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Chapter Text

Emma Swan wore a rose colored dress that stopped above her knees and black high heels as she escorted a handcuffed man in a gray suit into the 99th Brooklyn Police Precinct.

“Six minutes and fifty-four seconds, new record.” Detective Rosa Diaz said while looking at her watch, “I gotta admit Swan, I’m impressed.”

Emma, however, didn’t seem so excited about her victory. “Yeah,” She said dryly, as she passed the handcuffed man to Rosa, “You guys wanna go to Shaw’s tonight?” Emma asked the precinct.

“What’s the occasion?” The civilian administrator, Gina Linetti, asked from her desk while looking at her phone, “Celebration? Feeling Depressed? Stakeout? Going undercover? Setting Rosa up on a date?”

“Trying to date her father?” Detective Hitchcock jumped in.

“Ew, Hitchcock, what is wrong with you?” Detective Jake Peralta asked. “I don’t need to know why you invited us, I’m down for spending time with my coworkers and friends after a long day at work.”

“If Jake will be there, I’m in,” Detective Charles Boyle said.

“I’m up for a drink,” Rosa said as she shoved the man into the holding cell.

“Can Hitchcock and I bring our meatball subs?” Detective Norm Scully asked.

“No, Hitchcock’s question caused you two to be officially uninvited,” Emma responded.

Hitchcock sighed in disappointment but said “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“I would love to come, Emma!” Sergeant Terry Jeffords said, “Is it alright if we invite Detective Santiago?”

“Who’s that?” Emma asked. As soon as she did, a latina woman she had never seen before walked up to her and offered a hand to shake. She had her brown hair cut at her shoulders and wore a gray pantsuit.

“Detective Amy Santiago,” Amy introduced herself, “I just transferred into the nine-nine today. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Emma Swan,” Emma introduced herself, “If you want to join us at Shaw’s feel free. I’m going home to change.”

As she walked to the elevator, Emma smiled on the inside at the fact that everyone was actually willing to spend time with her. After all, she considered these people to be the closest things to friends that she had. However, before she reached the elevator, Captain McGintley came out of his office.

“So, I accidentally deleted all of the data concerning any paperwork that was completed today,” He said with a depressed tone. The entire precinct groaned and the captain continued, “you all need to redo everything, but the good news is; you all get overtime.”

There are mumbles of disappointment as Terry said “Sorry, Emma. It doesn’t look like we’ll be able to have time to go to Shaw’s tonight. Could we move it to tomorrow?”

Emma was disappointed, but she kept a poker face.

“Sure, sounds good,” she responded as she entered the elevator.

Welp, looks like she’ll be spending another birthday alone thanks to that crummy captain. Seriously, who accidentally deletes all that data? At least she won’t be bothered the night of her twenty-eighth birthday.

Now in her apartment, Emma placed a single candle on a solitary cupcake. She closed her eyes and silently wished that she didn’t have to be alone before blowing out the candle. Her doorbell rang as soon as the flame was extinguished. Emma didn't know who to expect, but she was surprised to find a young boy on the other side.

“Uh, can I help you?” She asked.

“Are you Emma Swan?” The boy asked her.

“Yeah. Who are you?”

“My name is Henry. I’m your son,” He responded with a smile.

__________

This couldn’t be happening. Henry, acting like this was a normal interaction, was quick to make himself at home, drinking some of her orange juice. After a quick silent freak-out in the bathroom, Emma came back into the kitchen.

“Y’know, we should probably get going,” Henry told her.

Emma crossed her arms. “Going where?” She asked.

“I want you to come home with me.”

“Ok kid, I’m calling the cops.” She picked up her phone and found Rosa in her contacts.

“Then I’ll tell them you kidnapped me,” Henry threatened before she could press the call button.

“... And they’ll believe you because I’m your birth mom,” She said.

“Yep,” Henry nodded. 

Emma considered her options. The nine-nine wouldn’t believe him, right? Then again, that didn’t know her that well. Heck, they don’t even know that she had a baby ten years ago. She did have an alibi for earlier that evening, but Henry could say that she kidnapped him another time. None of that mattered however, because as she looked at Henry, she realized something. 

“You wouldn’t do that,” She challenged.

“Try me.”

“You’re pretty good, but here’s the thing. There’s not a lot I’m great at in life, but I have one skill. That’s called a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying, and you kid, are.” She was about to hit the call button, but Henry started to beg.

“Wait,” He said, “Don’t call the cops, please. Come home with me.”

“And where is home?”

“Storybrooke, Main.”

“Storybrooke, seriously?”

“Mhmm.”

“Alrighty, then. Let’s get you back to Storybrooke.”

__________

The plan was to drop the kid off and go back to Brooklyn. Then there was a wolf in the road, Emma woke up in jail, she helped Henry’s adoptive mother find him after he ran away again, and somehow Emma was convinced to stay a while. However, she didn’t think to tell the nine-nine, she figured that she would catch them up once she got back to New York.

While Emma was checking into an inn in Maine, Rosa and the rest of the precinct waited for her at Shaw’s Bar in New York. Rosa sent her a few texts, but they all had trouble sending. Rosa tried calling her, but when she would, Emma wouldn’t pick up.

I’m sorry, the person you are trying to reach is unable to come to the phone right now, The robotic voice said, Unfortunately, they have not set up a voicemail box. Have a great day!

That was weird. Rosa had been able to leave voicemails for her before.

The next day, Rosa went to Emma’s apartment. “Swan?” She asked as she knocked on the door. “Swan, you in there?”

There was no answer, so she used the spare key that she found under a potted plant in the corner of the hallway. Rosa slowly entered the apartment, gun in hand, prepared for the worst. “Swan?” She asked again. No one in the bedroom. No one in the bathroom. “Emma?” Rosa called once more. She entered the kitchen and found an open container of orange juice and a lone cupcake with a blown out candle.

A few more days pass, and there is still no sign of Emma. Getting worried, the precinct started to work together in order to find her. Using the traffic cameras, they were able to see her get into her car with some kid and they tracked her yellow bug leaving New York … and not coming back. The last time her credit card was used was at a gas station on the edge of Maine on the same day that she invited them to Shaw’s.

“I guess that’s it, then. She decided to leave and go to Maine,” Rosa stated dryly.

“I’m sorry Diaz, I know you two were friends,” Amy started with genuine sympathy.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rosa cut her off as she walked off.

__________

Okay, Emma was just going to make sure Henry was safe in Storybrooke before going back to New York. Trying to get some help from his therapist led to her being arrested. Thankfully, Mary Margret Blanchard was nice enough to bail her out and offer her a place to stay after she was kicked out of the Inn. This way, Emma could still make sure Henry was okay before leaving for Brooklyn

__________

Okay, she’ll take on the role of deputy sheriff, but she still wasn’t going to stay for very long.

__________

Somewhere along the line she became the sheriff and decided to take her son back from Regina. However, Emma still planned to return to Brooklyn with her son once she got custody rights.

__________

The moment that Henry dropped to the floor after eating that apple turnover, Emma forgot all about Brooklyn and the precinct. She devoted all of her energy to saving her son’s life.

__________

The curse broke. Emma had to stop a mob from killing Regina. She got sucked through a magical hat and spent some time in the Enchanted Forest. Long story short, the next few months in Storybrooke were chaotic.

Rumplestiltskin calling in a favor led to Emma and Henry traveling with him back to New York. Emma did briefly consider visiting the nine-nine, but the moment she found out that Rumple’s son was Neal, the father of her child, those plans went out the window.

They returned to Storybrooke, Neal got shot and fell through a magical portal, and Henry got kidnapped. Emma traveled to Neverland with her parents (Snow White and Prince Charming), Regina, Rumple, and Captain Hook. After defeating Peter Pan, Emma had to take Henry to New York as the rest of Storybrooke returned to the enchanted forest.

Regina’s magic gave Emma new memories, but Regina was never told about Emma’s friends. Therefore, her new memories didn’t include the time she spent with them. For an entire year, Emma lived in New York without crossing paths with the detectives of Brooklyn’s ninety-ninth precinct or giving them a single thought.

Hook brought Emma back to Storybrooke where they battled the Wicked Witch of the West (Zelena Mills) and the Snow Queen. After which, they had to deal with Maleficent, Cruella, and Ursula. Cruella died, Ursula left, and Maleficent asked Emma to find her daughter, Lily, who also happened to be Emma’s old friend.

On top of finding Lily, Emma and Regina had to travel to New York to save Robin Hood from Zelena. They located Lily, Regina somehow stopped Lily and Emma from killing each other, and they revealed to Robin that Mariam was actually Zelena in disguise. Zelena in turn, was extremely mad that she was caught before she was able to get pregnant with Robin’s child. Regina wanted to leave Zelena in New York, but Emma convinced her to bring Zelena back to Storybrooke and imprison her there, fearing what would happen if Zelena found out about Emma's friends in Brooklyn.

After returning to Storybrooke, Emma had to deal with Rumple (again), the Author of the book, becoming Dark Swan, King Arthur, Dark One Hook, Hades in the Underworld, the Black Fairy, and Rumple’s son, Gideon. Needless to say, Emma was busy.

Finally Emma was able to find her happy ending (or happy beginning). She married her true love, Killian Jones, and had a beautiful daughter with him. Henry grew up, married his true love, Ella, and also had a daughter who recently turned ten years old. Regina was able to combine all the magical realms so that no one was separated. By now, Emma hadn’t thought about the nine-nine in … years? Months? Centuries? Time passed weirdly in the United Realms.

__________

Now present day, little Hope was toddling around the boxes her father had brought down from the attic before he left for work. Meanwhile, her babysitter, Zelena, was looking over the instructions Emma left her for watching over the little one.

“Looks like it's time for lunch, Cygnet,” She said as she looked back at Hope just in time to see the toddler playing with the tape on a box labeled Old daggers, sell to pawn shop.

Zelena quickly picked her up off the ground and placed her in the playpen. “Looks like Captain Guyliner forgot to child-proof his mess,” She mumbled.

Hope started to whine as she gripped the bars of the playpen, looking in the direction of the boxes.

“Well, I'm sorry Cygnet, but for some reason your mother trusts me enough to leave you in my care,” Zelena said, “There aren't many people who think that highly of me, and I don't want to shorten that list by letting you hurt yourself.” Zelena then proceeded to pick up the box of daggers and place it on a countertop, out of Hope’s reach. She turned back to the playpen to see Hope’s angry baby face.

“Boo wanna be!” Hope argued. She was learning how to talk, but she wasn't exactly fluent in the English language yet.

Zelena took a second to try to understand what the child was trying to say, but she eventually held up her hands in defeat and said, “I don't speak ‘child’”.

Hope’s face grew more red than it already was and she angrily extended her arm and pointed at the box. 

“Brown!” She demanded.

“Oh, so you know colors but not the word ‘box’?” Zelena questioned. She picked the child up and walked them over to the counter that held the box, but still made sure that it was out of Hope’s reach. “Listen, Hope,” Zelena began, knowing that Hope was old enough to know that when Zelena called her by her given name, she was serious. “You are a curious child, which is a good thing. Always push the boundaries other people try to set for you,” Zelena said with a guiding voice, “However, when daddy brings boxes down from the ceiling, you do not touch daddy’s boxes.” She gestured to the box. “This is daddy’s box.” She then walked them over to the rest of the boxes and pointed out all the ones that had pirate-related labels, which turned out to be all but one. “That one is daddy’s, that one is daddy’s, so is that one and that one.”

Hope pointed at the last box, which was labeled New York , and looked at her babysitter questioningly.

Zelena considered it for a brief moment and said, “That is mommy’s box, however, we cannot open it without asking her first, do you understand?” Hope nodded. “Ok, when mommy gets home, we can ask her if we can open the box together. Does that sound good?” 

Hope’s smile stretched across her face as she clapped with glee, saying “Yes! Yes, yes!”

Zelena smiled at the display of joy on the young child’s face.

“Alright, then,” She said, “What do you say to mac-n-cheese for lunch? It’s the only option your mother gave us. Do me a favor, Cygnet, and remind me to give her a few healthier child-favorite recipes.”

__________

A few hours later, Emma and her husband, Killian, were driving home from the sheriff station after their shift.

“Are you sure we should’ve left our child with Zelena? Does she know anything about children?” Killian asked from the shotgun seat.

“Well, Hope seems to like her, and she was a midwife once,” Emma defended her best friend’s sister.

“The midwife thing was a front that she used to get close to your mother and kidnap your brother,” Killian reminded her.

“Well, Henry and Ella weren’t available and it’s very hard to find someone with nearly a day’s worth of free time and no criminal record.”

“She had all that free time because no one would give her a job! For obvious reasons!”

“Killian,” Emma sighed as she pulled over to the side of the road and put the car in park, “It’s not like either of us have pasts to be proud of. And yes, Zelena has a hard time getting along with … well, pretty much anyone, but she has a soft pot for kids. I’ve seen her when she’s around Lucy, who trusts her completely by the way-”

“- That’s because she wasn’t alive when Zelena tried to kill her father.”

“And said father also trusts her completely to be alone with his kid. But, if you want to play the criminal record game, then I’ll admit, yes, Zelena wiped the town’s memories, killed Neil Gold, took control of the dark one, kidnapped baby Neil Charming, quite literally stole the heart of the sister that she tried to kill multiple times, tried to trick Robin Hood into impregnating her, put Dorothy under a sleeping curse, and briefly worked with the Evil Queen.”

“Is this supposed to get me to trust her?” Killian asked, reminding Emma to get to her point.

“Let me finish, she used to be a terrible person, but she also killed Hades to save Regina, she was there when Henry and Regina needed her help in the war against Drizzella, and she helped Regina find a way to save Henry’s life and break the curse in Hyperion Heights. You’re a ruthless pirate turned hero, and I once killed a woman and became the dark one for a short time. If we deserved a second chance, why shouldn’t we give her one?”

Killian sighed as he took a second to think about it. “Ok, I’ll give her a chance,” He agreed.

Emma nodded and once again started driving, only to stop abruptly shortly after.

“What? What’s wrong, luv?” Her husband asked frantically.

“Have you been cleaning out the attic?” She asked him nervously.

“Yes, I have. What’s wrong?”

“Did you put your old pirate-life boxes somewhere out of Hope’s reach?”

Killian’s eyes got wide and he quickly reached for her phone. He immediately pressed Zelena’s number and put his phone to his ear.

“Hello, Captain Guy-Liner,” Zelena greeted on the other end of the phone, “It’s nearly time for you two to come home, is everything okay?”

“Zelena, this morning I took some boxes down from the attic-” He started before the former Wicked Witch interrupted him.

