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Chapter Text

Some birthday it turned out to be – definitely one for the books, Emma Swan privately thought as her… son’s adopted mother regarded her with suspicion.

And it was about to get stranger…

Just as Sheriff Tall, Dark, and Handsome descended the staircase – “Madam Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry’s fine,” he hastened to reassure Regina – her entire surroundings transformed and Emma was struck with a heavy vertigo sensation.

“What is this,” Regina yelled from somewhere to Emma’s left. “Are you doing this?”

Venom coated the dark-haired woman’s words, and for some odd reason, Emma felt like the accusation was aimed at her. But she couldn’t speak… totally rendered speechless by this unnatural phenomenon; she couldn’t even see properly and inwardly, she was thankful that Henry’s impromptu visit prevented her from taking even a small bite of her birthday cupcake, otherwise she would've embarrassingly retched it all out in front of the these two strangers.

The spinning stopped, the blurry surroundings faded into solidity, and Emma threw her hands out before her face could get intimate with the cream-padded floor, her body fluidly arranging itself into a crouch as she took in her new – and strange – surroundings. Emma only had time to take in the stone walls, the high, marvelously coved ceiling, its color and pattern identical to the walls (a slate gray with hues of pale pink), and the stunning floor-to-ceiling wall that covered the entirety of one side of the rectangular room, showcasing the starry sky, when a cacophony of voices infiltrated the cozy space.

Strange voices they were, which said strange things…

Most alarming was the sudden change in tone and disposition of the soft-spoken Sheriff who had, minutes ago – or was it seconds? – been addressing the Mayor in a deferential manner. “You!” he growled, disgust etched plainly on his handsome features. He reached for a… was that a hunting knife?

“What in the Hell?” Emma breathed out, green eyes widening as she furiously debated on whether she should come to the defense of her son’s adopted mother or simply mind her own business.

The decision was made for her by a beautiful woman with long ebony locks and porcelain-white skin, “Huntsman! Don’t.”

Huntsman?

“Snow!” a handsome man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes emerged from the mass of bodies, and the beautiful woman’s features coruscated with incomparable joy, the confrontation between the Huntsman and the Evil Queen slipping her mind at the sudden appearance of her True Love.

“Charming!” she responded similarly, crossing the room in a few strides to jump into his open arms, sealing their reunion with a heated kiss. “Oh, David, you were in a coma! I can’t believe I forgot you,” she cried out, before kissing him again.

Genuinely confounded, and for some perplexing reason, disturbed by the embracing couple, before Emma could step forward to demand answers from Regina (whose dark eyes alternated between warily keeping an eye on the knife in the Sheriff’s hand and flickering toward the congregation of strangers every few seconds), her eyes skated past the multitude of unknown bodies that manifested out of nowhere, ultimately falling on the one face she knew by heart, a face she could never fail to lose in a crowd.

She reared back in surprise, “Neal?”

“Emma?” he choked out, his surprise mirroring hers.

“Anna?! Oh, Anna!”

A dramatically loud gasp, and then: “Look Kristoff, it’s Elsa. Elsa, Elsa, over here!”

“Phillip!” A blur of pink shot through the room and into the arms of a handsome man, a warrior by the looks of it, dressed in chain mail. He abandoned a similarly dressed warrior’s side (though this person only had the slits of the eyes uncovered) and wrapped her tightly in his embrace, lovingly whispering her name as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, “Aurora!”

He then sealed their reunion with a passionate kiss that could rival Snow White’s and David’s.

As the influx of bodies began to gravitate toward each other, one specific pair distracted Neal completely from the appearance of Emma surrounded by a bunch of fairytale characters: His father, Rumplestiltskin… the Dark One, who was being embraced by a stunning, petite woman with ivory skin, rosy red lips, and sparkling cerulean eyes.

“Belle, is that… is that really you?” Rumplestiltskin managed to say, his high-pitched voice muffled as he buried his scaly face in her hair. She smelled just like his Belle: books and roses embedded in her very essence. Suddenly, his amber lizard-like eyes snapped upward and without bothering to receive any confirmation from Belle, he lunged at his former pupil, letting out a terrifying roar that chilled the bones of every individual within the strange room: “REGINA!”

It was a rare sight, for the denizens of the Enchanted Forest to see the Evil Queen wear an expression of stark fear; however, if either one of them were faced with the profound rage of the Dark One, they’d probably be out the door and halfway down the road the moment he glanced in their direction.

“Rum—” was all Regina had time to pronounce before the Dark One wrapped a scaly hand around her throat and slammed her against the stoned wall.

Belle, Snow White and David immediately leapt into action, and while the King and Queen attempted to get Rumplestiltskin to release Regina with words, only Belle possessed the boldness to gently lay a hand on his forearm, stilling his powerful grip and preventing him from throttling the Evil Queen to death in front of all and sundry.

“For once I’m with the Dark One,” Grumpy yelled, approval dancing in his eyes and fist pumping the air. “I say kill the Evil Queen!”

Granny, Red, the Huntsman, a woman with the strangest green pigmentation, a man with a scarf wound tightly around his neck, and a man with a head of sandy blonde hair and intense blue eyes that the current residents from Storybrooke knew as Dr. Whale, all vocalized their agreement in a myriad of passionate ways.

His eyes gleaming madly, the man with a scarf spoke in a whisper that carried throughout the room, “Off with her head!”

“No, no. Rumplestiltskin, killing, it isn’t the answer,” Snow pleaded.

The trademark giggle of the Dark One, uncanny and eerie and downright horrible, reverberated in the room. “Maybe for you, Snow White. For me, however—”

(Emma blinked and did a double-take. Snow White? The long ebony locks that cascaded down her sides; the sparkling green eyes; the skin as white as snow; the blood-red lips; the unadulterated beauty… she could see why her name would be Snow White. Her plain clothing, with the sensible shoes, the pleated skirt, and the beige lace top and matching beige cardigan, however, totally ruined the image of the Princess Snow White. Shouldn’t she be wearing some silly puffed up gown with ridiculous ruffles…?)

But it only took two words from Belle to get Rumplestiltskin to release Regina, her face a dangerous shade of red as she struggled to gasp in air. “Rumple. No.” Her smile was kind, and her tone gentle; her eyes coruscated with love, and her bearing was non-threatening. Everyone stared at the woman in surprise… who was she? And why would the Dark One listen to her?

Emma shivered, her wide eyes locked on the unnatural appearance of the man (Rumplestiltskin… like the fairytale? It couldn’t be!). Occasionally, she’d stare in avid horror at the green-skinned woman, faintly recalling another story from her childhood (it cannot be the Wicked Witch of the West!). It was the talking cricket, however, that succeeded in loosening her tongue. “This is all a dream, right? You, you can’t be real.”

“Emma,” Neal prefaced. With a lot of difficulty, he tore his gaze from his father and made to approach her. Emma responded with an automatic step back, her dagger-like glare pinning him in place. “You stay where you are,” she snapped.

Strange enough, nobody managed to catch the utterance of Emma’s name as it left Neal’s lips. Instead, the other inhabitants in the room merely glanced at them with bemusement, it being extremely clear that neither one of them – or at least the woman – came from The Enchanted Forest.

