Amy was focusing so damn hard on that fucking white house, her vision was starting to blur.

She averted her eyes, took a deep breath and turned towards Archie's office when the sound of an incoming message caught her attention.

It was from Emma. 'Found him. He's okay'.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She knew that kid for, what, 12 hours, and the little shit was already well on his way to becoming someone she actually cared for.

Runs in the family, she thought as she crossed the street, making her way towards the diner.

It took everything in her to ignore the gaze that she knew was following her every move. If she met him without someone, preferably Regina, acting as a buffer, one of them would end up in the morgue. And it wouldn't be Amy.

She replied to Emma's message, telling her she'd be at the diner and to call her if anything happened.

She got in the diner, Granny's, full of chatter, delicious smells and lots of bickering, and ordered her usual drink; a hot chocolate with tons of whipped cream and sprinkles. The older woman behind the counter smiled at her politely while she wrote down the order and Amy tried not to think too much about what happened the last time they saw each other.

Her hot chocolate was brought to her by the younger component of the staff and Amy tried to remember in which phase of the lunar cycle they were currently in. She wondered if the woman in front of her hated full moons, or if she felt weirdly connected to it without knowing the reason why.

"Hi," she said as she set the cup on the counter, an infectious smile on her lips. "I'm Ruby. I haven't seen you around town before. Are you new here?"

Amy let out a small laugh, "I'm Amy. Is it that obvious?".

"Well, it's just that we don't really get many visitors...I mean, who would want to come here, right," the girl laughed, but it wasn't a joyous laugh. More like a self-deprecating one.

Amy shrugged. "So far it seems nice."

Ruby was about to respond when her grandmother's comment about her not doing anything reached her ears, starting a full blown out argument. Amy looked around and saw that the other customers were simply minding their own business, meaning that this was a regular occurrence.

Except it wasn't.

Not before, never before. She didn't know them that well in the Enchanted Forest but she knew them enough that the scene in front of her was concerning.

"I didn't choose to be here with you!"

"Well, neither did I!"

Something in the look on their faces, the way they said those words so easily...It made Amy feel sick.

Ruby and her grandmother weren't the first people she met who didn't remember their past life. She'd already met a man longing for a child, not knowing his son was so close yet so far out of reach. She'd watched the way the sheriff skirted around Regina last night and this morning, almost as if something was telling him to stay away from her. She was well aware of the fact that Emma had just met her mother, but that neither one of them had any idea who the other was, or even who they truly were. And for those brief seconds, despite the distance between them, Amy had seen the haunted look on his eyes, like he was searching for something but he didn't know what.

Or who.

But it was the words she'd just heard, the last straw that broke the camel's back, that made her realize exactly how fucked up this whole thing was. Here she was, watching them fighting each other, having no idea of everything they'd been through and how much they truly cared for each other.

All because of a man, desperately trying to fix something irreparable, and a woman trying to fill a void with all the wrong things.

And Amy just let it happen.

She had looked Henry in the eyes, those same eyes as his father, and lied. About everything. Just as she'd been lying to her best friend ever since they had met.

Amy was so lost on the unpleasant thoughts her traitorous mind was providing her with that she missed the sound of the bell above he door, signaling a new customer. It was only when she felt someone sitting on the stool next to her, a familiar scent filling her lungs, that she came out of whatever trance she was on.

"Hey," Emma said. "Have you been here the entire day?"

Amy turned and looked out the windows; it was dark outside. "Uh...Apparently." She noticed two more empty cups in front of her, but had no recollection of when they'd got there or even drinking them.

She needed to get the hell out of this town. Fast.

Emma, however, had other plans.

"So I was thinking," she started, and Amy had a feeling she was not going to like what came next. "What if we stay the night? To be honest, after yesterday, I don't really feel god about driving at night."

Amy looked at her. Like, really looked at her. There was something going on here, another reason as to why her friend wanted to stay, but it was late and Amy was tired so she just nodded.

"Good, because I saw a sign outside; this is a bed and breakfast so, I don't know, we could rent a room."

"Yeah, sure."

And that's what they did.