“-and you forgot to child-proof them? Don’t worry, I put them on the counter before curious little Cygnet could open them.”

Killian breathed a sigh of relief, “Okay, thank you, Zelena.”

“Now, is there anything else you need to tell me or are you just calling to ask me to fix your mistake?”

“No,” Killian responded as he tightened his grip around his phone, “I was also calling to tell you that… Swan’s parents are coming over for dinner tonight.”

“What?” Emma asked, confused.

“... Why is it important for me to know that?” Zelena asked.

“Because,” Killian started, trying to think of a believable excuse, “we would like to invite you to join us as well.” After he finished, he put his head down on the dashboard in front of him in defeat.

“What are you talking about?” Emma questioned him.

“Well, it’s a bit last minute but…. Yes, I’ll join you five for dinner.” She seemed to hesitate for a second before saying “Thank you for the invitation.”

Killian forced a smile as he said “Great. We’ll see you in a few minutes.” He hung up the phone and turned to his wife. “That bloody witch is a thorn in my side,” He grumbled.

“Is that why you suddenly invited her to dinner? With my parents?” Emma asked incredulously.

“Well, she was being so bloody irritating that I couldn’t admit that I needed her to fix my mistake, so I said that I was calling to invite her to dinner.”

“And my parents?”

“They were the first people to come to mind, Swan. That being said, are you ok if I invite your parents over for dinner?”

“Sure, but you are aware that we only planned dinner for three, right?”

“....I’ll ask them to stop by Granny’s on their way over.”

__________

“We’re home,” Emma called as she opened the front door to her house. She and Killian found Hope and Zelena in the living room with a few scattered papers and an ungodly amount of crayons. The couple was quick to scoop up their smiling child and begin to hug and kiss her.

“Did you have a good day my Little Treasure?” Killian asked sweetly.

Hope happily nodded and pointed at the pictures on the ground. “Draw!” She excitedly cheered.

Emma let Killian hold their daughter as she took the pictures that a smiling Zelena handed her. One paper had a pink dragon flying over a multi-colored sun, another one had a pirate ship that was crewed by kittens, and the final one was a picture of a flower garden that grew precious gems.

“These are wonderful, Hope!” Emma praised her daughter, “What do you say we hang these on the fridge?”

Hope happily nodded and pointed at a fourth paper on the ground. It was a VERY detailed family portrait of the three of them with Henry, Ella, and Lucy.

“Wow,” Killian whispered, astonished. He looked at Zelena. “Did you draw that?” He asked her.

“Well, yes,” Zelena responded, blushing a bit, “Cygnet wanted me to draw with her so I asked what she wanted me to draw. She automatically said ‘Mommy and Daddy!’. I thought it would be a good idea to add both of Emma’s children, which led to also including Ella and Lucy.”

“Zelena, this is some impressive talent!” Emma said as she picked up the picture, “If you’re still looking for a job, you could try selling some artwork.”

Zelena shook her head. “No, it’s just a hobby I picked up as Kelly in Hyperion Heights. Doing it for money would take out the relaxing aspect of it.”

“Well, it’s something to consider,” Emma said as she handed the picture back to Zelena, “I’m sure people would pay you good money.”

Before Zelena could argue, the front door opened and Snow White and David Charming walked in carrying a takeout bag from Granny’s.

“We made it!” Snow announced happily.

__________

After the six of them finished their dinner (and Killian reimbursed his parents-in-law for dinner), Hope looked at Zelena and pointed in the direction of the box labeled New York .

“Oh, yes.” Zelena had nearly forgotten about that box, “Curious little Cygnet wants to explore the boxes from the attic. I said that we would ask you, Emma, if you could show us what’s in the one that’s labeled ‘New York’. She already knows that the pirate boxes are out of the question.”

Hope looked up at her mother with big, pleading eyes. Emma thought about it for a second before saying “Well, I can’t think of anything that would be in there that a child shouldn’t see. Come to think of it, I can’t remember what’s in there.” She stood up from the table, grabbed the box, and put it down on her lap as she sat on the couch. “Let’s find out together, shall we?”

Killian and David rose to clean the table as the women sat down on either side of Emma, Hope on Snow’s lap. Emma used a small switchblade to cut through the tape and open the box. There wasn’t much inside. There was an old dream catcher, reminiscent of the days Emma would spend with Henry’s father, Neil. There were a few old CDs that Emma used to play in her bug. A few pieces of cheap jewelry, not that she ever wore them. Finally, there was a framed photograph of her and a few detectives from the nine-nine at Shaw’s Bar.

It was a group selfie that was taken by Charles. He was way too close to the camera, only the top right quarter of his face was showing. Jake had a large, open-mouthed smile on his face as he held up a thumbs-up. Gina was hiding her face in her hands, as if she was embarrassed that there was now photographic evidence that she spent time with the two of them. Rosa and Emma were standing next to each other, seemingly annoyed to be having their picture taken. Meanwhile, Terry was being the only normal one, smiling at the camera.

“Wow, I’ve nearly forgotten about them,” Emma said in a voice that was barely above a whisper as she looked down at the photo, reliving old memories.

“Seems like a very… colorful group,” Zelena commented.

This caused Emma to jump slightly. She was so focused on the picture that she had forgotten that there were other people around her. Killian and David were standing behind the couch now, also looking down at the photo.

“Who are they?” Snow asked, wanting to know more about her daughter’s life before she found them.

“Oh, they are my old … coworkers. Back in New York,” Emma responded. “The one who clearly doesn’t know how to take a picture is Detective Charles Boyle, you never want to ask him about his dating life. The man-child over there is Detective Jake Peralta. Great at his job, but very immature. The red-head hiding her face in shame is Gina Linetti. She did not take her job as the civilian administrator of the precinct seriously, but she could do literally anything she set her mind to, though she was a bit full of herself. The bald and muscular man is Sergeant Terry Jeffords, one of the bravest men I know-” She looked at her husband and father “-he comes in third place, of course. Lastly, the woman standing next to me is Detective Rosa Diaz. She was strangely the one I was closest to, given that I know nothing about her other than her name.”

“Were you working with them when I came to get you, Swan?” Killian asked, not remembering any mention of them.

“No, I think that when Regina gave me new memories, they didn’t include the nine-nine,” Emma responded with slight disappointment in her voice.

“Nine-nine?” David asked.

“Oh yeah, that was their nickname for Brooklyn’s ninety ninth police precinct.”

“I thought you said you had no friends before coming to Storybrooke,” Zelena mentioned.

“One, thanks for the reminder,” Emma said sarcastically, giving her a slight glare, “Two, I didn’t. These people were just… very close acquaintances.”

“... Those are friends, Emma,” Snow replies gently.

“Well, maybe, but I didn’t really know what friends were back then. And, if I’m being honest I didn’t want to consider anybody my friend after what happened with Lilly. So, I never actually told them that they were my only friends,” Emma said sadly.

“It’s not too late,” Snow encouraged, “Where are they now?”

“I have no freaking clue,” Emma chuckled, “I have no idea how long it’s been to them. They’re either still at the nine-nine, got promoted into another area of the NYPD, or they’re retired.”

“Well,” Zelena began “I’ve been keeping up with a friend I made while in New York-”

“-while you were posing as Marian?” Emma questioned.

“Not important,” Zelena replied through gritted teeth. The entire group gave her a look. “Ok, yes I was posing as Marian, but I only ever came to her sandwich shop as Zelena. I had to see my natural, flawless appearance occasionally. The point is, I’ve been keeping up with my friend, Teresa, and it’s only been a year to her, so probably only two or three years to the people in the precinct since the last time you’ve spoken to them. But honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they assumed you were dead by now.” Zelena shrugged as she got up from the couch and went to put on her coat. “I enjoyed my day with Hope, let me know if you need someone to watch her again. Thank you again for dinner, I’ll see you all later.” With that, she left.

“Yep, that’s Zelena,” Snow sighed as she cradled a now sleeping Hope in her arms. “Maybe sometime we could go to New York and -”

“-no, we don’t have to do that,” Emma interrupted, “Like Zelena said, they probably think I’m dead by now. Or maybe just dead to them. Either way it’s better to just move on.”

“Emma,”

“Oh, look at the time! It was a long day, so I’m just going to turn in early. Goodnight, I love you guys!” Emma quickly rushed up the stairs and to her bedroom.

The Charmings sadly departed as Killian went upstairs to put his daughter to bed and check on his wife. During the car ride back to the farmhouse, Snow White couldn’t stop thinking about how much her daughter clearly missed her friends. When they got home, Snow sent a quick text to check in on her son who was at a sleepover, then she dialed Zelena’s number.

“You realize you just saw me twenty minutes ago?” Zelena asked when she picked up.

“I know, but I was wondering if you would be willing to help me get Emma to reunite with her friends.”

A/N: Yes, there was a Wizards of Waverly Place reference, and there will be a couple more in the next chapter, but they are not a big part of this, sorry.

Chapter Text

It’s been about a week since Emma told the others about the nine-nine and surprisingly, her mother hasn’t done meddling. By now, Emma would expect her to try to get her to visit them somehow but Snow hasn’t even mentioned the nine-nine since she learned about them. The only thing that changed was that Snow and Charming have been more involved with the sheriff station, giving Emma and Killian more free time. Along with that, Henry and Ella have joined the force, giving them more help.

Emma was leaving Granny’s with the squad’s coffee when she was approached by Zelena.

“Emma, could I ask a favor?” Zelena asked once she reached her. Emma just stared at her blankly.

“Who are you and what have you done with Zelena?” She questioned, earning an eye roll from Zelena.

“I’ll have you know that being cursed to live as Kelly West made me more open to asking others for help.” Zelena said, annoyed. “Do you remember when I told you about my friend Teresa?”

“Yeah, what about her?”

“Well, her daughter, Alex, has found herself on the wrong side of the law and her family doesn’t have the money to bail her out.”

“Oh, okay.” Emma took a second to process the information, “... What did she do?” She asked carefully.

“Shoplifted, I believe, but I’m sure that this experience has taught her not to do it again,” Zelena answered, putting Emma’s worries to rest.

“Ok, so are you asking me for a loan?”

“Oh, no. I have the money. I’m just not able to bail her out.”

“...I’m not following.”

Zelena let out an aggravated sigh and sat down at one of the patio tables. Emma followed suit after taking a deep breath to gather patience.

“I don’t have an identity in New York. The Wicked Witch is a fictional character there, and she’s named Elphaba for some reason,” Zelena explained.

“What about Kelly West? You have that identity from the curse,” Emma offered.

“While that should be true, any and all proof of the Hyperion Heights identities have been destroyed.”

“What?! By who?”

“Not sure, but it was either Gothel or the Dark One," Zelena waved it off. "The point is, right now you are the only one of us with an identity outside of the United Realms.”

“Can’t Regina forge you proof of an identity? She was the mayor of Storybrooke, which was legally a town in Maine.”

“She’s working on it, but that could take a while and I don’t want to leave Alex in a jail cell for that long.”

“So, you want me to go to New York and bail her out?” Emma asked.

“Yes. I’ll pay for gas and the bail, and I’ll tell you which one Alex is, you just need to sign the papers.”

Emma thought about it for a second, then nodded. “Ok, I just need to make sure the rest of the station is okay with me taking the day off.” She sent a text out to the rest of the station’s staff, and got an immediate thumbs-up from her mother. “Well that was quick. Okay, let’s just drop off the coffee and head to New York.”

__________

“So, where is Alex being held?” Emma asked as she drove with Zelena towards a stone archway not too far from Storybrooke. When Regina combined all the realms, the archway appeared and acted as a portal between the United Realms and a deserted spot in Maine, USA.

“I have no idea, Teresa just sent me an address.” Zelena responded, pulling up a GPS app on her phone.

“Really? She didn’t even tell you what the building was called?” Emma asked, getting a little suspicious of Zelena’s friend.

“What’s the need? We know how to get there.”

“Well, that address could lead us to anywhere.”

“That’s new, I actually trust someone that you don’t.”

“Well, I’m getting a sense of deja vu,” Emma defended as they crossed through the archway into Maine and pulled over, “I know you weren’t there when Greg and Tamara were in town, but we still need to keep people like them in mind when we contact the outside world.”

“‘Contact the outside world’? I wasn’t aware we were living in Wakanda,” Zelena stated sarcastically.

“I’m surprised you even know what Wakanda is.”

“Lucy will not stop talking about Shuri becoming the Black Cat.”

“It’s Black Panther- Anyway! Back to the point. How do we know that Teresa didn’t somehow find out about magic? She could be using you to get magic for herself or destroy it altogether.”

“Teresa didn’t ‘find out’ about magic; she already knew about it,” Zelena said casually, not bothering to look up from the phone, “Are you going to drive for seven and a half hours or are you going to take a shortcut?”

“She knew? Did you tell her?”

“Well, that depends on what you think I told her. She knows I’m a witch, or rather, I was before that blasted Black Fairy forced me to give up my magic,” Zelena responded as her grip around the phone tightened, “But she doesn’t know I was the Wicked Witch and I’m not the one who told her about magic. She married a man who used to be a wizard and her three children were wizards. Let’s get going already!”

Emma sighed as she engulfed the car in white smoke, transporting them to an abandoned parking lot in New York. She exited said parking lot and joined the thick traffic of the city. Only then did the information Zelena just gave her click in.

“Wait, what?!” Emma exclaimed, “There were wizards in New York this entire time?! How did I not know about this?”

“Well, magical people in New York usually keep magic a secret because of people like Greg and Tamara. However, Alex is a bit reckless with her magic so the longer we keep her waiting, the more likely she is to do something stupid. Turn left here.”

The rest of their car trip was pretty much the same; Emma asking about Teresa’s chaotic children while going as fast as traffic would allow, and Zelena casually telling their stories of peril as she gave Emma directions to their destination.

“How does someone accidentally open a black hole in their living room?!” Emma asked incredulously as she pulled into a parking spot.

“I have no idea. All I know is I walked into the sandwich shop one day and Teresa was in a BAD mood,” Zelena chuckled.

“Well, let’s get Alex before she plunges the entire precinct into oblivion.” Emma stepped out of the car and looked up at the building.

Zelena also got out of the car and started to walk towards the front door, only to realize that Emma hadn’t moved. She was still at the car staring up at the building. She started to look around, taking in her surroundings.

“Crap ,” Zelena mumbled, “Everything okay, Swan?” She asked, not really caring about the answer.

“Where… What precinct is this?” Emma asked her.

“How am I supposed to know? Is there more than one?” Zelena decided to play dumb.

“Is there more than one police precinct in the entirety of New York? Yes, there’s more than one! I told you that I worked with the ninety-ninth precinct!”

“You think I care so much about your life that I would remember that?” Zelena retorted.