Another person succeeded in distracting Neal from Emma. And it wasn’t his father. “August,” he said, tone neutral.

August, however, could barely look away from his own father, his eyes glassy and sad, as he responded in kind, “Neal.”

“Roland? Where is my son?” a ruggedly handsome man, dressed in a green outfit from a different era, frantically exclaimed. The moment he appeared in this strange place with these people (and the Dark One!… and the Wicked Witch from Oz – he wasn’t in any hurry to forget their last encounter), Robin abandoned them to search for his boy – to no avail.

Zelena sneered at the thief who got away from her once before. Luckily for him, she had more important things on her mind than teaching him a lesson. “No one cares about your boy. Let’s get back to killing Regina, shall we?”

Granny smirked, “Now you’re talking.”

“No. We need to understand where we are. Why we’ve been brought here. How the Curse broke—”

Rumplestiltskin, still glaring menacingly at Regina, curtly interrupted Snow, sounding more like his cursed counterpart Mr. Gold, than the high-pitched lilt of the Dark One, “It has yet to be broken, dearie. This,” he flamboyantly waved a clawed hand around their surroundings, “is some form of magical interference. And not of my doing, might I add.”

A scoff carried from one of the shadowy corners. “Like I’d believe a word you say, Crocodile.” And before the man’s features could be made, he leaped into action, the sharp tip of his hook aimed at the Dark One.

His heart in his throat, Neal recognized the man instantaneously as Captain Hook, another who betrayed and abandoned him. Fear crawled down his spine when his father attempted to magic his way out of the line of fire, and for a second, only he managed to correctly decipher the subtle spark of fear that appeared in Rumplestiltskin’s amber eyes.

Suddenly, Killian found himself frozen in place, his hook millimeters from Rumplestiltskin’s heart.

“You can’t keep hiding behind your magic, Crocodile,” he sneered, his face straining with the effort to move his limbs, a feat he failed to do.

But Rumplestiltskin shook his head, “It’s, it’s not me. My magic… it’s gone.”

Then, something bizarre occurred to Rumplestiltskin, Jiminy, Zelena, and two of the four fairies in the room. Their forms flashed briefly from their Enchanted Forest visages to their Storybrooke appearances, before settling once more on their magical forms. All the while, Emma continued to stare at them in a sort of horrified fascination, rendered speechless and paralyzed in shock, her limbs unable to move, almost like the man with a hook for a hand (Captain Hook?!).

“Me neither,” Regina stated, a slight tremble in her voice.

The other magic users attempted and failed to conjure even a wisp of magic and August winced, a hand on his knee before he quickly recovered, staggering back into a relaxed pose and focusing on his father, Geppetto, once again.

In one of the corners of the room, a willowy blonde in a silvery blue dress, her platinum hair pulled back in an elegant French braid, a quirky girl, her strawberry-blonde hair styled in braided pigtails, and a good-natured-looking man hovering awkwardly near them, were huddled away from the congregation, speaking in hushed whispers. They looked like sisters, and their eyes danced joyfully as they took in each others’ appearance.

A disembodied voice echoed, tearing everyone’s attention from their current situation; many eyes flickered wildly around the room, searching for the owner of the voice, to no avail, and Killian recovered usage of his limbs.

“Greetings… You’ve been brought to this Haven to witness the past and the future; what was… and what is to be. Unless, of course, you manage to align yourselves with each other to create a different path… a better future; one filled with untold happiness and the prosperity of magic. The curses that plague the future slowly drained magic from every realm until it withered away, leaving a great chasm in the world. Whatever you might have been told about, or whatever you believe about magic, know this… Magic is life.

“Magic is what allows the flora and the fauna to prosper; magic is what allows humanity to survive and evolve; magic is the source of hope; and magic fortifies dreams. Without it… in a world without magic, there remains only darkness. I have brought you few together to combine your resources, to pool your powers, to set aside your differences, to hopefully abandon grudges and forge friendships born of a newfound understanding and clarity… to build a different future…and a better world. A world where magic can thrive and continue to flourish.

“This Haven is a location of my creation. Time has stood still from the moment you arrived, which means anyone outside these walls are safe and sound, unaware of your absences. Threaded in the walls and in the very air you breathe are wards that nullify magic. Your weapons have been dulled and are rendered useless. There will be no killing in this Haven. There is no shortage of antagonism between many of you, and while the revelations you shall bear witness to may enhance such antagonisms, I hope they provide clarity and understanding, enough to ultimately culminate in reconciliation, friendships, and new alliances. And hopefully, love.

“I have one last thing to impart before I leave you. … Due to the magic-neutralizing wards, some of you might find yourselves shifting between your magical and non-magical forms. In due time, once you’ve achieved enlightenment, you’ll finally settle on your true form. That is all. Good luck and merry watching. The fate of magic, and of the future, rest in your hopefully, very capable hands.”

Silence reigned for a long time. Emma and Neal seemed to have a greater issue with the disembodied voice’s message and the preposterous mission he set them on.

For Emma, it was the existence of magic that she had problems wrapping her head around – magic wasn’t real… it couldn’t be! She wasn’t built to believe in what she couldn’t see; except… she was seeing. A disembodied voice; Rumplestiltskin and the Wicked Witch; and as it would seem, the son she gave up ten years ago, was adopted by the freaking Evil Queen! Then there were tiny shimmering fairies who, right before her very eyes, transformed into their larger forms. And lastly, Jiminy Cricket… the talking cricket. Yeah; Emma Swan may not be a believer, but it was hard to remain in denial when the unbelievable truth kept hitting her right in the face without reprieve.

Neal, or Baelfire, on the other hand, had taken issue with the importance the obviously powerful disembodied person placed on magic. That magic, the very thing he vehemently hated and that he wished to destroy once and for all; that magic, the very thing that stole his Papa from him… that it needed to be preserved and protected, that they… that he, had to ensure its survival.

“Well, then,” Snow said cheerfully, effectively breaking the silence. “This seems promising.” And she pulled David to the nearest loveseat, the couple making themselves comfortable.

“Indeed you would find it so,” Regina sneered, immediately taking the farthest armchair from the bane of her existence and the irritating shepherd, all the while, keeping a wary eye on Rumplestiltskin, who has been shifting sporadically between his Dark One and his Mr. Gold form.

Belle happily followed Snow’s example and dragged Rumplestiltskin to a three-seater. “It does sound exciting, doesn’t it?” she smiled gently at Snow and Charming. Despite the weird sight Rumplestiltskin and Belle made, the couple couldn’t help but hesitantly respond with smiles of their own. Belle then addressed the man with a scarf wrapped tightly, almost obsessively, around his neck, “Jefferson, come sit with us.”

Without a word, he went and sat to the Dark One’s left, his countenance completely at ease, surprising most of the room.

Averting her eyes from the overtly magical individuals, and determinedly ignoring Neal who had been making various attempts to catch her eye, Emma sat on armchair, resolutely keeping her distance as she didn’t want to share a seating arrangement with any of these strange people.

“David!” the young girl with strawberry-blonde pigtails squealed.

David jumped to his feat, a wide smile on his face, “Anna! Kristoff! It’s so good to see you again.”