Just as before, there was yelling when they entered and Amy was feeling a bad headache forming.

"I should've moved to Boston!"

"Oh, I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard."

The two friends just stood there, glancing awkwardly at each other before Emma spoke up. "Excuse me, we'd like a room."

The older woman turned to them, surprise evident on her face. "Really," she asked. Even Ruby looked shocked as she popped from the other room, but it was quickly replaced with a smile once she saw Amy. She waived at her and Amy smiled back.

"Would you like a forest view or a square view?"

The two women just glanced at each other, unsure of what to respond.

"Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as rent is due, I'll waive it," the woman continued.

"Square's fine."

The woman smiled at them while she opened the logbook. "Now, what are the names?"

"Amy Cassidy."

"Swan. Emma Swan."

If Amy was a bit more focused to her surroundings, she would have heard Ruby opening the door. She would've heard the familiar sound of his footsteps, accompanied by something she hadn't thought in connection to him in centuries: a cane. She would have heard the small, almost imperceptible, shaky breath as the memories from his past life rushed back to him at the sound of Emma's name.

However, Amy wasn't focused on her surroundings. She was, once again, lost in her thoughts, when the voice she dreaded hearing the most said her best friend's name.

"Emma."

She froze.

"What a lovely name."

Emma turned to face him, muttering a simple thanks.

But Amy did not dare to move. To breath, even. She was scared. Scared that if she faced him right now, after everything that's happened, everything she knows, she'd end up in jail for something far worse than damaging a town sign.

So, she did nothing. She simply stared ahead, her eyes trained on the logbook in front of her.

But then he reached to take the money the elder woman had given him and his arm brushed against hers and a chill went up her spine, memories alighting in her mind.

He'd had another nightmare. Another night spent remembering the horrors of that island, the things he'd suffered, the reason he had to be there in the first place. Amy had tried her best to comfort him, but there wasn't much she could do. How was he supposed to move on knowing his own father had chosen darkness and brutality over his own son? He was just a child. He wasn't supposed to be this broken.

This time, she emerged from the memory on her own. She closed her eyes, pushing everything in the back of her mind.

Still, she did nothing. She suppressed the violent impulses she had -and there were many- and simply moved a bit to the left, towards Emma. She noticed it. They all did. She heard him chuckle, the son of a bitch. "Not going to say hello, then?"

Amy did not answer. Couldn't answer. Not if she wanted to keep her hands clean.

"Usually only one thing has you in such a bad mood," he paused, because he was and always will be an asshole who thrives in dramatic situations. "Saw Regina again, did you?"

She clenched her jaw, imagining all the ways this could, and would, go wrong if he didn't leave.

He chuckled again.

Amy was seething.

"That's alright. I know it won't be long before you're up for a talk." He turned towards the woman next to her. "You enjoy your stay, Emma."

He turned to leave and Amy finally felt like she could breath. But that was before she'd heard his next words.

"He's not here, in case you were wondering."

He left, and Amy was once again battling with her own mind.

She leaned against the front desk, closing her eyes and conjuring up the image of that white house that usually calmed her down.

It didn't work.

She could feel Emma's gaze on her, but she couldn't face her. Not now.

"Who's that," she asked her, but it was Ruby that responded.

Better that way, because Amy wouldn't have known what to say. She knew the real him, but not whatever fake person the curse created.

"Mr. Gold."

Amy snorted at that. "Is that what he's calling himself now," she said to no one in particular, voice so low no one but Emma heard her.

Ruby continued, "He owns this place."

"The inn?"

"No," said the older woman. "The town."

Emma seemed surprised, and cast a sideways glance at her friend, but Amy was still not facing her.

"So, how long will you be with us?"

"A week. Just a week."

A what now? At that, Amy finally looked at Emma. "I thought you said we'd only stay tonight."

Her friend shrugged, "Changed my mind. Is that okay? You can go back home if you want."

She scoffed. Ain't no way in hell she was going to leave Emma alone in that place.

"A week it is, then."

"Great!" The woman picked a key and gave it to them.

"Welcome to Storybrooke."