“Hey, I agreed to help you!”

“And yet, you’re not moving more than three feet from the car! Are you coming with me or not?”

Emma looked up her location on her phone and shook her head. “No,” She said, “It’s best that I don’t go in there. It’s the Nine-Nine!”

“So?!” By now, Zelena was getting pretty frustrated.

“They are all going to hate me! Look, we can pick up Teresa. You pay for the bail and she can sign the papers,” Emma responded as she got back into the car.

Zelena angrily walked up to the driver-side window. “Have I ever asked a favor of you before today, Emma?” She asked.

“Really? Guilt-tripping?”

“You know it’s not below me.”

“Look, I’m sorry but I can’t go in there. Those people are my only friends in New York and I can’t face them right now.” There was a brief pause. “Not after leaving them behind,” Emma finished quietly.

Zelena just rolled her eyes. “Oh, boo-hoo, you may not have friends here after today! You have other friends in Storybrooke! Teresa is my only friend-”

“-ouch.-”

“-and she is counting on me right now! And I am asking you to help me help her!”

“You have friends in Storybrooke!”

“Name one,” Zelena challenged, glaring at her.

“Regina!”

“She doesn’t count, she’s related to me! Neither do Henry, Ella, or Lucy!”

“My parents!”

“Despite what your mother thinks, we are NOT friends.”

“Archie!”

“He’s only friendly to me because he wants me to make an appointment!”

“Me?!”

“You’re not even willing to help the only favor I’ve asked of you!”

Emma groaned and gripped the steering wheel. She hated that Zelena’s guilt-trip was working. Zelena groaned in turn and stormed a few feet away from the car. After they each had a moment to take a deep breath, she came back to the driver’s window.

“It’s a big building.” Zelena reasoned.

“It’s not that big-”

“It’s big enough that there’s a chance you won’t run into anyone you know.”

“Fine,” Emma said after a moment of silence. She got out of the car and started walking towards the door. “Have the bail money ready, we’re going to get in, get Alex, and get out.”

Zelena nodded and followed her into the precinct. She quickly sent Emma to the vending machine with a few dollar bills. While Emma was getting them a couple bottles of water, Zelena managed to get two visitor passes from the front desk. She joined Emma by the vending machine and traded a visitor pass for a water.

“So, what did you find out?” Emma asked her as they walked towards the elevator, “What floor is Alex being held on?”

Zelena waited until they were fully in the elevator before saying “Fourth floor.” and reaching for the fourth floor button.

“What?!-” Emma exclaimed before she was interrupted by a deep masculine and authoritative voice.

“Please! Hold the elevator,” it said. A bald and well-built african-american man in a captain’s uniform joined them in the small box. “Fourth floor, please,” He requested.

“Ah, what a coincidence,” Zelena replied, “That's where we're heading as well.” Meanwhile, Emma just stared at Zelena with panic in her eyes as the elevator doors closed.

“Raymond Holt, the new Captain of the ninety-ninth precinct,” The man introduced himself, offering his hand to shake.

“Zelena Mills,” Zelena politely introduced herself, taking his hand. “And this is-”

“Nope!” Emma interjected. She quickly pushed the elevator’s stop button. “No, we’re not doing this!”

“There’s another person in the elevator, Emma,” Zelena said in a you’re-gonna-lose-this-battle-and-you-know-it tone.

“We’re going back down, we’re getting Teresa,” Emma started before Zelena decided that she had had enough.

“OH, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND PEACEFUL, SWAN!” she yelled as she threw up her hands in exasperation, “You are a grown adult! Put on your big girl panties and act like it!” She took a deep breath and slowly put her hands back down at her sides. “We don’t want to make the Captain late, now do we?”

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t,” Captain Holt interjected in a strangely calm tone, as if two women didn’t suddenly start acting crazy in the elevator, “Now, if you don’t mind,” he pushed the stop button again, willing the elevator to continue on its course.

“No, we don’t mind at all,” Zelena replied before turning back to Emma, “It is quite possible that no one in this precinct cared enough to remember you,” she stated bluntly.

“Oh, so either my only friends in New York hate me, or they don’t remember me,” Emma started with a fake, sarcastic smile on her face, “I don’t know which one would be worse, Zelena!” she finished, letting the false smile disappear.

“I doubt they have forgotten you, Ms. Swan,” Holt said, turning his head in the direction of the two women, “Forgive me, I couldn’t help but overhear, after all, you two are yelling at each other in an average sized elevator.” The two women sighed, slightly embarrassed, as Captain Holt continued. “I have read over some of this precinct’s old case files, and I couldn’t help but notice that Emma Swan is mentioned in quite a few of them. I saw that you worked with the detectives, mainly Detective Diaz, to track down multiple criminals and drug dealers. I want to thank you for all your help in cleaning up the streets.” Emma stared at him in silence. “You are Emma Swan aren’t you? You look extremely similar to her picture and your friend called you ‘Emma’ and then ‘Swan’.”

Emma didn’t respond. Instead, she slowly turned her head to glare at Zelena.

“Ok, fine. One person recognized you,” the former witch admitted.

“I’ve never even met him, Zelena!”

Just then, the elevator doors opened. Captain Holt was the first one to step out. Zelena stayed in the elevator but stuck her arm out against the doors, preventing them from closing again. She turned to Emma.

“Tell your feet to move,” she said to the blonde as if she was giving a step-by-step tutorial about how to exit an elevator.

“I’m trying,” Emma said quietly as she looked into the bullpen. No one has noticed her yet, but she could tell that hardly anything had changed. Rosa, Terry, Jake, Charles, Amy, and Gina were still there. Hitchcock and Scully were nowhere to be found but their desks were covered with food, meaning that they were probably in the restroom. Captain Holt seemed to be the only one she didn’t recognize.

Zelena rolled her eyes and grabbed her by the shoulders, shoving off the elevator. Thankfully, everyone was too focused on Jake complaining to notice.

“Thanks, but I think I can walk from here,” Emma growled.

“Are you sure?” Zelena asked in a condescending tone as she stepped into the bullpen. Before the two women could get into yet another argument, their attention was redirected to Holt embarrassing Jake.

“No, do not let me interrupt, you were describing what kind of person I am going to be. I would like you to finish,” Holt commanded him.

“Nah, that’s not necessary,” Jake insisted. However, Captain Holt just waited until Jake said “Or I could recap, very quickly, sure. Um, let’s see, I think I said some joke about being a washed up pencil-pusher….”

“Now do the robot voice,” Holt commanded. Jake tried to play dumb but Holt quickly followed up with “The voice you were doing when you implied that I was a rule-following robot, I want to hear it again.”

Watching the scene, Zelena couldn’t help the wicked smile appearing on her lips. Emma was also starting to grin realizing that Jake hadn’t changed in the slightest.

“Meep morp, zarp. Robot…” Jake said lamely, moving his arms like a robot.

“That’s a terrible robot voice.”

“Yep.”

“The next time I see you I would like you to be wearing a necktie.” Holt started towards his new office before Jake protested.

“Oh um, actually, the last captain didn’t care if we wore ties,” he said.

“Well, your new captain does. And more importantly, he cares that you follow his direct orders.” Holt took his focus off Jake and directed it to the entire bullpen. “Everyone, I am your new commanding officer, Captain Raymond Holt.”

“Speech!” Amy called weakly.

“That was it,” Holt responded matter-of-factly. “That was my speech.”

“Short and sweet.” Amy nodded.

“Sergeant Jeffords, a word.” Holt walked into his office with Terry following close behind.

“I love that guy,” Amy said once they were both out of earshot.

“Same.” Jake agreed sarcastically.

“He’s so suave. Does anybody get a little bit of a gay vibe?” Gina asked. She was met with silence. “No? Ok. What about Emma being here, anyone pick up on that?”

“Wait, what?” Jake asked. They all looked in the direction that Gina was facing and quickly found Emma and Zelena in front of the bullpen’s gate. Zelena still held her wicked grin while Emma’s grin melted into slight panic.

“Um, hi,” Emma greeted weakly, giving a small wave.

“Wow, either you’re pretty popular here or they all do hate you,” Zelena said, observing that almost everyone stopped what they were doing when they looked in their direction.

“Hm, stop talking now,” Emma replied bitterly. Zelena didn’t respond, just waited to see who of the group would speak first.

“What are you doing here?” Rosa asked angrily after a brief moment of silence.

Emma was hurt by how hateful the question sounded and looked Rosa in the eye for the first time since walking into the bullpen. Rosa was ever so slightly taken aback by how much Emma had changed. She didn’t seem so guarded anymore, and she wasn’t wearing her signature red leather jacket. She had also gained a little bit of weight, as if she had a child in the past couple years that she had been gone. When Emma looked at Rosa, she actually showed some vulnerability, and maybe even a little bit of guilt. Rosa, however, continued to stare coldly back at her.

“I,uh, I came to pick somebody up,” Emma answered and glanced at the holding cell.

“Really? Not to visit us?” Jake asked, seemingly a little hurt.

“Not to tell us why you ghosted us?” Gina questioned.

Charles, meanwhile, stared at Emma in disbelief running up to her and giving her a big hug. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re not dead!” he exclaimed. Emma tried to awkwardly hug him back.

“Ok, that’s enough,” she said after a few seconds, breaking the hug. “Wait, you actually thought I was dead?!”

“Well, yeah. I didn’t think you would just leave without planning on coming back,” he said, looking like a wounded puppy.

“I did plan on coming back, things just got … complicated,” Emma tried to explain.

“That is an understatement,” Zelena chuckled.

“Huh, that’s the first helpful thing you’ve said all day,” Emma responded, turning her head towards the older woman.

“But you DID come back,” Rosa interrupted, her voice even angrier than before, “For a YEAR, and didn’t even bother to answer any of our texts!”

“... What are you talking about?” Emma asked, confused.

“Santiago found an apartment where an Emma Swan was raising her son, Henry, less than ten minutes away from the precinct. But of course, as soon as someone calls the police about a strange creature sighting, the apartment is empty.” Once Rosa was finished, Emma turned to Amy with a raised eyebrow.

“We never really knew each other,” Amy said nervously, “I’m just gonna get to work.” She quickly rushed back to her desk.

Emma turned back to Rosa. “... I can explain that,” the blonde said. Rosa waited. “Oh, right now, ok. Uh, yes I do have a son. He was adopted by a woman in Maine. He wanted to meet me so I went to Maine, and then the town they lived in had a whole bunch of problems they needed my help with. So, I got a little carried away.”

“What about the apartment?” Gina interrogated when Emma seemed to be finished.

“Right … that. The town I was living in … got bulldozed. So I took Henry to New York, but on the way … I hit my head and lost some of my memories.” Zelena had to fight to stop her smile from growing as Emma continued the terrible lie. “But then … my boyfriend found me and brought me back to the rebuilt town where friends of mine helped me get my memory back,” Emma finished.

“That makes sense,” Charles nodded without a shadow of a doubt.

“No, it doesn’t,” Jake protested, still sounding hurt, “Why won’t you just tell us the truth, Emma?”

“Because you wouldn’t believe it,” Zelena answered before Emma had a chance.

“M’kay, try us,” Gina challenged. Zelena’s smile grew even wider.

“Oh no,” Emma mumbled.

“The town she was living in is called Storybrooke,” Zelena began, “It’s not on any maps because it was made by magic. It is home to many fairy tale characters living in the modern world. At one point, Peter Pan was about to kill everyone in that town by destroying it, forcing Regina, my sister and Henry’s adoptive mother and formerly known as the Evil Queen, to transport the entire town back to the Enchanted Forest. However, Henry wasn’t born there so he would be left behind if Emma didn’t leave town with him. As they left Regina gave them new memories so that they wouldn’t be haunted by guilt of leaving their friends and family forever. Emma didn’t mention any of you until about a week ago, so Regina did not know to include you all in the false memories. Her boy-toy, Captain Hook, came to find her when the town was brought back to this world when her family was being threatened by the Wicked Witch of the West, aka me. By the way, that ‘strange creature’ was a flying monkey.”

There was a moment of silence as the nine-nine stared at her in utter confusion. Meanwhile, Emma hid her face in her hands, contemplating how she would explain this woman.

“Emma, who is this crazy lady?” Gina asked.

“Yes, who is the sexy, fiery red-head?” Hitchcock asked as he and Scully came from the restroom. Zelena slowly turned to him, glaring. Her face devoid of her wicked smile, replacing it with a sinister anger. She picked up a pen from the nearest desk.

“Someone who can use this pen to carve out every bone out of your body before you even have time to scream,” she replied coldly.

“Alright!” Hitchcock responded excitedly.

Emma prepared herself to grab Zelena just as she lunged at him.

__________

“... the only puzzle he hasn’t solved is how to grow up,” Terry finished introducing his squad from inside Holt’s office, ending with Jake.

“That was very well said,” Holt complimented.

“I talk a lot about Jake in my departmentally-mandated therapy sessions.”

“Now, tell me about those two,” Holt commanded, gesturing to Emma just barely managing to hold Zelena back from killing Hitchcock. Terry was confused that his captain asked him about two women that weren’t on his squad, but he obeyed.

“Well first of all, they’re pretty stealthy because I didn't see them when we were out there,” Terry joked. When Captain Holt didn’t laugh, Terry continued. “The blonde one is Emma Swan. She has this strange ability to always be able to tell when people are lying, no matter how good of an actor they are. She’s not an official detective, but she helped us track down a lot of perps. She left a couple of years ago and never even gave us a call. I don’t know what she’s doing here now or who the lady with her is.”

Captain Holt nodded as he watched Emma finally calm Zelena down. Hitchcock hid behind Scully as Scully used a pizza box as a shield. Gina was recording the scene on her phone and seemed disappointed that Emma prevented Zelena from harming Hitchcock.

“Look, you know my history. You know how important this is to me,” Holt said, turning his attention back to the Sergeant, “This precinct is doing fine but I want to make the best one in Brooklyn. And I need your help.”

“Absolutely Sir,” Terry agreed, “Where do we start?”

“We start by asking Ms. Swam to rejoin the team. I noticed that after she left, the number of arrests had gone down. After that, we focus on Peralta.”

__________

“Aw, come on, at least let her stab Hitchcock,” Gina whined.

“No!” Emma responded. “Zelena, we just got to New York, I would prefer it if you managed not to get arrested.”

“Oh please, I’ve-” Zelena started before Emma stepped on her foot, stopping her from confessing to some crime “-never broken a single law.” The detectives obviously didn’t buy it, but also didn’t question her further.

“Ms. Swan, how long do you plan to stay in New York?” Captain Holt asked as he and Terry exited his office.

“Not long-” Emma began to say.