And the three embraced.

“A prince, huh,” Anna said mischievously.

Glad that whoever brought them to this room had the forethought to give him clothes as opposed to the hospital gown he had on in Storybrooke, David pulled at the collar of his shirt, a sheepish smile on his face, “King, actually.”

Anna smirked, “You’ve come a long way from a …” She frowned, opened her mouth and tried again, only for nothing to come out, “…”

Interrupting with a serene smile, Snow asked, “How do you know each other.”

“…” This time, it was David who attempted and failed to reveal the story of their first meeting. He scratched his head and shrugged, “Weird, I have the words, but they won’t come out.”

“Magical interference, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin interjected with an explanation, yet again. “There must be a dampener warded in this room that prevents us from revealing certain things.”

Upon hearing that voice, Anna whirled around, eyes wide, “You!”

“Me,” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

The bad blood between them, however, remained a mystery as Belle left Rumplestiltskin’s side to envelop Anna in a hug, apologies leaving her mouth as her embrace was instantly returned.

“Making friends everywhere I see,” Neal scoffed, taking the empty seat beside a forlorn August, who had been prohibited from revealing his real name to Geppetto and Jiminy.

“If you want to keep seeing, dearie, I suggest you keep moving,” the Dark One snarled. Then suddenly, Rumplestiltskin’s form shifted from the imp to the man, and he regarded the strange man – he seemed familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how or why. “What did you say your name was again?”

The brogue of his Papa and the sight of his human face almost had Neal in tears, but he squared his shoulder and glared at the temporarily human face before him, “Neal. Neal Cassidy.”

“Hmm, are you sure?” Rumplestiltskin inquired, head cocked as the imp slowly reemerged.

“Yes,” Neal replied shortly, quickly looking away – he could never really lie to his Papa. It was hard to look at the man who abandoned him; at the man who changed and stopped loving him; at the man he dreamed would one day find him and take him away from the horrors he lived through; at the man who never came. Yet here he was… still the Dark One; still hated and feared; still the most powerful of them all. He obviously managed fine without him; and that… that thought hurt.

Emma observed this interaction between Neal and… Rumplestiltskin (and yes, it still felt weird to think it); she discerned the hurt on his face – she knew that face by heart, after all, and had always know his quirks and quiddities. But she kept her mouth shut. Not only did Emma not want to bring the attention to herself, but she didn’t want to care about the man who abandoned her, who hurt her, who framed her.

“Hello, Belle. Fancy meeting you again,” Phillip smiled good-naturedly at the woman who helped free him from his curse.

Jumping to her feet once again at meeting an old friend from a journey’s past, Belle directed him, Aurora, and the third person in their party to the couch beside hers. “Oh, Phillip, it is so great to see you again, under better circumstances. And this must be your one true love,” she shot Aurora a genuine smile, one the princess couldn’t help but return in kind.

“This is my Aurora,” Phillip gestured her forward and helped her sit down, all the while, keeping a wary eye on Rumplestiltskin, who despite being in a whispered conversation with the man beside him (Jefferson, was it, Phillip thought), kept flickering his great amber eyes from him to Mulan, then Belle. Urging her forward, Phillip smiled, “And you remember Mulan, of course.”

Cerulean eyes widening, Belle leaped forward, not bothered the least bit by all the metal and chain mail, to envelop her friend. “Oh, Mulan. Why don’t you relieve yourself from such burdens,” she gently knocked on the side of the helmet.

Upon removing the helmet and allowing the thick bunch of straight black hair to cascade down, revealing a beautiful Asian woman underneath all that armor, Aurora gasped, “You’re a girl!”

Simultaneously, Belle and Mulan corrected her, “Woman.”

“She’s a warrior! Look Mac, look: A female warrior!” Merida could be heard from somewhere in the room, her voice filled with awe.

Aurora, however, lost all interest in Mulan and how she came to journey with her prince, and of the anomaly of a woman also being a warrior; too distracted she was, by the approaching figure in black. “You!” she hissed, clambering quickly to her feet. Phillip immediately took a protective stance in front of his princess, sword unsheathed and aimed at the sorceress.

“If it isn’t Sleeping Beauty,” a cold voice broke into the amicable atmosphere, draining the light and happiness that once surrounded the group. “And her…prince,” her voice dropped in disdain. “Your weapon has been rendered useless, dear Phillip.”

“And your unholy magic cannot touch us here, Maleficent,” Phillip retorted, slowly returning his sword to its holster while keeping his back at Aurora’s front, hands interlaced to offer her comfort and the feeling of safety.

A tall, sylphlike woman, decked from head to toe in black, with a magnificent bejeweled horned-headdress, had slowly emerged from the shadows to approach the seating area, most of which had been filled. If looks could kill, Snow and David would be ten feet under; the King and Queen for their part, donned guilty looks, unable to maintain eye contact with the powerful, furious sorceress. Thankfully, her attention was quickly drawn to Aurora and Phillip (the thorns in her side; although admittedly, she despised Snow and her Charming husband much more) and Rumplestiltskin and Belle (such an  odd pair they made). Having said her piece to the nauseating couple, Maleficent turned her attention to the Dark One. “Darling Rumplestiltskin. Hello, hello.” Her sapphire orbs flicked to Belle, who glared bravely back. “And your plucky maid. I see you stuck around, hmm.”

“Maleficent,” Rumplestiltskin crooned, a giggle interspersed here and there. “How awful to see you again. But please, do not let us keep you from reuniting with dear Regina.”

Maintaining a bored expression, Regina, who had been glowering at Zelena (“Why are you sitting beside me, Greenie!” The Wicked Witch threw her a nasty smile, “All the better to keep an eye on you, Regina dear.”) gave Maleficent a brusque nod and a sarcastic smile.

“My old friend,” Maleficent greeted, her tone saccharine and her eyes filled with ice.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Oh, do quit it with the passive-aggressive attitude, Maleficent. I did what I did and I’m not sorry. So stop waiting for something that you won’t get.”

“Hmmph. We shall see, friend,” the sorceress purred, gracefully sliding an armchair over to sit between Regina and the dashing man with sandy blonde hair dressed in some white overcoat. “And you are?” she smiled at him, purposely turning her back on Regina.

Distracted from the hole he had been trying to drill into Regina’s forehead, he offered Maleficent a wary smile, “Victor.”

Most of the individuals had taken their seats.

Frederick and Abigail, Red and Granny, and Graham and Grumpy were lined together on a long couch, nearest to Snow White and David. Killian Jones (as he had winsomely introduced himself to the fetching bonnie lass beside him) took the couch next to Emma, Tinker Bell (to his delight) and Tiger Lily sharing the space with him. Neither fairy looked pleased at the sight of Blue; they did, however, offer kind Nova a small smile in greeting; and for some perplexing reason, Tiger Lily kept looking at Rumplestiltskin with sadness, something the imp found rather distracting and incredibly irksome.

August and Neal sat on a three-seater with Robin Hood, between an identical seater holding Elsa, Anna and Kristoff and a two-seater holding Geppetto and Jiminy. Originally, Jiminy didn’t need to take up any space; however, since he kept alternating between his human form and his cricket form, he needed a place to transform and relax every now and then. Neal couldn’t help but to keep staring at Emma, Killian, and his father, all of whom were sitting in different places adjacent to him.

