing the right thing.

(Maybe if she says it enough times she will actually believe it.)

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A/N: Coming in just under the wire! This was really hard for me because I feel like the Snow and Charming are wildly out of character right now. So trying to write them in character when the plot is saying otherwise was difficult.