“We can stay as long as you need,” Zelena interrupted.

“What!?”

Holt raised an eyebrow, “‘We’?”

“This is the most excitement I’ve had since Hyperion Heights, of course I’m staying,” Zelena responded as if it was obvious.

“No! No, we are not staying!” Emma exclaimed, “We are just here to pick up-” she looked towards the holding cell and saw that none of the people inside of it matched Alex’s description “-uh. Zelena? Which one is Alex?”

“Oh, Alex isn’t here,” Zelena replied nonchalantly. Emma slowly turned to her with hate in her eyes.

“What?” she asked coldly.

“By the way Alex lives in Manhattan, so she wouldn’t be here if she had gotten arrested.”

“Why are we here, Zelena?”

“Well, they’re hiring for a new sketch artist. Besides, it sounded like Captain Holt was about to offer for you to work with the nine-nine again, isn’t that right, Captain?”

“Well, yes but you are in full position to deny,” Holt answered, not wanting to pressure Emma.

“She won’t”

“Yes, I will!” Emma protested. “I’m sorry, but I have people waiting for me back in Maine.”

“That didn’t stop you from leaving this place,” Gina commented.

“Doesn’t matter, we don’t need her help,” Rosa interjected, “Go ahead and go back to Maine.”

“Oh trust me, I am,” Emma stated as she walked back toward the elevator. She turned back to the precinct and said “I’ll try to keep in touch this time.”

“I doubt that,” Rosa mumbled.

“There’s just a small problem with your plan, Emma,” Zelena said before Emma had a chance to push the ‘down’ button.

Emma turned back to Zelena. “What did you do?” she asked slowly.

“Well, Snow and David worked out an arrangement with Henry, Ella, and Nook so that they can cover all of your shifts at the sheriff station,” Zelena began.

“You’re a sheriff?” Charles asked.

Ignoring him, Zelena continued, “Snow and I leased your old apartment for a year, which you are welcome to stay in, I got my own.”

“Good for you, I’m still going back to Storybrooke,” Emma replied.

“Why? Regina and I already packed your things and moved them into the apartment. Then we replaced your locks with new ones that are as strong as blood magic. Of course, we told Killian about the change of scenery this morning and he is on his way with little Cygnet right now. Also, Granny was informed by the Qu- Mayor not to give you a room at the inn.”

Once Zelena was finished, the entire squad was shocked into silence. Emma glared at Zelena with pure rage while Zelena grinned back at her.

“You wicked little witch,” Emma growled.

“Where did the ‘little’ come from?” Zelena questioned.

“Can I use the copy room to have a little chat with Zelena?” Emma angrily asked Holt and Terry.

“Sure,” Terry shrugged, a little nervous, “just remember it isn’t sound proof! Terry doesn’t want to hear any yelling.”

“Oh, Terry is going to A LOT of yelling!” Emma informed him as she dragged Zelena to the copy room.

“So, who’s gonna ask her who Snow, Ella, Nook, Regina, Killian, and Cygnet are?” Gina asked once they heard a door slam.

Chapter Text

“YOU LOCKED ME OUT OF MY OWN HOUSE?!” Emma yelled at Zelena in the copy room. She was so loud that the nine-nine could clearly hear her through the large glass windows.

“Technically, Regina did that,” Zelena replied calmly. “And your mother planned most of this, I’m just the one who was assigned to drag you down here.”

“What, did you all just decide to banish me from Storybrooke!?”

“No, that was my vote, but the other two vetoed.”

“Why did you bring me here?!”

“Your mother paid me.”

“I- what?” Emma asked, seeming a lot less mad but more confused and annoyed.

“She paid me.”

“Ok,” Emma said, throwing her arms up in exasperated shrug, “Get Regina to give me my house back and I’ll pay you more!”

“You do not have that kind of money,” Zelena laughed.

“Wow, how much did she pay you?”

“Way more than what a teacher’s salary can afford.”

__________

“Aw, come on, we can’t even hear them anymore!” Hitchcock whined once the voices in the copy room became inaudible. “I mean, if they’re not gonna let us listen in on their argument, they could at least get into a fist fight for us to watch!”

“The women deserve their privacy,” Holt stated, “Everyone back to work and Peralta, be sure to have a necktie by tomorrow morning.”

“Yep, I will definitely do that…,” Jake said with a fake smile as Captain Holt walked back into his office.

Everyone went back to their desks and pretended to be focused on their work. Hitchcock and Scully watched the women through the windows for a while before getting distracted by a couple of sub sandwiches. Jake and Charles worked on their paperwork but would occasionally glance at the copy room. Gina was on her phone, trying to find whatever she could on Emma Swan and Zelena ... what was her last name? Doesn’t matter, she can still find her. Rosa was the only one who refused to look up from her desk.

“Ouch,” Amy commented after a few moments. The entire group (except Hitchcock and Scully, who were still focused on their sandwiches) glanced at her. “I can read lips,” she explained, “And I may have been watching them… but in my defense, I’m done with all of my paperwork!”

“We don’t care, tell us what they’re saying!” Gina demanded.

“Well, Emma just said ‘This is why you don’t have friends!’.” Amy told them.

“Harsh,” Boyle commented.

“Yeah,” Amy agreed, “Now they’re talking about Zelena’s sister … who definitely abuses her power. Oh, Emma just mentioned her-”

“-What’s her name?” Gina interrupted.

“What?”

“Crazy-lady’s sister. What’s her name?”

“Um, I think they said that it was Regina, earlier.”

“Last name?”

“They didn’t say..”

“Great, you're useless.”

“That’s hurtful.”

“Ignore Gina, what are they saying now?” Jake asked.

“Well, now they’re talking about Emma’s … “ Amy paused in the middle of her sentence as her eyes grew wide “... boyfriend. They definitely said boyfriend.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Gina told her.

“Did none of you notice the wedding ring on her finger?” Rosa asked in disbelief.

“I noticed the engagement ring on her finger,” Charles said, “That wasn’t a wedding ring.”

“There were two of them,” Rosa argued.

“There is no way that she is married because she wouldn’t have a wedding without inviting us!” Charles argued back.

“Just like how she wouldn’t leave?” Rosa growled.

The group fell silent and everyone stared at their desks.

__________

“Why?” Emma asked in the copy room, “Why did nearly everyone agree to this plan?”

“Not nearly everyone, literally everyone that we told,” Zelena said, “And we told the entire family tree, which took a while, well not really, a lot of them are dead.”

“Brushing past that depressing detail; you still didn’t answer my question.”

“Because we all find you annoying and wanted to get rid of you.”

“Oh, ha ha,” Emma replied, unimpressed, “Give me the real answer.”

“You want me to be honest?” Zelena asked with a raised eyebrow.

Emma held up a finger, “About the question I asked and only that,” she spelled out.

“Well honestly, if you are too blind to see your family’s reason for helping you, then maybe I should tell Captain Hank that you’re out of your prime,” Zelena snapped.

“Helping?” Emma asked in disbelief, “This day has been a nightmare! And his name is Captain Holt!”

“Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Zelena scoffed.

“Not that bad? Rosa hates me!”

“And how would you not coming here make her like you?”

“If I had some time to figure out an explanation-”

“-the longer you would keep them waiting, the more they would hate you,” Zelena interrupted, “Besides, I already gave them an explanation.”

“Yeah, and then Gina called you a crazy lady.”

“If they didn’t want to know, they shouldn’t have asked.” The former wicked witch shrugged.

“This is New York, Zelena! Magic portals and True Love’s Kiss aren’t regular occurrences!”

“I know that, I used to live here, remember?”

“But you still thought that they would believe you?!”

“Of course I knew that they wouldn’t believe me, but it got them to stop asking questions!”

__________

While the two ladies argued in the copy room, Gina was scouring every social media platform for any information on Zelena and Emma Swan. Emma was easy; baby found on the side of the road, bail-bondsperson, and worked with Detective Rosa Diaz and Brooklyn’s ninety-ninth precinct. However, Gina could not find a singular post that so much as referenced Zelena. (She even looked at all the cast listings for Wicked, Wizard of Oz, the Wiz, and Oz the Great and Powerful since this lady claimed to be the Wicked Witch). 

Gina never had this much trouble finding information on someone and it annoyed the hell out of her. She was once able to find out that her neighbor's dog walker forged his parent’s signature on his report card. Gina believed that no information was outside of her grasp, and she wasn’t about to let this crazy lady prove her wrong.

Gina remembered Zelena mentioning a place called Hyperion Heights, so Gina followed that lead. Except… there wasn’t much to find there either. There was a blog story about a popular food truck … that disappeared shortly after a large storm swept over the city. Gina found a podcast created by a Henry Mills about conspiracy theories, but that was discontinued after the storm as well. There was also a bar called Roni’s that seemed to be a popular gathering spot, and guess what? It was abandoned after the storm. One large storm and a good amount of the city’s residents disappear. And not just the residents, most of the records too.

The blog about the food truck had a link to its website, which was unavailable when Gina tried to look at it. The blog also listed the owner’s phone number, but when Gina tried calling it, a man answered and claimed to have never heard of this food truck or ‘some woman named Zelena’. Ok, some rando not knowing about Zelena was not surprising, but not knowing about a popular food truck that he supposedly owned? Whatever, maybe the number on the blog was a typo.

Gina searched multiple news sites for stories that took place at Hyperion Heights, she searched many local business’ websites, she even looked at personal social media pages of people who live in Hyperion Heights, but she wasn’t able to find a single mention of Zelena. Infuriated, Gina picked up a stapler and threw it at Scully. It hit him in the forehead as he let out a small, yet painful, yell.

__________

Emma and Zelena walk out of the copy to hear Gina saying something about not needing a reason to put Scully through physical pain as Hitchcock sympathetically pats his buddy’s shoulder. Noticing the two women, Captain Holt comes out of his office with a stack of papers in his hand.

“Miss Swan, I have contacted the sheriff station of Storybrooke, Maine, since I noticed that that was the town listed on your badge,” he began as he handed her part of the stack of papers, “If you were to accept the partnership I am offering you, you would be working as if you were one of the ninety-ninth precinct’s detectives. This is all the paperwork you would need to make this partnership official, it includes a contract and all of the papers needed for state and government tax purposes.” He turns to Zelena, “As for you Ms. Mills-”

“THAT’S her last name!” Gina interrupts, causing the entire room to turn to her. “What? I’m the only one here who wants to get to know the newbie?” she asks as if she has no reason besides curiosity to learn Zelena’s last name.

“As I was saying,” the captain said as he turned back to Zelena, “I looked over the online pdf application you sent in through the electronic mailing system to become the new sketch artist. Would you be interested in completing a formal interview in my office?”

Zelena seemed to be surprised, but she agreed. After Holt walked back into his office, she quickly turned to Emma. “There’s another part to process?” Zelena asked in a hushed tone, “I was under the impression that I just turn in an application and then I get a call about whether or not I got the job!”

Emma raised an eyebrow at her. “Have you never applied for a job before?” she asked.

“No! The few jobs that I have had in life were pretty much just handed to me!”

“Um, ok.” Emma nodded and thought over the best advice to give in this situation. Sure, things between her and Zelena were tense right now, but the witch seemed genuinely nervous and Emma was beginning to think that Zelena may actually want this job. Besides, Emma knew that she was lying about Snow paying her, so Zelena needed some way to get money if she were to stay in New York. “Well, make yourself look good, but keep in mind that he has ways of finding out if you lie,” Emma started whispering advice to her sort-of friend, “Answer all of his questions without sounding like a crazy person, if you need to, find a way to deflect them. And … don’t mention any criminal record,” Emma finished with that last part barely audible to Zelena. Zelena nodded and seemed to pull herself together before following Holt into his office.

Now standing alone in the middle of the bullpen, Emma surprised herself by actually beginning to look over the paperwork Holt just gave her. Her attention was quickly pulled away from that, though, when Charles made her actions known to the entire squad.

“She’s looking at the paperwork! Are you staying?” He asked excitedly.

“I… I don’t know. I need to talk to Killian,” Emma answered. She started to walk away, hoping to find someplace private to call her husband.

“Wait,” Jake called. Emma stopped and turned to him as he got up from his desk. “One, Killian is an AWESOME name and I would love to meet the guy! Two, who is Killian?”

Oh, right, Emma thought to herself, I still haven’t caught them up on literally anything.

“He’s … he’s my-” Emma started before being cut off by Charles.

“Finance?” He guessed, “It’s okay we already saw the ring so we know you’re engaged to someone,” he said with a smile on his face, clearly wanting to catch up with his friend without holding a grudge.

“He’s her husband , Boyle,” Rosa snapped, “There are two rings on her finger. She’s not engaged, she’s married .”

“Oh, come on, it’s Emma,” Charles argued, “You can give her the benefit of the doubt, Rosa. Emma, tell her that you wouldn’t get married without inviting all of us.”

Emma silently looked between them for a brief moment before taking a deep breath. “Killian is my husband,” she told them. Charles looked at her as if she shot his puppy. “I’m just going to go ahead and rip off the band-aid,” she announced to the entire precinct, “In the years that I was gone I reunited with my son who I had set up for adoption, became a sheriff, found my long-lost parents, got married, and had a second child.”

There was a moment of silence as the detectives took in the information, even Rosa, who had been pretending to ignore Emma while focusing on paperwork, paused in her writing. Before Terry could get excited and start asking Emma about her kids (while telling her about his own), Emma spoke up again.

“I really need to talk to Killian, I promise that I will answer any questions when I get back,” she said.

“Wait!” Jake called before Emma could go.

“Seriously, I need to talk to Killian!”

“Can we ask Killian questions too?” Jake asked.

“What about Zelena?” Gina interjected.

“Not promising they’ll answer them,” Emma said as she finally walked off.

__________

In Holt’s office, Zelena sat across from the large, empty desk as Holt took a seat in the Captain's chair. Zelena didn’t know exactly what to expect for this interview, but there was no reason for her to be nervous in any way. It wouldn’t be important if she didn’t get this job. Of course, if she didn’t get this job, she wouldn’t have the means to stay in New York, but that’s fine. She could always return to Storybrooke. The town where nearly everyone hates her. She honestly didn’t give a crap about what people thought of her, but since hardly anyone wanted to spend any time with her, she lived a particularly boring life in Storybrooke. And she didn’t exactly have much of a life to return to in Hyperion Heights, either.

“To start off, I would like to ask you why you are interested in the sketch artist position.” Captain Holt snapped Zelena out of her thoughts (thank goodness).

“I guess you could say that I’m just looking for something new,” Zelena answered, putting on a small smile to help her image.

“Yes, I saw that you once worked as a midwife. Tell me, what made you want to make such a drastic career change?”