The last to take a seat were four strangers who introduced themselves as King Arthur and Queen Guinevere (Emma and Neal stared open-mouthed at the two legendary figures), Lord Macintosh, and Princess Merida. The fiery redhead appeared to possess a deep disdain for the gorgeous, shirtless Lord; and he, similarly, didn’t seem to think much of her, regarding the Princess with contempt.

“Um, I guess we’re… ready?” Snow looked at the ceiling, the hesitant lilt toward the end of her speech belying the confidence she attempted to portray.

Regina scoffed as she glared at Snow; she didn’t know where to settle her eyes for the moment – everywhere she looked, she saw angry eyes drilling into her person, most especially from Graham, Frankenstein, Jefferson, Rumplestiltskin, Tinker Bell, and Greenie beside her (although for the life of her, Regina couldn’t remember what she ever did to the Wicked Witch; she was certain she never met the blasted woman nor had she ever been to Oz).

Responding to Snow, after Merida finally, grudgingly, deposited herself on the only empty spot – a loveseat with Macintosh, of all people! – the window wall suddenly lit up with a kaleidoscope of colors, it no longer reflecting the starry sky that existed outside the Haven’s four walls.

Chapter Text

Once Upon A Time

There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.

Or think we know.

Ominous much, thought Emma, staring at the writing on the screen with increasing skepticism.

One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.

Our World.

This is how it happened.

“Okay, seriously?” Emma blew up, unable to hold it in any longer.

“…” Neal tried to say her name, but nothing came out. His eyebrows scrunched together, perplexed.

Rumplestiltskin, however, had a knowing glint in his amber eyes, and upon releasing his shrill giggle, he morphed back into a man, “Oh, dearie. Dear, dear, dear. Such skepticism. Even with all that you have seen… such denial.”

And although on the outside, Rumplestiltskin appeared amused, inwardly, he felt anything but… Naturally, the Savior would be a skeptic. ‘It appears the Savior won’t break the Curse any time soon.’

“You’ve just seen, with your own two eyes, the Dark One change forms, and you still don’t believe?” Red inquired, disbelief lacing her tone. Head cocked, she suddenly asked, “Who are you?”

“…” Emma frowned. “…” she tried again. “…” Frustrated at the ‘dampener’ Rumplestiltskin spoke about, Emma crossed her arms and looked away.

Maleficent released a long, dark laugh, “You delusional child.”

Prince Charming is astride a white steed, riding through the land, and then the forest. He didn’t stop until he came across seven dwarfs surrounding a glass coffin in which Snow White was encased in.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Of course,” Emma mumbled to herself.

Killian cocked his head, “What was that, lass?”

“You’re too late,” Doc said.

Prince Charming argued with the dwarves until they removed the coffin lid, allowing him to give Snow White a kiss on the lips. The True Love’s Kiss released a burst of magic that spread throughout the lands and Snow White awakens with a gasp.

In the Haven, applause broke out, initiated by Grumpy and Red and followed by Granny, Jiminy and Anna. Snow and David grinned at each other before kissing, to which Red let out a wolf whistle and Regina grimaced.

Zelena glared at them in distaste, “Ugh, how sickening.”

Red glowered at her, “Says the lady with green skin.”

“If I had my magic…” Zelena let the threat hang in the air, furious green eyes fixated on Red.

“Then it’s a good think you don’t,” Graham stated.

‘And that voice wants us to save magic!?’ Neal shook his head in disgust, torn on what to do.

Phillip placed an arm around Aurora, the both of them having been watching the scene intensely and with an air of longing. “I was on my way to you, to give you True Love’s Kiss, when we were brought here,” he whispered in her ear, brushing a kiss into her hair.

As Aurora sighed happily, burrowing herself deeper in Phillip’s chest, she didn’t notice him trade an ominous glance with Mulan from over her head. The weirdest thing, however, was the unending cloud of vicious black and purple smoke that encircled them as they were riding to Aurora’s castle where she had been placed by her father, in eternal slumber. Next thing they knew, the blackness had dissipated and the land was ravaged and nary a soul was nearby. They hadn't had a chance to discover the odd happenings when they were brought into this room. Perhaps now, they’d find the answers they sought.

“You… you found me,” Snow breathed out.

When Snow White mentioned the glass coffin giving her pause, Emma frowned. Usually, after the prince and princess shared True Love’s Kiss, it would fast-forward to the wedding ceremony, followed by, And They All Lived Happily Ever After… The End. Snow’s statement lacked the romance that had been perpetuated in fairytales.

“I can’t wait for you to find me,” Aurora sighed longingly.

Tightening his grip on her, Phillip said, “I already did.”

“Yes, here. But not there.” A dark look overtook her bright features, “Something tells me that… once this is over, we’ll be brought back to our previous whereabouts, and I’ll be returned to my sleeping state.”

Rumplestiltskin and Belle overheard them; and while Belle gave the pair a pitying look, Rumplestiltskin let out a peal of knowing laughter. Leaning forward, Belle gripped Phillip’s shoulder, and whispered, “Don’t worry. Phillip will find you, Aurora. And he’ll awaken you with a kiss.”

Phillip and Aurora beamed at her.

“Well, you never have to worry. I will always find you.”

Snow giggled, “And I you.”

“If you two could just stop attracting trouble, you wouldn’t need to keep finding each other,” Grumpy snarled. He was grumpier than usual; it was exhausting, avoiding looking at Nova’s direction – the beautiful fairy that broke his heart… whose heart he broke… for her sake… according to the Blue Fairy. Scowling, he twisted in his seat, adjusting himself until he faced Granny instead of the sofa holding Nova and Blue.

David shrugged, “We’ve a lot of enemies.”

“Who wants nothing more than to destroy our happiness,” Snow pointedly spoke in Regina’s direction.

Regina glared back. “And I’ll keep trying until I succeed. I believe the record is twenty-eight years now, hmm. Not bad. Not bad indeed,” she smirked smugly.

David, Snow, and their friends glowered.

“What are you talking about?” Arthur spoke up for the first time since introducing himself and his wife.

Grumpy stared, “The Dark Curse…” And when not only Arthur and Guinevere appeared nonplussed, but Aurora, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Merida and Macintosh as well, he said, “Jeez, what rock have you lot been living under.”

Scowling, Regina grudgingly revealed, “I didn’t focus on all the realms. Mainly The Enchanted Forest.”

“Oh, that’s not it, your majesty,” Rumplestiltskin giggled, though he continued to address her with scorn. “The pirate escaped your curse. Yet, I am certain he was lurking about.”

Killian sneered, “How would you know, Crocodile.”

“I see all, pirate.”

Focusing on him with a sudden intensity, Regina thought back to their last interaction, “Yes, Hook. How did you escape my curse?”

“Not telling.”

Jiminy intervened, “How about we return to watching.”

“Shut it, bug,” Regina snarled.

“Hey!” August snapped, icy eyes burning at the Evil Queen’s unnecessary rudeness.

She sneered, the expression starting to become permanent due to the room-full of enemies, and looked away.