Seems like I have two options here, Zelena thought to herself, I could either tell him that no one will trust me around pregnant women or their children, or I could say that I hate helping people.

“Well, I don’t know exactly what caused it,” Zelena started, attempting to stall. Of course, her first instinct was to lie, but she remembered Emma saying something about it being a bad idea to lie during an interview. Being her wicked self, Zelena quickly decided to not give more information than needed. “Emma saw one of my drawings and suggested I try a career that utilizes my talent. I would say that had some influence on my decision.”

“That’s reasonable,” Holt nodded, “but why move from Maine to New York?”

“Is that really important?” Zelena questioned, any trace of a smile gone.

“Yes, I want to make sure you aren’t running from the law,” Holt answered matter-of-factly.

“If I was, would I come to a police precinct?”

“Some would consider it a wise cover.”

“Do you agree with those people?”

“No, those people are idiots,” Holt answered, acting as if it was obvious. “However, I don’t want an idiotic criminal working here either.” Holt’s bluntness caused the small smile to return to Zelena’s face.

“Well, Emma is the Head Sheriff of Storybrooke. You can ask her if I have a criminal record,” the British woman said. And hopefully she won’t be petty enough to tell the truth , she thought to herself.

“There is no need, I already looked at the Storybrooke Sheriff Station Records. The only one that mentions you by name is the one that states ‘Deputy Nolan is permitted to leave early to meet with his wife and their midwife, Zelena’.”

Really? I’ve committed countless crimes. Did I get a pardon from Regina or something? Deciding to act like nothing was out of the ordinary, Zelena asked “If you had those records on hand, why did you need to ask?”

“It was a test. A test to see if you would have shared personal details.”

Losing her composure, Zelena rolled her eyes. “Let me guess,” she said, “Here at the police precinct, we're a big happy family, and we need to be able to be vulnerable with each other,” she finished in a mocking tone.

“Not at all,” Holt countered, “In fact, I am glad that you did not share any personal details. I expect this to be an extremely professional workplace.”

“Good to know,” Zelena said, pleasantly surprised that she didn’t blow the entire interview. She regained her composure and asked “Any other questions?”

“Yes. For legal reasons, I need to know a few facts that were left off your application. For example; the location and date of your birth.” Holt answered.

After a beat of silence, Zelena said “That would require me to share personal information.”

“I’ll allow it.” Holt continued to look at her expectantly.

Zelena sighed and looked at the floor before looking back up at Holt. “Both of my parents were pieces of shit and I don’t know when or where I was born,” she said with a hint of resentment in her voice. Taking a deep breath, she calmly continued, “However, I do have an American Citizenship Card on my person if it is needed.”

Captain Holt extended his palm and Zelena retrieved said card from her emerald-colored purse. After examining that card and deciding that it was authentic, Holt handed it back to her. However, before Zelena could feel relieved to be moving on, Holt pressed once more.

“Do you know when or where your legal guardians found you?” He asked.

“... My adoptive mother died before I cared to ask about that. And my father was …” ‘Abusive’ was the word that came to mind. Abusive in Every. Way. Possible. “... drunk,” Zelena finished, staring at the wood of the desk in front of her, “He didn’t remember.” Even if he did, he didn’t care to tell her.

Being a good detective, Holt could read in between the lines and assume a little bit of what Zelena was unwilling to say. However, he was never good with emotions, so he did what any good cop would do.

“Would you like to report a crime?” He asked gently.

“I would like to move on.” Zelena finally met his gaze once again while trying (and failing) not to snap at him.

Holt nodded and reached for a sketch pad and pencil that was laying on his desk.

“I apologize,” He stated before handing her the sketch pad. “I had brought this 14 by 17 inch sketch pad and 4B sketching pencil into this office earlier. If you don’t mind, I would like to see if you truly do have the ‘talent’ for this job as you say you do.”

Zelena nodded, relieved to be given a distraction. She listened carefully as Holt listed incredibly precise details about a man she never met. Holt even told her the angles his hairs would lay on his head and the exact distance, in millimeters, between his eyes. Of course, she didn’t have a protractor or ruler, so she had to eyeball the measurements. Once she showed the final result to Holt, his face was… well, pretty much still expressionless. It was the same face he had been making since they met.

“That is 83.54% identical to the man that I was describing,” Holt stated.

“Does that mean I get the job?” Zelena asked, unsure whether or not Holt’s statement was praise.

“You almost have it,” Holt answered, “There is just one more question I must ask.” Zelena hoped her annoyance wasn’t visible. “Will the tension between you and Ms. Swan cause a disruption in the workplace?” Holt asked his final question.

“I see why you feel the need to ask that question,” Zelena started, remembering that he witnessed the argument in the elevator … and the bull pen … and saw the one in the copy room, “but I assure you that Emma and I are entirely capable of acting professionally. Yes, we have our arguments, but we get along fairly well once we calm down-”

“ZELENA, YOU BLOODY WITCH, WHERE ARE YOU?” An angry, male, British voice came from the bullpen. Holt got up to see who was causing the commotion, but Zelena held up her hand to stop him. Holt paused and gave her a questioning look.

“I want the record to show that I said Emma and I can get along,” Zelena started. “That was Killian and he will not be working here. Now, please excuse me for pulling out my phone, I just intend to convince this man to quiet down.” Zelena quickly sent Killian a text message which he, surprisingly, responded to without yelling.

Zelena: I already went through this with Emma. Go yell at Snow. This was all her idea.

Captain Guy-Liner: I can’t yell at her she’s my bloody mother in law!

Zelena: Give me two minutes to finish this interview.

Captain Guy-Liner: I’ll kill you for this

“Sorry about that,” Zelena said as she calmly looked up at Captain Holt. Holt nodded and slowly sat back down after he didn’t hear anymore yelling.

“Well,” Holt said, “You have the job, for now. However, if any tension between you and anyone else in this precinct causes major problems, you will have to be removed from the environment. The sketch pad and pencil belong to you now, you may take them to the sketch artist’s desk.”

Zelena nodded. “Would you like to keep the picture I drew of your husband or should I take it?” she asked.

Holt looked at her blankly. “I said that the picture was 83.54% identical to my husband, not 100% and therefore, not the same. Why would I keep a picture of a man who isn’t my husband?”

“... Okay.” Zelena gathered her new work material and stood up.

“However,” Holt said, causing Zelena to pause, “I am interested in how you found out that I was describing my husband.”

“You listed details that no one would notice unless they were in love with the person,” Zelena said with a small smile. “Besides, you have an article about an openly gay detective becoming Captain hanging up on your wall.”

Holt nodded. He was impressed, but it wasn’t visible. “If you find that you are content working at the precinct, you could consider becoming a police officer and later, a detective,” he said.

“I’m not exactly the Johnny-Law type,” Zelena responded, shaking her head.

“Very well, dismissed.”

__________

A couple minutes earlier…

“ZELENA, YOU BLOODY WITCH, WHERE ARE YOU?” Killain barged into the bullpen, clearly very angry and annoyed.

“Well hello,” Gina said from her desk as she gazed admiringly at the British man. Terry, on the other hand, quickly got to his feet and walked over to Hook, trying to calm him down. Rosa stood as well, ready to help Terry restrain the pirate if needed. Jake, Amy, and Charles sat on the edge of their seats, prepared to be called into action.

“Whoa, whoa, hey. Is there a problem, sir?” Terry asks calmly before stopping a few feet from Killian. Just then, a phone chimed.

“Excuse me,” Killain said surprisingly quietly, given that he still looked extremely annoyed and angry. He took his phone out of his pocket and glared at the screen as if it was the cause of all of his problems. He started to slowly type a message with one hand, causing the people in the bullpen to finally notice the empty space where his left hand should be. “Am I supposed to add the excited period to this?” he asked Terry.

“The what?” was Terry’s confused response.

“Killian?” Emma’s voice came from behind her husband as she walked back into the bullpen. “I was just about to call you. How did you get here so quickly?”

When Killian saw her, most of his anger seemed to disappear, making him more annoyed with the situation than anything else. He turned to his wife and answered “Regina led me on a shortcut.” as he sent his text message. Another chime. Killian sent one more message before putting his phone away walking over to Emma.

“Where’s Hope?” she asked.

“She’s with your parents. And so is my hook, by the way,” Killain complained, holding up the stump at the end of his arm. “Your father says I can’t ‘just barge into a precinct with a metal hook.’”

“You can’t. We definitely would have tackled you,” Rosa stated from her desk.

“You wear a hook for a hand?!” Jake asked excitedly. He stood up and came over to shake Killian’s good hand. “Hi, I’m Detective Jake Peralta and I just want to say one: a hook hand is awesome, and two: Killian is an awesome name! Where did you get it? The name, I mean. On second thought, both. If I chop off my hand, where can I get a hook to replace it? Also, how did you lose your hand?”

Killian turned back to Emma with a questioning look.

“I said that I would answer their questions. They also have a few questions for you, but you don’t have to answer any,” she explained. “But if you do, please don’t go all fairy-tale like Zelena did.”

“Then what the heck am I supposed to tell them, Swan?” he whispered.

“Anything you’re okay with sharing,” she whispered back.

“Whatcha whispering about?” Gina appeared within a few inches of the couple, causing them both to jump slightly. She turned to Killian and introduced herself “Gina Linetti, you’re welcome for gracing you with my presence.” before stepping away.

Killian gave Emma a confused look.

“That’s Gina,” was Emma’s only explanation. It was clear that she was slightly annoyed with the other woman, but Emma decided to move on and properly introduce everyone. “Guys, this is Killian, my husband. Killian, this is-”

“Jake,” Killian interrupted, gesturing to his new fanboy. He continued to list off the detectives while gesturing to them accordingly. “Charles, Rosa, and of course, Terry.” Killian walked over to Terry and shook his hand. “Emma called you one of the bravest men she knew.”

Terry laughed awkwardly. “She has not been here recently,” he said.

Either not hearing Terry’s comment or simply ignoring it, Killian turned back to the rest of the group. “I don’t know who she is,” he gestured to Amy, “nor do I know those two codfish,” he finished, referencing Hitchcock and Scully.

“Did someone say fish?” Scully perked up.

“I’m-” Amy  started before Gina stepped in front of her, cutting her off while blocking Killian’s view of Amy.

“They’re not important,” Gina said. “I have a few questions of my own, starting with where did Emma find you and do you have an equally attractive brother?” Emma gave her a look.

“Amy Santiago.” Amy smiled and waved as she poked her head around Gina. “Fair warning; if you don’t answer at least one of Jake’s questions, he’ll keep bothering you with them.”

Killian turned his head to see Jake smiling excitedly. Killian sighed and said “I lost my hand to a crocodile.”

Jake seemed to think that it was an epic answer and wanted the full story, but Rosa was a bit more judgemental.

“So you’re Captain Hook?” she asked, unamused.

“That’s one of the names I’ve gone by, yes. But, if you’d like, you can just call me Hook,” Killian answered, dead serious.

Rosa gave Emma a look that said ‘ These are the people you spend time with?’. Emma ignored her.

Finished with their interview, Holt and Zelena came out of the Captain’s office and it came time for the detectives to leave in order to investigate a crime scene. After a quick and hushed conversation with Killian, Emma decided to look at the scene with them.

“It’s just this one case, and we will talk about everything that’s happened when I get back,” she said as she disappeared into the elevator with the others. Charles smiled brightly at her, until he saw Rosa scowling. After which, he gave Emma a slight glare, suppressing his continued smile.

Killian sighed and looked around the almost-empty bullpen that now held only a few uniformed officers, the codfish, Terry, Gina, and Zelena.

“Looks like it’s just the four of us,” Gina said.

“There are clearly other people here,” Killian responded.

“Literally nobody else here is of any importance.”

__________

At the crime scene, Jake gave a necktie to everyone who pointed out any piece of evidence before being sent off to door duty with Amy. Charles decided to check out the living room, leaving Emma alone in painfully awkward silence with Rosa in the kitchen. Emma knew that Rosa didn’t like small talk, or talking to people in general, but Emma felt like she owed her friend an explanation, and a believable one.

“Do you have questions you want to ask me?” Emma broke the silence while continuing to scan the crime scene.

“No.” It was clear that Rosa wanted to end the conversation there, but Emma wasn’t done yet.

“I planned on coming back.”

“You’ve said that. But when you did come back to New York, you didn’t come back to the precinct,” Rosa responded without even looking at her.

“Ok, I’ll admit that it’s not because I hit my head.” Emma finally fully turned to Rosa, but the other woman still faced away from her.

“I know. That wasn’t one of your best cover-ups.”

“I didn’t come back because I was worried that you’d hate me.”

“I do hate you.” Rosa finally locked eyes with Emma.

“Great, thanks for clearing that up!” Emma exclaimed sarcastically. Annoyed, she turned back to the scene, trying to see if there was anything the killer left behind. After a few seconds, Charles came back into the kitchen.

“Nothing new in the living room,” he said before turning to Emma. “Can I ask you something?” he asked her.

“Sure Boyle, what do you want to know?” she responded with a smile. Despite how he acted to try to impress Rosa, Emma knew that Charles was quick to forgive. However, he seemed largely confused by her response.

“Why are you acting so differently?” he questioned. “You’re willing to be open with information, you helped the woman who tricked you get a job, and I just overheard you being vulnerable with Rosa! Not that I’m complaining about the change, but how did you change this much in only a couple years?”

Right. It’s only been a couple years to them. Meanwhile, to her, it has been several.

“I guess my mom and son really rubbed off on me,” she gave the best answer she could think of.

“Also, how did you find your parents?” Charles questioned further.

Emma claimed that it was pure coincidence that her parents lived in the same town as her son, and hers and Charles’ question-and-answer session continued until Holt decided there was nothing else to find at the crime scene and that it was time to check in with the coroner.

Outside, Emma noticed Charles talking to Rosa outside her car. After the short exchange, Charles walked over to Emma.

“Hey, you used to be close with Rosa,” he started, seeming overjoyed and nervous at the same time, “what’s an old movie that she likes and that’s better than Citizen Kane?”

“Did you just ask Rosa out?” Emma questioned in slight disbelief.

“Yes! And she agreed! This is the best day of my life!” he responded excitedly, “I’m taking her to an old movie festival, but she doesn't want to see Citizen Kane. What movie should I get tickets to?”

“I have no idea,” Emma answered, to Charles’ disappointment. “If we were close, it was because we never pushed each other to talk about our private lives. Now, I have a question for you; how do I get Rosa to forgive me?”

“Oh, I have no clue. She can really hold a grudge.”

“Yeah,” Emma agreed. “I never really thought of her as your type, though.”

“Are you kidding? She is strong, she is amazing, and she is terrifying.”

“And terrifying is your type?” Emma questioned, concerned.

“Have you met my ex-wife?”

__________

Later, in the bullpen, Zelena watched as Jake continued to mock Holt by wearing a ‘secret tie’ that he wore across his stomach underneath his shirt. By then Killian had already left and was unpacking his items in his new apartment.

“Does anyone here know why it’s so important to me that you all dress appropriately?” Holt asked the group.

After contemplating it for a second, Zelena spoke up “I do.” Everyone but Holt turned to her in slight shock.

“Hmm, four highly trained detectives and a sheriff, and only the sketch artist can solve this simple mystery,” Holt said, a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “Ms. Mills, I’d prefer that you not tell them but instead let them figure it out for themselves. Now, I want to be briefed on any new developments in the case. Any questions?” Holt returned to his office after another witty comment from Jake.

Zelena had already been interrogated by Gina about where she came from and why she ‘didn’t exist on the internet’. Zelena simply claimed to be from the UK, and didn’t care for social media, but that just led to more questions from Gina; such as where exactly she lived in the UK, when she immigrated to Maine, and why she refused to download a single social media app.

Zelena didn’t care to answer any of these questions, so instead she just said “I am a private person, none of that is any of your business, and if you keep annoying me, then I will show you exactly what I’m able to hide from law enforcement.”

A grin grew on Gina’s face as she narrowed her eyes. “I like your fire,” she said. “Something tells me you are going to be the least irritating person here.” With that, Gina returned to her desk.

Zelena rolled her eyes and walked over to the small kitchen. As she riffled through the cabinets, a voice came from behind her.

“We don’t have tea, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

Zelena rolled her eyes and turned to see Rosa standing there.

“No, I’m not looking for tea,” Zelena responded. “I’m looking for coffee that won’t taste like sewage.”

“That’s free coffee. If you want good coffee, buy your own.”

“Well,” Zelena sighed, “I guess I’ll have to give the sewage a try for now. How do you work this thing?”

“You don’t know how to use a coffee maker?” Rosa asked in disbelief.

At this point Zelena was annoyed and exhausted. She knew she had anger management problems, but she never bothered to try to work through those problems. Most people would say ‘No, I buy all of my coffee’. Zelena was not most people.

Instead she snapped “No. Now you would like to know every detail that led to me not making my own coffee, or are you just going to show me how to do it?”

Completely unfazed by Zelena’s outburst, Rosa just shrugged. “Don’t ask about my life and I won’t ask about yours,” she said before stepping up to the coffee maker.

And just like that, a deal was made that would become the building blocks of a strong friendship.

__________

A few minutes later, Holt called all of the detectives into the evidence room with the orders to ‘bring everyone and a camera’. Everyone came in to see Jake finally properly wearing a necktie … with a colorful speedo. Emma couldn’t stop laughing as Zelena promptly took out her phone to take a few pictures.

“If you don’t have any social media, what do you plan to do with your pictures?” Gina asked Zelena.

“Keep them for his future children.”

__________

Emma rode with Charles and Rosa to the storage facility that they suspected the murderer to be hiding in. There was already painfully awkward silence between Emma and Rosa, but Emma had also witnessed Charles strikeout with Rosa by calling her opinionated earlier, so the awkwardness felt doubled.

“Here,” Rosa said, handing Charles some money. “I feel bad that you paid for all of those tickets.”

“You could just go to the movies with me,” Charles offered.

“No.”

Chales sighed and took the money. “Well, this is awkward,” he said.

“It’s not awkward,” Rosa disagreed.

“It’s not?” Emma asked in disbelief.

“I like your company, Boyle. You’re sweet,” Rosa assured him.

Charles smiled and looked Emma through the rearview mirror and she gave him a thumbs-up.

“You’re still dead to me, Swan,” Rosa clarified.

“Oh my gosh!” Emma exclaimed, fed up. “I’ve already apologized and explained why I didn’t come back! But you know what? Here’s another reason; my son nearly died multiple times! Every friend I made in Maine nearly died multiple times! And my parents, guess what? They nearly died multiple times. My mom lost her godmother, my best friend lost the love of her life for the second time, and my friend, Belle, was working through a toxic relationship with the grandfather of my child! So, I’m sorry I didn’t come back, but I was trying to keep everyone I cared about alive and mentally sane! The only reason I’m back now is that my parents were absent for the awkward phase where they would meddle in my personal life in order to help me make friends, so they’re doing that now!” Emma paused as if she just had a revelation as Rosa and Charles sat in shocked silence. “... They’re trying to help me fix my mistake of not contacting you guys earlier. Before I left, I didn’t know what it meant to have friends. I told my parents about the nine-nine a week ago, and they knew before I did that you all were my closest friends. I spent years fixing all of Storybrooke’s problems, so my parents want to help me rebuild the bridges I burned with all of you.”

The three of them sat in silence, processing Emma’s speech, until Jake spotted the suspect from another car and they were all called into action.

__________

A couple hours later, Emma finally walked into her new/old apartment and found her parents, Regina, Henry, Zelena, Killian, and a sleeping Hope waiting for her. Everyone who was conscious smiled when they saw her, with her mother’s smile being the widest. Emma was surprised to see that everything was already completely unpacked. Before she could ask about it, however, Zelena broke the silence.

“So, what happened at the storage unit?” The former witch asked.

“Nothing much,” Emma answered. “Captain Holt came out, I yelled at Charles and Rosa, Jake realized that Captain Holt wanted him to wear a necktie because it is part of the team’s uniform, and Amy had a badass moment single-handedly knocking out a murderer. You know, the usual.”

“So you had a good time?” Snow White asked hopefully.

“Yeah, I did,” Emma said with a smile. “Look, I know why you guys did all of this, and I truly appreciate it, but-”

“I think we should stay,” Killian interrupted her.

“What?”

“After you left for the crime scene, Terry started telling me about all of the cases you worked with those people. In all of his stories, it seemed like they all enjoyed having you around. Besides, I need to learn more about this world and Regina claims that something called ‘immersion’ is the best way to learn.”

“What about everyone else in Storybrooke?” Emma questioned.

“Cell phones exist, Emma,” Regina stated dryly. “They are a way to keep in contact with others while also being a way for others to inform you on whether or not your help is needed elsewhere.” Emma was not amused with her explanation.

“Look, Mom,” Henry started, “You’ve spent the last several years looking after the town. It’s time you reconnected with the life you had before we dragged you into our craziness.”

Emma looked Killian in the eye. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

Killian sighed and gave her a smile. “Yes. I’ll stay here to watch after Hope while you’re at work. We can stay here for the year that your mother leased the apartment for, then we’ll decide what we want to do from there. How’s that sound to you, luv?”

“Sounds great,” Emma whispered with tears of joy in her eyes. Everyone came in for a group hug. “Just to be clear,” Emma said in the middle of the hug, “you guys pulling me into your craziness was the best thing that ever happened to me and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

_________

Everyone said their goodbyes to Emma, Killian, Hope, and Zelena and went on their way. Before heading back to Storybrooke, however, Regina offered to walk Zelena to her new apartment.

“So, you’re also staying for the year?” Regina asked.

“Yeah, I am. Why?” her sister responded.

“Because- Why are you leaving Storybrooke?”

“To help Emma.”

“Emma’s a big girl, she can make friends on her own.”

“Huh. If you were with us all day, then you would know just how much help she needs,” Zelena laughed.

“And are you actually planning on providing all of that help?”

“What makes you think I’m not?” Zelena questioned, anger-management issues once again taking over.

“The fact that you constantly mention that you hate helping people,” Regina replied bluntly.

“Well maybe I’m trying something new.”

It was clear that Zelena wasn’t going to tell her anything, so Regina decided to drop it, for now. They reached the door to Zelena's apartment before Regina spoke up again.

“I’m gonna get going back to Storybrooke,” she said as she gave her sister a hug. “I love you, I’ll miss you.”

“I love you too,” Zelena said as she hugged her back.

“Everything’s already unpacked inside. Your friend’s waiting for you in there,” Regina said before disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

“Wait, my what?” Zelena stood outside her door for a few seconds, contemplating who her sister could have been talking about.

Eventually, she stepped through the door. Upon entering her new apartment, she saw lavender colored roses on the counter and a familiar man standing by the window.

“Guyliner?” she asked. The man chuckled.

“That’s a new one,” he said in a British accent. He turned to her and waved with his prosthetic hand.

That’s when Zelena finally recognized him as not the Captain Hook she originally knew, but another version of him that had come from the Wish Realm. The New-Hook that she had thought of a creative nick-name for.

“Nook,” she greeted him with a genuine smile.

“You know, you can call me James,” he replied with a smile of his own.

“Why? That’s just the name of your curse persona.”

“Well, this got a little confusing with two Killians at the sheriff station,” James explained. “Besides, Killian was the name I went by when I was a bloodthirsty pirate. When I was James Rogers, I was the best version of myself. So, James it is.”

“Alrighty then, Nook.”

James smiled and continued to look out the window at the city skyline. “This city is beautiful,” he said before looking back at Zelena. “I hope you’re happy here. I’m going to miss seeing you around everyday. We had some good times in the revolution.”

Zelena smiled remembering all of the missions they went on together, all of the conversations they had while on patrol, and all the times they just sat in peaceful silence when they ran out of things to talk about.

“Yeah, we did,” she agreed.

“I have to go before I miss my ride back to Storybrooke.” James seemed a bit sad to have to leave so soon. “You take care of yourself, Zelena.”

Zelena nodded and watched him leave, her chest feeling slightly heavy the moment he was out of sight. She stared at the roses he’d left. Seems like she did have a friend, after all.

Chapter Text

Having a job was annoying. Zelena had only been working at the precinct for what, a couple days? And she was already annoyed with everyone she came across. The witnesses that came in weren’t always helpful. Some claimed to be a witness but never actually saw anything, others clearly weren’t sober when the crime was committed (one guy claimed the criminal had fire coming from the ears and waterfalls where their eyes should be), and some were so shaken and expecting Zelena to console them (which she made it clear that she was not good anything of the sort). By the time she got to the witness who changed his mind every ten seconds, she was wondering why she didn’t just quit.

“Everyone? Gather around, so I can call Peralta out in front of you.” Ah, yes. That’s why. Zelena turned in anticipation to watch Jake get utterly humiliated.

“Okay, fine,” Jake said. “I was three minutes late. I’m sorry for doing one thing wrong.”

“Oh, it’s more than one thing,” Holt clarified.

“Uh-oh.”

“This is not going to end well for him,” Emma whispered to Zelena, appearing next to her desk.

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Zelena whispered back with a grin.

Holt scolded Jake over sloppy paperwork and mislabeled evidence before pulling out two pictures. “One is your locker,” he said. “The other is a garbage dump in the Philippines. Can you tell which is which?”

Jake was silent.

“Oh come on, man,” Emma said.

“Well, if it’s so easy, why don’t you tell me which is which?” Jake challenged her.

“They’re both the garbage dump. There’s no way your locker can be that dirty.”

Jake was once again silent. He broke eye contact with Emma before he allowed himself to see the judgment on her face. “That one’s the dump?” he guessed, pointing to one of the pictures.

“They’re both your locker,” Holt answered.

“Gah, I should’ve guessed that. He’s good,” Jake said.

“Complementing your opponent, that’s letting all of the spectators know you’ve lost,” Zelena stated for the crowd to hear.

“I didn’t lose ,” Jake defended. “There’s nothing for me to lose. Sure, I’m a little late, I’m not the best at paperwork, and my locker is kinda messy, but he has nothing else against me. In a way, I won.”

Holt held up a folder from Jake’s desk. “This folder is labeled: ‘Undies, clean’ ”

“So that I don’t confuse it with Undies, dirty, ” Jake stated as if it was common sense.

“Well, you did win one thing, Peralta. You won Detective With the Most Rodents in his Desk, ” Holt said as he opened Jake’s desk drawer, revealing a mouse surrounded by old food.

“Algernon!” Jake exclaimed quietly as to not spook the small mouse. Jake gently picked Algernon up to show him to the precinct. “You guys, Algernon’s back!”

“Get rid of the mouse, and get your act together. Now,” Holt commanded before walking off.

“He’s grumpy,” Jake whispered to Algernon.

__________

A short while later, the detectives sat in the break room.

“Alright everyone, let’s get started,” Terry began the meeting. “Santigo, where are we on the Jay Street drug bust?”

“There are 12 keys of coke unaccounted for,” Amy answered, “but we just got a warrant to search the dealer’s apartment.”

“Good. Take Boyle, Diaz, and Swan.”

“Dream team,” Boyles commented as he sipped his coffee.

“Peralta, brief us on the vandalism case.”

__________

Later…

“Look at this,” Boyle said as he, Rosa, Amy, and Emma looked over the Jay Street drug bust file, “the drug dealer got a B.A. in art history from Brooklyn College. Interesting, huh?”

“How’s that interesting?” Rosa asked.

“Because it proves that you can’t find a decent legal job when you waste your time studying art history?” Emma guessed, earning a small chuckle from Rosa.

“ I studied art history, too,” Amy said, offended.

“Excuse me,” Gina interrupted as she walked up to the small group of detectives with a woman that none of them recognized. “I know I’m just a lowly civilian administrator, but I couldn’t help overhearing you’re looking for some missing drugs?” After Boyle nodded, she continued. “As it turns out, my friend here, Carlene, is a psychic, and she’s ready to help you.”

“I do palms, tarot, and I have a degree in numerology from the internet,” Carlene said, handing them a business card.

“Ugh. Really, Gina? A psychic?” Rosa groaned.

“What? She’s the real deal,” Gina defended. “E.G.; last week, she predicted I would have a sensuous encounter with a guy named Mark. And I did .”

“Yeah, because Mark is a common name,” Emma pointed out. “And last I checked, only blind people are able to see the future. It’s the price of having future sight.”

“You’re thinking of seers, honey,” Carlene told her. “ They only see the future. I have a connection to the past, present, and future.”

“And we’re just expected to believe that that kind of magic doesn’t come with a price?” Emma questioned. Amy and Rosa each gave her a strange look after hearing this.

“Of course my services come with a price,” Carlene answered with a smile. “Since I’m helping you clean up the streets, all I’m going to ask from you all is that you get word out about my business.”

Emma chuckled. “Yeah, no. The price of magic isn’t paid by simple money or advertisement. When used selfishly, magic takes either a physical, mental, or emotional toll on the user. It can make your skin look like a crocodile’s, make you go insane, or darken your heart. If you’re a special user, it’ll be all of the above.”