After promising her that he’d always find her, the scene transitioned to their wedding and upon the conclusion of their vows, Snow White and Charming kissed to the audience’s cheers. It died immediately, however, when the double doors burst open and the Evil Queen made her entrance.

“Always with the dramatic entrance,” Maleficent observed coldly.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “She can’t help it. She craves the attention—”

“Okay!” Regina huffed, eyes traveling between her friend and mentor, “Is this how it’s going to be, you two harping on about me like a couple of old nags. Get over it already.”

Maleficent and Rumplestiltskin had identical black looks at they stared her down. Then, ignoring Regina, Rumplestiltskin told the sorceress, “It’s always nice to bond over a common enemy.”

“Yes… almost makes me forgive you for what you had that idiot Charming do to me,” Maleficent drawled, ignoring David’s “hey!”

“And I you for your treatment of Belle,” Rumplestiltskin added, to which Belle blushed, inwardly gleeful at the proof that Rumplestiltskin truly cared for her and loved her.

All the while, Neal stared at his father in immense disbelief; him being protective over a girl or having friends (quasi-friends?) an alien notion. But then… ‘He didn’t love me. Once he became the Dark One, it snuffed out his love for me. His life didn’t stop just because I was no longer in it.’

Pandemonium erupts at the Evil Queen’s entrance.

“It’s the Queen! Run!”

Snow drew Charming’s sword from its holster on his person and pointed it at Regina, “She’s not a queen anymore! She’s nothing more than an evil witch!”

“Semantics and technicalities,” Regina waved an arm in a negligent manner.

Neal was looking at Emma, a mixture of pity and sympathy marring his face.

She was just so confused! The Evil Queen never interrupted Snow White’s and Prince Charming’s wedding. What! How?! “I don’t know what to believe,” she muttered to herself, hands roughly digging into her scalp. All of a sudden, a warm hand was on one of hers, and she found herself staring into a pair of hypnotizing blue eyes.

“Don’t do that, lass,” Killian released her and rubbed a thumb along the sharp end of his hook. “I don’t know what’s running through that pretty head of yours. But you pull any harder and you’re going to rip your hair out.”

A hysterical snort escaped her, “Captain Hook is giving me hair tips. This is surreal.”

“Oh, dear… we are in so much trouble,” Rumplestiltskin moaned, irritation causing his imp-like form to reemerge. Belle kept her hand in his, untroubled and unbothered when his soft skin turned scaly, and his blunt nails turned sharp. She simply squeezed his hand and leaned into his shoulder, a happy smile curving her lips.

Neal stared, utterly bemused.

Charming stopped Snow from stooping to the Evil Queen’s level, and she finally revealed in a taunting, menacing and dark tone, the reason behind her visit: to give them gift.

“My gift to you is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow, my real work begins. You’ve made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do.”

“You’re a real bitter lady, you know that,” August said.

Regina sneered, “And who are you to speak to me like that?!”

“August. August Booth.”

“Well, August Booth,” she snarled, contempt lacing her tone, “I’d advise you stay out of things that do not concern you. I don’t even know why you’ve been brought here.”

Neal smirked, “Yeah. You would. You like to know everything, huh.”

“And you!” Regina snarled. She whipped around to glare at Emma, “You three have nothing to do with our world. Why are you even here?!”

Granny scoffed, “Why are you here. Now that’s the question.”

“Yeah!” Grumpy exclaimed, “Like hell am I gonna form an alliance with the likes of you. I don’t know what that guy who brought us here was talking about, but he sure screwed the pooch when he dumped your ass here.”

Exclamations of agreement echoed in the room, excluding Emma, Neal, Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Arthur, Guinevere, Merida, Macintosh, and Tiger Lily. Indignant, Regina glowered at the witch beside her, “What are you agreeing with, Greenie?! You’re the Wicked Witch of Oz, from what I’ve read, you’re far from a hero.”

“So? I still don’t like you,” Zelena simpered.

“Not a hard feat, really,” August murmured.

Furious, Charming threw his sword at her retreating back, which vanished alongside the Evil Queen in a puff of dark smoke.

The scene transformed into a drawing in a book, which was perched open on the lap of a young boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He was on a bus.

“Henry!” Regina gasped, the ugly sneer that had been marring her features replaced by fear and concern – and at that moment, she truly looked like a mother, like the kind lady who saved her life, and with that image in mind, Snow missed Regina… the Regina that was meant to be her step-mother, the Regina who loved and laughed.

Robin looked surprised, “Your son?”

“You have a son!?” Zelena sneered; the fading green returned with a vengeance, leaving only the whites of her eyes untouched. Those surrounding her looked away, disturbed.

Rumplestiltskin cocked his head, “Ah, yes. Young Henry, the boy I procured for you. You sure know how to take care of your gifts.”

Disturbed, recalling with a sudden ferocity the stories on Rumplestiltskin which existed in this world, Neal snapped, “He’s a human being. A child. He’s not a thing…”

“I am aware,” and for a second, the insanity within those amber eyes dwindled to the intensity of Mr. Gold’s. “Nevertheless, she wanted a son, and I granted her wish.”

Jiminy, back in his human form (to Emma’s relief), smiled kindly at Emma. “Yes. I recall this. You dropped him off before we appeared…” he looked around in thought, “here.”

“If I were you, I’d have kept him far away,” Graham informed Emma, throwing Regina a distasteful glare. Before Regina could snarl at him, however, and before Emma could provide some form of response, Blue spoke up, “How did you manage to enter Storybrooke, I wonder. Could it be…”

Emitting a scoff, Rumplestiltskin sneered at the gnat, “Caught on have you.”

Blue glowered in response.

“Enough!” Snow sighed. “We won’t be able to watch much if we keep fighting with each other.”

When a woman asked Henry about his book, he informed her that it is more than “just a book” before the announcer stated they were in Boston and he got off. Henry approached a cab and knocked on the window, holding up a credit card.

“So that’s how he did it,” Regina mused aloud. She then did a double-take, “Where did he get that from! It certainly wasn’t from me.”

Upon being on the receiving end of the Evil Queen’s glare, Graham rolled his eyes, “Definitely not from me. I hadn't seen you all day. Not until you called when Henry was missing, remember.”

“Then who…”

Rumplestiltskin giggled in a very knowing way that grated on Regina’s nerves.

The scene switched to an upscale restaurant.

Killian couldn’t help but let out a long whistle, “That’s quite a dress, lass.”

“Eyes to yourself!” Neal snapped, twinges of jealousy coursing through him.

Angry, Emma glared at her ex-boyfriend, “You did not just say that!”

“He has a point,” David murmured, feeling over-protective over the blonde stranger for some perplexing reason.

Red shrugged, diffusing the tension with impeccable ease, “Hook here has a point.” She then smirked at Emma, “It’s a smashing dress. You know red is my color.”

“Everyone knows that, Red,” Snow giggled.

“What’s in a name…” August recited Shakespeare to himself.

“And you can call me Killian, love,” Killian said, his accent prompting a few subtle swoons all around.

Rumplestiltskin, David and Neal rolled their eyes.

A handsome man looked relieved at her entrance and he extended his hand to her. “Emma.”