It was clear that both Gina was speechless about Emma’s sudden knowledge of magic, but Carlene argued back “My gift helps people. It is selfless. It’s not magic, it’s a connection. However, if you insist on using the word ‘magic’ then this is Light Magic.”

“Light magic is conjured from love,” Emma said, stone faced. “If you truly loved your clients, you wouldn’t be taking their money.” 

At that moment, Emma caught Zelena looking at her from a few desks away. It was evident that Zelena had heard a large part of their conversation, given that she was giving Emma a look that said Way to not sound like a crazy person . Suddenly, Emma remembered that she was in New York, not Storybrooke. She was in a world of science, not magic. Emma finally noticed Rosa and Amy’s strange looks (and Boyle looking at her with surprise and respect).

“My parents are really big into fantasy,” Emma tried to explain. “I learned a lot from them.”

“Those are books, Emma. This is real life,” Gina said, still trying to convince the others that Carlene was a real psychic. “Carlene’s had visions which, frankly, science cannot account for. Also, she can get you amazing deals on ladies’ footwear. She’s assistant manager at Leonard’s Designer Shoes.”

“Vision,” Carlene announced as she closed her eyes. “The drugs are in a location.” Boyle was invested, Rosa was actually smiling at how ridiculous the situation was, while Emma and Amy remained unimpressed. “I see the color blue.”

“She sees blue,” Gina repeated.

“And yellow. And I see the letters L, R, S, T, W, E, and B,” Carlene finished.

“So basically, everyone’s first eight guesses in Hangman?” Amy questioned.

“Thank you, Carlene,” Rosa said, still smiling. “Your entire life is garbage.”

The three female detectives began to walk away while Boyle stayed to talk with the false psychic. Amy and Rosa started for their desks as Rosa watched Emma head towards the bathroom. Once the blonde was out of sight, Rosa nudged Amy with her arm and quietly said “Come on” as she took the lead.

“Where are we going?” Amy questioned as she followed her co-worker without hesitation to the sketch artist desk. “I don’t think we need a sketch to find some missing drugs.”

Zelena watched them approach with a raised eyebrow. Once at the desk, Rosa placed both her hands on it and leaned in.

“Be honest with us,” she demanded of Zelena.

“I’m not promising that,” Zelena replied simply as she kept eye contact with Rosa.

“Diaz, what are we doing?” Amy asked.

“Did Emma go insane while in Storybrooke?” Rosa questioned.

“Rosa!” Amy was in complete disbelief that the other detective would ask such a question. “I’m so sorry about her. You don’t have to answer that question,” she told Zelena. However, Zelena didn’t break eye contact with Rosa, or show any indication that she heard Amy.

“Are you asking if she had ever gone insane or if she is currently insane?” Zelena asked, weighing her options.

“Let’s say I’m asking if she had ever gone insane,” Rosa answered.

“Yes,” Zelena replied without hesitation.

“What? Is she currently struggling with her grasp on reality?” Amy asked, concerned for her new co-worker.

“I don’t believe so, no,” Zelena said, finally bothering to face Amy while she answered her question.

“Did she spend any time in a psych ward?” Rosa questioned further, as if the scene was an interrogation.

Zelena considered the question for a moment and decided that it was best not to mention the false reality created by the Black Fairy’s curse. “No,” she finally answered.

Rosa finally straightened up, taking her hands off the desk. She had eased up slightly, but she still crossed her arms as she continued to stare at Zelena.

After a short moment of silence, Rosa asked “Was what Emma said at the steak out true?”

“How would I know? I wasn't there,” Zelena reminded, getting slightly concerned about what all Emma had told them.

“Well for starters, she said that her son nearly died multiple times,” Rosa recalled.

This caused Zelena to pause. Sure, a lot of people had threatened Henry’s life, but Rosa’s statement was a painful reminder that there was a time where Zelena was one of those people. Long ago, she had tried to kill the boy that she later grew to love.

“Yes,” Zelena answered softly after her brief pause.

“Speaking of which, is he okay?” Amy inquired.

“Yeah, he’s fine.” Zelena smiled remembering how happy her nephew was with his wife and daughter.

“She also said that all of her friends nearly died multiple times,” Rosa continued.

“Oh yeah, they did.” Zelena’s smile was gone. Not because she felt guilty about threatening those people as well, but simply because she truly didn’t care for them.

“Are they okay?” Amy questioned with her concern gradually growing.

“Sure, they’re fine,” Zelena answered with a shrug.

“Did her parents also nearly die multiple times?” Rosa asked, starting to get concerned herself.

“Let’s just cut to the chase,” Zelena offered, “just about everyone in that town had more than one near-death experience.”

“What the heck goes on in that town?!” Amy exclaimed.

“Everything,” was Zelena’s only response before asking “Is that all she told you?”

“She also said that her mother’s godmother died,” Rosa answered.

“I have no idea, that must have happened before I came to town.”

“Her best friend lost the love of her life for the second time?” Rosa questioned, raising an eyebrow.

That one was like a shot in the chest. Zelena’s eyes left the detectives and found her desk as a million painful thoughts raced through her mind. Not only the fact that her sister has gone through such pain, but also the fact that Zelena was blamed for the second one. She remembered that feeling of immense joy when she thought that she had finally found someone who truly cared for her. She then remembered that immense rage she felt when she found out that Emma and Regina were working together to kill her True Love, Hades. She remembered the shock she felt as she stormed into the Mayor’s office to see Regina crying on the ground, holding the lifeless body of Robin Hood in her arms. Zelena remembered looking at her True Love standing over them, telling her to kill her sister so that they can live happily ever after. She remembered yelling at Regina for plotting against Hades and though she would never admit it, she remembered being deeply confused as to what she wanted.

She had wanted to end Regina. She had wanted to start a new life with Hades, who seemed to be the one person who actually cared for her. However, as she yelled at Regina, she knew that they had become actual sisters in the Underworld. Zelena loved Hades deeply, but he had hurt Regina. He killed the man who had offered Regina her own happy ending, and now he wanted Regina to die as well. Zelena could not let that happen. She remembered turning around and driving Zeus’s lightning bolt through the heart of her True Love. The heart that had started beating because of her kiss. The heart that had yearned for nothing but her and her happiness. Zelena had destroyed her True Love in order to save her sister, only to be blamed for a murder that she didn’t even witness.

That day led to a great rift between the two sisters. The wound had been slightly mended after they had faced the Black Fairy together, and they were able to reconnect in Hyperion Heights. However, part of Zelena had always felt like Regina still blamed her for Robin Hood’s death. The rift had gotten smaller, but it hadn’t closed.

“Zelena?” Amy’s voice brought the former witch back to the present, but Zelena’s eyes stayed glued to the desk. “Zelena, are you okay?” Amy asked as she placed a hand on Zelena’s shoulder.

Zelena smacked her hand away, stood up, and glared at the two women with hatred in her eyes. Rosa was shocked at this reaction while Amy looked genuinely concerned and worried for Zelena.

“Let’s hurry this up,” Zelena growled. “Daniel, Robin , Neil Cassidy, Belle, and Mr. Gold are all dead, along with some others. That town endures nothing but chaos and that’s all you need to know.” With that, Zelena stormed off just as Emma was coming back from the restroom.

“What’s going on here?” Emma asked as Zelena pushed past her.

“Is Zelena okay?” Amy asked the blonde.

Emma took a second to watch Zelena disappear towards the stairs. Emma turned back to the two detectives and took in Rosa’s shocked expression and Amy’s wide-eyed concern. She sighed and decided that Zelena must have had some kind of outburst.

“Zelena was a damaged and distrusting person before I even met her.” Emma said (with little concern, much to Amy’s dismay). “Just give her some space and don’t ask about her past.” She turned towards her desk, but quickly turned back and added “ Especially don’t ask about her birth mother. And come to think of it, I don’t know anything about her adoptive parents so just don’t ask about them either.” She walked away, heading for her desk and mumbling “I swear, if she turns green, I’m leaving.”

__________

After a few minutes spent at a nearby coffee shop and calling James (a bit to her own surprise), Zelena was able to calm down enough to return to work. As soon as she walked in, however, Jake quite literally ran into her.

“Gosh, dammit Peralta!” Luckily, Zelena was able to balance herself and avoided falling onto the ground like a fool.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Jake quickly apologized. He stumbled a bit, but also managed not to fall. “Uh, there’s a penis on Sarge’s minivan, so I’m … running away from him,” he tried to explain. Zelena, still in a bad mood, just stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Not an actual … it’s a drawing of a … nevermind. The point is; I caught the tagger that has been tagging cop cars!” He gestured to the seat beside his desk where a young man sat. “Captain Holt might say that he caught the tagger, but I was the one who spotted him. Quick question; do you have glitter I can use for my report?” Still no response from Zelena. She just stared at him, annoyed. Now a little intimidated, Jake continued. “Can you draw a picture of Captain Holt telling me I did a ‘perfect’ job?”

“Walk away, Peralta.”

Jake nervously took a few steps back, and hurried off.

__________

At a drug dealer’s apartment..

“High ceilings, three bedrooms, why does every perp have a nicer place than I do?” Amy asked in disappointment as she, Rosa, Boyle, and Emma searched the place for the missing drugs.

“You know what they don’t teach you at the academy?” Rosa added. “It’s better to be a criminal.”

Emma rolled her eyes at the two women envying a drug dealer.

“Oh no. The cabinets are blue,” Boyle noted.

“Tacky,” Amy commented. “Not a deal-breaker, though. I’d just repaint it,” she finished as she started for another room.

“The psychic predicted that the drugs would be found in something blue,” Boyle reminded her. “She also made this really depressing prediction about my life. And if she’s right about where we find the drugs, that means she’s right about the other thing.”

“Boyle, the only reason she ‘knew’ about the depressing fact about your life is because you let others tell you how your life is going to go,” Emma said before putting her face in her hands. “Oh gosh, I sound like my mother.”

“I know you all have your doubts, but her gift could be real!” Boyle argued.

“Uh-huh,” Amy said offhandedly as she knelt down on the closet floor. “Boyle, kitchen. Swan, living room.” However, before Emma and a dismayed Boyle had the chance to go to their separate tasks, Amy pried a piece of the wall loose, revealing a stash of hidden drugs. “Whoa, jackpot. There’s way more than twelve keys in here.”

“Where was it?” Rosa asked as she rushed over.

“Baseboard, behind the hamper.” Amy replied with a proud grin.

“What color was the hamper?” Boyle asked frantically.

“Green.”

“Yes. The clothes hamper was green. The clothes hamper was green!” Boyle was nearly bursting with joy and excitement. “Drinks on me.”

“You’re weird,” Rosa said with a small laugh as Boyle disappeared back into the kitchen.

__________

Once she returned to the precinct, Emma caught sight of Zelena at her desk.

“Hey,” Emma said quietly as she walked up to Zelena’s desk, “what happened earlier?”

“Your friends made me mad,” Zelena replied simply.

“How?”

“They didn’t mind their own business.”

“They’re detectives. It’s their job to be nosey.”

“Yeah, when it comes to criminals.”

“Shall we go over your record?” Emma joked with a small grin. Zelena was unamused.

“My record is something I don’t want anyone here knowing about,” Zelena replied even quieter. “It’s not exactly something people forget. And your little speech at the stake out the other night hinted towards it too much.”

“I didn’t mention you a single time.”

“You mentioned Robin!” Zelena kept her voice low, but it was clear that she was progressively getting angrier.

“I didn’t mention you trying to-” Emma stopped herself and took a quick look around. There were no obvious eavesdroppers, but she and Zelena were still in the middle of an active precinct. “Let’s move this to a more private area,” Emma suggested.

Emma led Zelena to the door that exits on to the roof. After opening the door for Zelena, Emma walked over to the windows and closed the shades on a few of them.

“What was that for?” Zelena asked once Emma came onto the roof and closed the door.

“Boyle told me that Santigo can read lips,” Emma explained as she led Zelena to the area covered by the closed window shades. “I didn’t want her to see me say this; I didn’t tell them that you tried to trick Robin into getting you pregnant!”

“Of course I knew you wouldn’t tell them that !” Zelena shot back.

“Then what are you so mad about?!”

“You told him about his death!”

“Why does that matter?!” Emma exclaimed. “I didn’t tell them how he died, and- wait. What does this have to do with your ‘record’? You aren’t responsible for his death.”

Zelena paused at this and her anger seemed to melt away. After a moment she said “Well I’m glad you believe that,” with an unreadable expression on her face. She turned away from the precinct and gazed at the view of New York City.

“You believe that too, right?” Emma asked, a little concerned about how long Zelena may have held the false guilt.

“ Of course I believe it,” Zelena responded, slightly turning her head in Emma’s direction. “I wasn’t even there when it happened but … some people still think that I’m the one to blame.”

They stood there in silence for a minute, both of them staring at a not-very postcard worthy view. Emma broke the silence by asking “Why are you here, Zelena?”. Her tone wasn’t very confrontational, she sounded more like she simply wanted to hear Zelena admit something she already knew.

“What do you mean?” was Zelena’s only response. Not confused, but asking for clarity.

“I mean here in New York. Why did you come all the way to New York?”

“I told you, your mother paid me,” Zelena answered with a shrug.

“No she didn’t.”

“Yes, she did.”

“No, she didn’t.” Emma turned to face Zelena. “Have you forgotten about my superpower?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten, but I do believe that it’s malfunctioning.”

“That’s not how superpowers work.”

“How can I be lying to you about it now but not when we first came here?” Zelena questioned, turning to face Emma.

“Oh, I knew you were lying about it then too,” Emma clarified. “I just had a lot on my mind at the moment, so I decided not to confront you about it.”

Zelena rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’m here because I was bored in Storybrooke.”

“I don’t think that’s the whole story.”

“You may be some kind of detective, but I am not a case you were assigned to!” Zelena snapped. A moment of silence followed before Emma spoke up again.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. But can I take a guess?” She asked.

“If I said ‘no’ would that stop you?” Zelena asked with disinterest.

“I think you’re looking for some form of a fresh start,” Emma replied. “People in Storybrooke still see you as the Wicked Witch, so you want a change of scenery.” Zelena was silent, so Emma continued. “My advice to you is this; if you don’t want people to see you as a wicked witch, don’t act like a wicked witch.” Zelena rolled her eyes again. “Which means; try not to be scary and unapproachable-” Emma walked over to the door “-and it doesn’t hurt to be vulnerable with people.”

Zelena scoffed. “ Emma Swan is not telling me to be vulnerable!”

“You’re right, she isn’t,” Emma responded with her hand on the door handle, “Emma Charming-Jones is.” With that, she opened the door, walked through, and let it close behind her.

“Oh so now she takes their last names,” Zelena mumbled to herself.