Gasps permeated the air; but none were louder than those that emanated from Snow and David. Together, they looked at Emma and chanted, “Emma.”

Snow burst into tears, to the confusion of almost half the room, as only those within their inner circle (and Rumplestiltskin and Regina) knew of their daughter being the savior. “Oh, my little girl. Look at you… all grown up,” Snow cried, making a move to stand up and sit beside.

“You’re their daughter!” Regina looked between Emma, Snow and David, absolutely disgusted. Worry overtook her as she recalled, with a sudden knowing clarity, that Emma managed to enter Storybrooke. ‘Of course!’ How could she have been so stupid!

Emma threw both her hands up, as though to shield herself from the weird woman. She wore a bewildered expression, “Look, um, Snow, if that’s really your name… I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

That only made Snow cry even harder. David hushed her softly, “Don’t worry. In time, she’ll know in time. All will be revealed.” Yet, he too, looked at Emma as though she were the sun, bringing the first rays of sunshine in his life after years and years of darkness. And that, that totally freaked Emma out.

He felt a twinge in that small speck of light in his heart. Rumplestiltskin couldn’t help but feel bad for the Charmings… All this time, he’s been focused on making the curse happen so that he could be brought to the Land Without Magic and be reunited with his son; and yet… and yet… he never stopped to think: ‘what if Bae didn’t recognize me.’

They began discussing the internet and how pictures could be misleading.

“What is this internet they speak of?” Merida piped up.

Those with cursed memories glanced at each other, pondering on the best way to explain it.

“Um, well…” Nova started, then stopped.

It was Neal who, after emitting a chuckle or two, went into a lengthy explanation of technology, the internet, and the many advances that has been made over the years. Surprisingly, it only took around ten minutes – they were really good listeners, fascinated with almost every word that came out of his mind.

“What magic,” Arthur whispered.

Neal blanched. “Actually, it’s technology. Magic has nothing to do-”

“Yes, but it sounds magical to us,” Guinevere interrupted, agreeing with her husband. “How marvelous.”

Emma then revealed that it’s her birthday and that she doesn’t have any family… or friends.

Mortified at the revelation in front of all these strangers, Emma pressed her lips together and resolutely glared at the screen, avoiding the many eyes burning into her and the new bouts of tears from Snow White and freaking Prince Charming… ‘yeah right!’

An image of the future they could have had, if August hadn't revealed her destiny, and if he hadn't framed her and left her to rot in jail, infiltrated Neal’s mind, and he grimaced, regretting his past actions. He then glared at August, “I really hate you right now.”

“Join the club. I hate myself,” August said self-deprecatingly, his eyes flickering from Emma to his father and back again. ‘I failed… big time.’

“…You, Emma, are by far, the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met.”

A tsking sound escaped Killian, “Bad form, mate.”

“This man should learn how to better compliment a woman,” Macintosh exclaimed in disbelief.

“Hah!” Merida scoffed. “Like you’re one to talk, Mac. You don’t even know how to charm the boots off a hag.” Her Scottish brogue was extremely strong and at times, hard to make out; Macintosh, though, had no problem comprehending her, and he sneered in response.

Unable to keep quiet, Neal asked, “Why are you dating this guy?!”

Emma ignored him.

“I’d like to know the answer to that question, too,” David whispered in Snow’s ear.

It is then revealed by Emma that she’s the “bail bondperson” meant to take him in, prompting the man, Ryan, to flip the table over and run. He didn’t get far as his car was booted. When he tried to pay Emma off, she refused, claiming he doesn’t have money: “…And if you did, you should give it to your wife and take care of your family.”

“The hell do you know about family, huh?”

“HEY!” David, Snow, Red, Granny, Grumpy, and to Emma’s shock, Killian and Neal, yelled at the screen. David then devolved to muttering a string of curses that would make a sailor blush.

Killian, however, looked on proudly, “Nice ones, mate.”

“I’m not your mate,” David scoffed, the pirate’s approval effectively shutting him up.

Regina shrugged, “The guy has a point. What do you know of family?”

“You really are evil, huh. I’m not surprised Henry ran away from you,” Emma snapped back, feeling the fire return to her veins for the first time since dropping Henry off at Storybrooke. She felt off-center the moment she appeared in this room with the irrefutable existence of magic slapping her in the face – and multiple times at that. But… the amount of people who came to her defense was like chugging back a shot of vodka: fire coursed through her veins and a wonderful burn sat in her throat, rejuvenating her and making her feel more like herself again.

“At least I didn’t abandon him,” Regina sneered.

Unbothered by that cheap shot, Emma rolled her eyes and looked away.

Emma slammed his head against the steering wheel. “Nothing,” she sighed sadly.

“I rest my case,” Regina smiled victoriously.

The scene shifted to show Emma take out a cupcake and put a candle on it, lighting it. The moment she blew out the candle, the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Henry on the other side. “Uh… can I help you?”

“Are you Emma Swan?” he asked.

Snow smiled, “Emma Swan. I like it.”

“Uh, thanks,” Emma responded awkwardly.

“I don’t understand,” Kristoff said. “Isn’t she too old to be your daughter?”

Emma’s automatic response of “not his daughter” was drowned out by Grumpy, “How can you not know about the Dark Curse. I mean, seriously! Even if you weren’t affected, you must have heard of it!”

Abigail nodded, “Twenty-eight years our realm has been devoid of people. Didn’t anyone notice?”

“Um…” Aurora spoke up hesitantly, “I was under a Sleeping Curse.” She then glared at Maleficent. Unperturbed, the sorceress stared back.

Intrigued, Snow leaned forward, “You were?”

“Yes. I, at the very least, was effective in keeping apart the young prince from his sleeping beauty,” Maleficent laughed, radiating utmost smugness as she directed her words at Regina.

Hands clenched in bone-white fists, Regina snarled, “Why you…”

Phillip, Aurora, Mulan, and Belle glowered at the sorceress.

Merida frowned. So did Macintosh. Arthur and Guinevere looked confused. But it was Anna who, after trading a look with a troubled Elsa, stated in incredulity, “What are you talking about? Twenty-year years. It hasn’t been twenty-eight years.”

Softly, Belle asked, “Anna… when was the last time you saw me?”

“Not that long ago, actually,” Anna frowned as she tried to remember the exact date.

Confused looks were traded. “How…?”

“…”Rumplestiltskin dramatically threw his hands in the air, “Apparently, I cannot say.”

“…” Phillip and Mulan took it in turns to attempt to describe the protective circle that encompassed them as the Dark Curse swallowed up The Enchanted Forest, to no avail.

Mulan sighed, frustrated, “Neither can we.”

All the while, Neal kept wondering what the Evil Queen’s son wanted from Emma, or how he even knew of her.

“My name is Henry. I’m your son.”

Neal choked; his body wracked with coughs, he threw himself forward, inhaling and exhaling sharply before looking at Emma, “He’s what?”

Looking half-guilty, half-indignant, Emma averted his intense gaze.

He slid into her apartment and avoided her questions about the location of his parents by asking, “Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me.”

“Ten…ten years ago,” Neal stated weakly. His expression then turned to stone as he glared between Emma and August.

August put both hands up, “Hey. I had no idea. I swear, I didn’t know.”

Annoyed, Emma glowered at them, “Why would you know. Who the hell are you anyway?”

“How do you know my daughter?!” David asked protectively.

“Not your daughter!” Emma retorted before leveling her glare back at August.

Snow, on the other hand, was fixated on something else, “Oh, David, we have a grandson. Isn’t that wonderful!”

Simultaneously, Emma and Regina snapped, “He’s not your grandson!” before looking at each other, annoyed.

Acting as though Emma and Regina hadn't spoken, Grumpy said dryly, “Yeah, who’s been raised by the Evil Queen. Not exactly something to boast about.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled; he was enjoying this immensely.

“You planned this, didn’t you, you little imp,” Regina snarled.

Looking much like the cat that caught the canary, Rumplestiltskin sneered, “Planned what?” He then morphed back into his human form, “You asked that I procure you a son, and I did. It was a closed adoption. I knew nothing of the boy’s mother.” After a short pause, he grinned, showing his gold tooth, “Funny how fate works out sometimes, hmm, your majesty.”

“You shut your mouth!”

“All of you shut up!” Neal roared, having had enough. His eyes hadn't left Emma for one second since the revelation, “…” Frustrated, he stood up and kicked at the sofa, “Emma. Why?” Since he literally couldn’t ask about his son, all he could do was hope she understood him.

Everyone looked on in confusion; only August knew the identity of Henry’s father as he, like Neal, connected the dots and the unfortunate timeframe. He felt guilt for the part he played. He’d like to think he’d have treated the situation differently, given different advice to Neal, not have taken the money, if he knew Emma had been pregnant at the time. Unfortunately, he’ll never know.

Sympathy marred Emma’s features for a split-second before it hardened again, “You know why, Neal. I couldn’t take care of him.”

You had me framed. I was in prison. Why would I tell a lowlife like you. Our son was better off being raised by somebody else, instead of a lying thief and an ex-convict. Those words went unsaid, but Neal understood. Looking at his father in his human form, Neal winced – had he become his father? At least his Papa was there for him for the first 14 years of his life.

Emma returned from her mini-freak-out session to see Henry drinking juice from the carton.

Killian snorted, “Some manners you’ve instilled in the boy, your majesty.”

It was hard for Rumplestiltskin to stifle the giggle that wanted to escape him (he would not laugh at the bloody pirate’s jokes); Maleficent and Zelena, on the other hand, had no qualms and laughed long and hard at Regina’s expense.

“Shut it, pirate,” Regina snarled.

Henry tells Emma he wanted her to come home with him and that he refuses to leave without her. Emma threatened to call the cops before informing him of her superpower, “There’s not a lot I’m great at in life, but I have one skill, it’s called a “superpower.” I can tell when anyone is lying, and you, kid, are.”

“You’re still going on about that?” Neal couldn’t help but chuckle, despite his somber mood.

Emma shrugged, eyes averted, “Don’t know how trusty it is if you managed to fool me.”

“Emma—” he began, only to be interrupted by Regina.

“You wouldn’t have called the cops on my son, would you?” she demanded.

She shook her head, “I don’t think so.”

After much pleading from Henry, Emma finally gave in. “Where’s home.”

“Storybrooke, Maine.”

When Emma agreed to take Henry back to Storybrooke, all the cursed individuals (except for Rumplestiltskin and Belle) cheered and broke into another round of applause.

“She’s going to break the curse,” Granny cheered. “She’s going to break the curse!”

Snow stared at Rumplestiltskin in wonder, “And on her 28^th birthday, too. I’ll never get over how you do that.”

Rumplestiltskin shrugged modestly. For a moment there, it looked like his imp form would reemerge, but he remained a man.

Exasperated, Emma said, “I’m not going to break anything. I’m just going to drop Henry off, that’s all. In fact, I did just that and was ready to leave when…whatever that was brought me-, us here.”

“Just as stubborn as her parents,” Rumplestiltskin muttered to Belle, who responded with a tinkling laugh.

Back in The Enchanted Forest, Snow White stands in the balcony; she’s pregnant. Charming joined her, and they discuss the Evil Queen’s threat. Snow revealed she hasn’t had a restful night since their wedding.

“Good to know,” Regina smirked.

David glared at her, “You won’t be having a restful second once the curse is broken and our memories return.”

Regina’s smirk faltered; she looked at Emma, and the smirk returned tenfold, “Assuming the curse will break. Somehow, I’m not too worried about that.”

Emma looked uncomfortable; Regina’s implication ringing loud and clear to all the denizens of Storybrooke who knew of Emma’s role.

Rumplestiltskin, however, provided the surprising comfort everyone needed, “Oh, not to worry, dearie. The curse will break.”

“It won’t,” Regina hissed at the imp before glowering at the many relieved faces.

“Since when is your word law,” Neal stated.

Head cocked, Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes on him. “You speak as though you know me, Mr. Cassidy. Or… you think you do. Tell me, how is that?”

It was Neal’s turn to look uncomfortable now. Emma looked on curiously, while August appeared grim.

“She poisoned an apple because she thought I was prettier than her. You have no idea of what she’s capable,” Snow told Charming.

Relieved, Emma nodded to herself. Now that sounded more like the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves fairytale she knew.

Distracted from Rumplestiltskin’s ominous declaration, Regina scowled at Snow, “That wasn’t the reason, and you know it!”

“I know,” Snow said in a small voice.

Emma’s relief dissipated.

Charming asked how he can put her mind at ease. However, Snow’s response distressed him. “Let me talk… to him.” When Charming fervently disagreed, she said, “He sees the future.”

“Who are you talking about?” Neal asked, confused.

Those that weren’t taken by the Dark Curse also shared Neal’s confusion; neither of them having much interaction with the Dark One. And if they did, they didn’t have intimate knowledge due to their lack of interaction with Snow White, Charming and their inner circle.

“There’s a reason he’s locked up,” Charming insisted.

“Can you promise me that our child will be safe?” Snow asked. “Can you guarantee it? Because he can.”

Reluctantly, Charming agreed: “For our child.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. That, more than anything, gave Neal the suspicion that Snow and David were talking about his father; but… since when could his Papa see the future? That’s impossible. If he could, wouldn’t he have seen how much Neal needed him? That he was scared and stuck in that accursed realm with that demon-child? That he prayed every day for him to come. If Rumplestiltskin could see the future, he should’ve seen that and more. Unless… unless he did see it all, and he simply didn’t…care.

Belle, on the other hand, was more worried over the fact that Rumplestiltskin was locked up. She looked at her True Love suspiciously. How? No one can lock up the Dark One… at least not without his consent.

The scene transitioned back to Emma and Henry in a car, driving to Storybrooke. Henry is complaining of being hungry.

“What sort of a carriage is this?” Arthur inquired as he marveled at the interior.

“It’s a car,” August explained. “It runs on fuel.”

Confused, Macintosh tilted his head, “Not horses?”

Those with memories from the Land Without Magic took it in turn to explain as best they could, the existence of cars and of how they work.