__________

“Sorry I took so long,” Emma apologized as she walked into the evidence room to meet Rosa, Boyle, and Amy. For some reason, Gina was there too as the detectives organized the evidence.

“Everything okay?” Amy as she placed a large bag filled with cocaine on a scale.

“Yeah, I talked to Zelena. I gave her some advice, but knowing her, she’s not going to take any of it. How much cocaine did we find?”

“20.2 kilos. I feel like we can round up to 21.”

“I don’t think that’s enough to round up,” Emma responded. “I say we just log it as it is; 20.2.”

“Or we could round down to 20,” Gina suggested, “take the extra 0.2, and sell it to our friends.” The other four just stare at her, each mentally debating whether or not she was serious. Gina just giggled.

“I’ll call the D.A.,” Amy said. “Rosa, you log this in. Charles, maybe watch Gina. Emma, start working on the paperwork.”

Emma and Amy left the evidence room together as the other three stayed behind.

“So, how’s Zelena?” Amy asked as they walked down the hall.

“She’s fine,” Emma responded with a small sigh. “I’m sorry that she blew up at you guys earlier.”

“Oh, no, I’m not upset about that,” Amy clarified, a little surprised that Emma felt the need to apologize. “Rosa and I were way out of line. And Zelena didn’t ‘blow up’, she just got angry.”

“Yeah, according to her, I wasn’t supposed to tell you guys about Robin.”

“Oh.” Amy came to a stop, causing Emma to stop as well. “Was he the ‘love of your best friend’s life’ who..”

“Yeah,” Emma answered solemnly, not needing Amy to finish that thought. “Regina, Zelena’s sister, is that best friend.”

Amy nodded. “So, were Zelena and Robin close?”

Emma was awkwardly silent before simply saying “They knew each other well.” With that, she started to briskly walk away.

“So, they were friends?” Amy asked, following Emma.

“Not really, it’s a long story. In fact, everything about Storybrooke is a long story. I’m gonna start that paperwork.” Emma broke off from Amy and made her way towards her desk.

“Um, okay,” Amy said, mostly to herself. “I guess I’ll go call the D.A.”

__________

Zelena was once again sitting at her desk. Although she would never admit it, she was actually considering what Emma had said. Not that she had much time to think about, given that she still had a job to do. However, she knew that Emma had been right about the fact that if she wanted to get away from the place where she was seen as a Wicked Witch, she needed to stop acting like a Wicked Witch. Sadly, being more open with people was easier said than done.

Shortly after Zelena had finished talking with a witness, a chime came from her phone. As she looked down at the phone, a smile graced her lips once she saw who the new message was from.

Nook: Is your day getting any better?

Zelena: Well, so far no one else has asked me questions that relate to my past, so I guess it’s better in that sense.

Nook: Glad to hear it.

Zelena hesitated before sending the next message.

Zelena: Do you think it’s bad that I didn’t like answering those questions?

Nook: Not at all. I know the past can be hard to talk about, especially when you have a past like the two of us have.

Nook: You shouldn’t feel pressure to share anything you don’t want to.

Zelena let out a sigh of relief remembering that she had someone in her corner.

Nook: Why do you ask?

Zelena: Emma said that I need to be open with people in order for them not to consider me a wicked witch.

Nook: I thought you liked being called wicked?

Zelena: Of course I do. What I was asking was if me not being open about my past makes me seem heartless.

Nook: Are you sure Emma was telling you to be open about your past? Or was she telling you to be more open to people in order to have good relationships with them?

Zelena: I don’t know, I’ll admit that I was a bit fired up when we had the conversation.

Nook: Well I don’t know Emma that well, but I think she would know how hard it is to talk about the past. I think she was trying to say that you should try to make friends without pushing people away.

Zelena: Well if you haven’t noticed, my fight-or-flight mode can be activated easily.

Nook: I’ve noticed.

Nook: The good news is that you don’t have to tell people anything other than your name in order to make friends. You can start by simply saying good morning.

Zelena: I know how to make friends.

Nook: Do you?

Zelena rolled her eyes at Nook’s inaudible joking tone.

__________

“So here are my options,” Jake started. He had called all of the detectives, including Emma, into the break room. As it turns out, the tagger he had arrested turned out to be Deputy Commissioner Podolski’s son, so Jake was in a bit of a predicament. “One, I process Podolski’s kid, he fires me, and I spend the rest of my career as a detective, third grade, which is literally pathetic. No offense, Hitchcock.”

“None taken,” Hitchcock responded with a shrug.

“Option two,” Jake continued, “I let him walk, and I spend the rest of my life with Holt as my babysitter. Honestly, when I think about spending the rest of my life with a babysitter, she’s kind of a cute blonde named Erica. She always has pizza money-” It was clear that Jake was getting a little excited about his fantasy. “-and she lets me stay up as late as I want.”

“How old are you in this scenario?” Amy interrupted, slightly disturbed.

“Anyway,” Jake quickly changed the subject, “The point is Holt cares more about whether I ‘do my job right’ than whether I have a job at all, so I’m taking suggestions.”

“I say piss off Holt,” Amy suggested with a smirk, “so we get to watch your career end right in front of us.”

“Okay, thank you for that, Santiago,” Jake said with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. “I’m going to put you down for ‘don’t arrest’. -” He turned to a white board that had a drawn-on arrest and don’t arrest t-chart, and he made a mark under don’t arrest . ”-and I’m also putting your phone number on every urinal in Rikers.”

“Arrest him,” Emma stated simply. “And have him clean off all the vandalized cars in order to avoid jail time.”

“Don’t arrest him. Just smack him. Hard,” Rosa suggested. “With a phone book. On a body part no one can see, you know what I’m saying?”

“So you’re suggesting police brutality?” Jake questioned.

Rosa gave a small laugh. “I guess so, yeah. Why?”

Before anyone can point out the obvious problem with Rosa’s suggestion, Jake caught sight of Scully in the bullpen.

“Hey, Scully,” Jake called.

“Yeah?” The older detective responded.

“You want this collar? Paperwork’s all done. And it’s perfect,” Jake gave his best attempt to pass his case off to literally anyone else.

“The Podolski kid? Are you kidding? I just gave him my lunch.”

“Okay. Boyle, what do you think?”

“I don’t know, man. I’m lost,” Boyle responded, sounding depressed. “The universe is a cruel and vexing puzzle. I-I’m at the whim of the cosmos.”

“All right,” Jake said, “I’m gonna put you down for ‘bummer’, and you can hang out in that category all by yourself.”

“Hey, everyone.” Gina appeared in the doorway and interrupted the meeting. “Hey, Jake, there is a very sexy, angry official here, Deputy Commissioner Podolski. He’s asking for you. Very angry. Elderly, sexy,-”

Gina was cut off by Zelena also entering the briefing room next to her, coming to rescue the detectives from having to listen to Gina.

“In short,” Zelena said, “Angry man is angry at you, Peralta, and he wants to see you.”

“Well my career is over,” Jake said. “See you at the bottom, Hitchcock. No offense.”

“No, none taken,” Hitchcock responded as Jake left the briefing room.

Zelena started to head back to her desk as the detectives left the briefing room. That was, until she caught sight of the Deputy Commissioner tossing Jake’s report into Terry’s waste bin. Immediately, Zelena put on a false smile, entered her sweet midwife character from all those years ago, and swiftly plucked the report out of the waste bin and stepped in front of Podolski.

“Excuse me sir, you dropped this,” she said sweetly, holding out the report. Many eyes immediately landed on them.

“Who are you?” Podolski demanded, not taking the report from her.

“I’m the new sketch artist,” Zelena replied. “You know, the reason I took this job was to irritate my mother.”

“I didn’t ask,” Podolski said. With that, he tried to side-step around Zelena.

“Oh, I know,” Zelena said, stepping in front of him once again, “but lately I’ve been told that I need to be more open with people.” Terry was giving her a look telling her that she should walk away. She ignored him. “You see, my mother was quite the rule-breaker.”

“I don’t care.” Podolski tried to side step her again, but he was once again blocked by Zelena. This time she stared him dead in the eye, her smile slightly faltering.

“She had powerful connections and therefore considered herself untouchable. She was correct, unfortunately, because her powerful connections did nothing to stop her.” Zelena broke eye contact and let her full smile return as she gave a playful shrug. “Well, now she’s dead, leaving behind only painful memories for anyone who dared to cross her path and two traumatized daughters.” Those last few words hung in the air as Zelena held the report closer to the Deputy Commissioner.

Podolski was beet red with anger. He took a step closer to Zelena. “What are you trying to imply?” he growled.

Zelena put on her best clueless face. “I wasn’t trying to imply anything. … Is this something people don’t usually talk about?”

Podolski snatched the report from her and threw it back into Terry’s trash bin. Zelena let the father and son walk by her. As soon as the elevator doors closed with the Podolskis inside, Zelena let her entire act drop.

“Well that didn’t work,” she grumbled.

“What was that?!” Terry called from his desk.

“I didn’t see anyone else standing up to him,” was Zelena’s only reply as she walked to her desk.

“That’s because if we did, then we would be making a very powerful enemy,” Jake responded from behind her.

“Then you should’ve asked Emma to do it,” Zelena said as she sat down. “She’s used to making powerful enemies.”

Jake sighed, took the now-yogurt-covered report out of the trash bin, and walked over to Holt’s office, closing the door behind him. Emma came over to Zelena’s desk. Seeing the blonde, Zelena leaned back in her chair, expecting some kind of lecture.

“That,” Emma began with a small grin, “was awesome.” Zelena raised her eyebrows. “Not exactly what I meant by being more open with people, though.”

“That’s it?” Zelena asked. “No ‘stop acting wicked’? No ‘you should treat the Deputy Commissioner with some respect’?”

“No, none of that,” Emma replied simply. “All I’m going to say is don’t be surprised if you get fired.” Zelena rolled her eyes.

“Oh, you are definitely going to get fired,” Gina joined the conversation, taking a seat on Zelena’s desk.

“Are you sure about that?” Zelena questioned, wearing a grin of her own. “Didn’t you notice that he didn’t ask for my name?”

Emma hmphed. “And what name would you have said if he did?”

“Kelly West,” Zelena replied without missing a beat.

“Hmm, sassy and willing to lie to a Deputy Commissioner,” Gina noted. She turned to face Emma with a smirk. “Where have you been hiding her?”

“Over the rainbow and at the end of the yellow brick road,” Emma joked. With that, she turned to walk away.

“Wait, hold on,” Zelena said incredulously, causing Emma to stop. “You have been watching and criticizing nearly every move I make and now suddenly you are all supportive?”

“Well, yeah,” Emma responded as if it was obvious. “Before, you were acting wicked for no reason other than to drive people away. It’s good to see you being yourself and using your wicked talents for good.”

“That was surprisingly sappy for her,” Gina told Zelena quietly as Emma returned to her desk. Gina watched Emma sit down, then she returned her focus to Zelena. She grinned as she inquired; “Now tell me more about these ‘wicked talents’.”

Before Zelena could give any kind of response to that, Jake burst out of Holt’s office with Holt trailing behind.

“Where are you going?” Emma asked them from her desk.

“I’m going to arrest the tagger and make an enemy of the Deputy Commissioner,” Jake responded, sounding a little angry at himself for actually doing it. He briefly stopped walking and turned his body towards Emma. “Please talk me out of it,” he begged.

“No!” Holt bellowed. He put his hand on Jake’s back and led him to the elevator.

__________

At the end of shift…

Zelena grabbed her bag and was about to go out the door when Amy stopped her.

“Hey, the rest of us are going to Shaw’s Bar, do you want to join us?” Amy offered. “I’ll buy your first drink.”

Zelena’s stride paused as she turned to Amy with a confused expression on her face.

“It’ll be my way of apologizing for earlier,” Amy explained. “Rosa and I shouldn’t have pried. I’m sorry.”

“Well, if easily getting angry at people gets me a free margarita, then I’m going to throw Emma’s advice down the drain,” Zelena cracked with a smirk. She stepped aside and held the door for Amy. “Are you sure the other detectives will be fine with you inviting the sketch artist, though?” she asked as she and Amy left the building.

“After what you did with Podolski? Yeah!” Jake answered, catching up with the two women.

“Besides, Shaw’s Bar isn’t a ‘detectives only’ hangout,” Amy said.

“Amy’s right,” Jake agreed as they walked towards the employee parking lot, “it’s an ‘inner circle’ hangout. And you have achieved membership of said inner circle today, if you so choose to accept it.” Jake stepped in front of Zelena, bowed down, and held out an imaginary Official Member Certificate.

Zelena just stared at Jake with a raised eyebrow. She glanced at Amy.

Amy slightly shook her head with shame before saying “Just go with it.”

Zelena shrugged. “I accept, now get up.”

Jake obeyed with a smile and the three of them continued on their path.

“We would love to get to know you, Zelena,” Amy said as they reached the cars. “But, don’t feel pressured to talk about anything you don’t want to.”

Zelena shook her head. “Despite the way I acted earlier, you don’t need to tip toe around me,” she said. “If any of you ask about something I would rather not share, I’ll work on simply saying so instead of losing my temper. I’m not promising that it won’t take a while, though.”

Amy nodded with a small smile. “C’mon, I’ll drive you to the bar.”

Once Zelena climbed into Amy’s car, Jake stepped up to the shotgun window.

“I do have one question,” he said after Zelena rolled down her window. “What’s with the whole ‘Wicked Witch’ thing? I mean, you did claim to be the Wicked Witch when you met us.”

“That is something you’ll have to use your detective skills to figure out,” Zelena responded before rolling up her window.

__________

Emma did not join the others at the bar, choosing to return to her husband and child after a long shift. As the others socialized and laughed together, Zelena sat down next to Rosa.

“Emma does truly feel bad for leaving,” Zelena said less than thirty seconds after sitting down. “Is there any way that you can be convinced to forgive her?”

“I thought we agreed to not talk about each other’s lives,” Rosa responded.

“Yes, we did, but you came very close to asking about my life when you were asking about Emma’s, so I earned a free pass for today.” Before Rosa could object, Zelena continued. “Now, I’m not going to lecture you on holding a grudge because I'd be a hypocrite if I did, and Emma broke your trust so by all means, take your time. All I’m asking is that you recognize that Emma is not just pulling at your leg with some false apology.”

Rosa said nothing and continued drinking her beer.

__________

The next day, at the end of shift, Emma came over to Rosa’s desk.

“So, Killian agreed to watch Hope for the night,” Emma said. “Do you want to go to Shaw’s and drink in silence?”

“Sure,” Rosa replied (much to Emma’s surprise), stone-faced and with no emotion in her voice. She picked up her bag and motorcycle helmet. “I’ll meet you there.”