Not paying them any mind, Regina turned her attention onto Emma. “It wouldn’t kill you to stop and get him a decent meal,” she scowled. “I can now see why you gave him up. You’d make a terrible mother.”

“Hey!” Snow, David and Neal yelled at her, each wearing a furious expression.

Emma rolled her eyes, unbothered (though she was secretly giddy at the support she always lacked in life), “Coming from the mother who managed to lose her child. I mean, really. How long did it take before you even noticed he was gone? It’s a four-hour ride to Boston.”

Zelena cackled, “She got you there, Reggie.”

“Don’t call me that, Greenie!” she hissed.

Leaning into Merida’s side, Macintosh said, “These people are crazy.”

“Oi, stay on your side, Mac,” Merida scowled, scooting away from him.

Tinker Bell shook her head, “There’s so much toxicity in this room.”

Emma made some remark about Henry’s storybook, to which he revealed that they're not fairy tales; that every story in the book actually happened.

“Smart boy,” August stated.

Regina scowled at him, “And how would you know?”

She didn’t like this August Booth. She had the feeling he knew too much; but for the life of her, she didn’t know how. Rumplestiltskin shared the same feeling. In fact, Emma Swan was the only individual he instantaneously recognized, thanks to his knowledge of her name that would've aided in breaking his curse if events occurred like he had originally seen, before he was transported to this Haven. Messrs. Cassidy and Booth, on the other hand, well they provided a conundrum.

“Question is, how does Henry know,” Red looked excited. “Where did he get that book from? How did he make out that the stories are all real, and how did he know to bring the Savior to us.”

“I’m no one’s Savior, lady,” Emma sighed, her exasperation and irritation growing by the minute.

Ignoring Emma, Graham said, “You make an excellent point, Red.”

Red responded to his praise with a blush.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Oh, please.”

When Emma brushed Henry off, he demanded she use her superpower on him.

Echoing her past self (from a couple hours back… and how weird was that thought), Emma said, “Just because you believe something doesn’t make it true.”

“Not necessarily,” Nova piped up.

Blue smiled gently at the stubborn Savior, “Being able to believe can be a powerful thing.”

“Said a couple of gnats,” Rumplestiltskin muttered under his breath, glaring daggers at Blue.

When Henry mentioned that Emma is in the book, she claims he has problems.

“Yup, and you’re going to fix them,” Henry stated cheerfully.

“Emma!” Neal huffed.

She shrugged a shoulder, “What? Come on, what he’s saying, it’s ridiculous!”

“Look around you,” Neal said, seemingly in possession of infinite patience when it came to Emma. “Do you still believe that?”

Uncomfortable, Emma nodded.

“Captain Hook is sitting right beside you,” he deadpanned while everyone watched, some in dismay, some neutral, and some (Regina) with glee.

Looking at the hook which Killian proudly held up, Emma lifted a shoulder, “He’s a guy who has a hook for a hand. That’s not so weird.”

“And dressed as a pirate, luv,” Killian smirked.

Snow sighed sadly, “She’ll believe. Just… we need to give her time.”

“I’m green, how much time does one need?” Zelena huffed, torn between amusement and frustration. She’d like to see Regina’s plans foiled by the Savior; unfortunately, she didn’t look like much, and her current deep denial wasn’t painting her in such a bright and heroic color either.

The scene changed to show a dark underground cavern. A guard is escorting Snow and Charming to a cell; all the while, the guard is giving out instructions regarding Rumplestiltskin and his powers.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, back in his imp-like glory. “Did you really think I wouldn’t know it was you?”

“You?” Neal gasped. “Since when can you see the future?”

“Why so surprised, dearie?” he cackled.

Belle glared at Snow and Charming, “Did you have to make the cell so… inhumane?”

“He’s the Dark One,” David stated, staring at Belle in disbelief.

“Yes, and how many times have you excused Regina for all she had done?” Maleficent drawled, her ice-like eyes boring into the couple with deep dislike. “You let her roam free to cast her curse. Hypocritical, don’t you think? Not that I’d expect anything less from you two,” she sneered.

Snow and David squirmed; chastised over their treatment of Rumplestiltskin was one thing, realizing Maleficent and Belle had a point regarding their unfairness was another.

Another giggle erupted from Rumplestiltskin, “Don’t you worry, dearies. I didn’t mind.” After all, he was exactly where he wanted to be. And it all worked out in the end…clearly.

“You don’t?” Neal and Belle echoed. Rumplestiltskin looked curiously at Neal before addressing Belle. “It’s all water under the bridge,” he sang.

A spark of comprehension entered Belle’s eyes – smart one, which was one of the reasons Rumplestiltskin loved her. “You wanted to be there, didn’t you, Rumple?” she asked, her voice a mere whisper so that only Rumplestiltskin heard. He responded with a small nod.

Rumplestiltskin saw through their disguises immediately and beckoned Snow White and Charming to come forward into the light. He revealed he knew the purpose of their visit and that he was willing to part with the information they needed: But for a price.

“You’d betray my secrets?!” Regina demanded, greatly affronted.

“But of course!” Rumplestiltskin giggled, the singsong quality still in his voice.

Neal shook his head, “Couldn’t you just… tell them without asking for something in return.”

Grumpy and Granny scoffed, the idea of such benevolence from the Dark One a ridiculous thought.

In response, Rumplestiltskin looked at Neal like he was some mythical creature, “Now why would I do that?!”

“What do you want?” Snow asked. And Rumplestiltskin said, “Oh… the name of your unborn child.”

“Why would you want to know that?” Kristoff stared at the Dark One in disbelief.

Rumplestiltskin gave him an open-mouthed grin, “Names have power.”

Hesitant to address the evil man, Anna, nonetheless, asked, “Well… I mean, you could’ve asked for your freedom.”

“You’re right!” Rumplestiltskin feigned a gasp, his expression morphing into one of fake realization, “Whyever didn’t I think of that.”

True realization, however, dawned on Snow. “You wanted to stay locked up, didn’t you? Why?” she demanded as more caught on.

In a singsong voice, Rumplestiltskin, while wagging his index finger, said, “Not. Telling.”

Eventually, the deal was struck and Rumplestiltskin revealed the Evil Queen’s plans: “Ah, the Queen has created a powerful curse.

“Thanks for the credit,” Regina sneered, more to herself; only Zelena and Maleficent heard her.

“And it’s coming. Soon you’ll all be in a prison, just like me, only worse! Your prison – all of our prisons – will be time. And time will stop. And we will be trapped, someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates, victorious at last! …No more happy endings.”

Those who were dragged away by the curse (excluding Rumplestiltskin and Regina) shivered at the depiction given on the screen, and of the awful twenty-eight years they could now remember, running like a tedious, never-ending loop in their heads. Of how each and every day repeated itself, the only brightness being Henry whenever they were in his vicinity. They then recalled their horrible cursed-personalities… and they glared at Regina.

To the individuals who weren’t affected by the curse, they stared at Regina in horror, unable to understand the evilness of such an act, the horror of what the cursed denizens from the Enchanted Forest lived through… it was unfathomable.

“And I thought he was evil,” Anna whispered, staring mournfully between Rumplestiltskin and Regina.

Emma attempted and failed to look unaffected by Rumplestiltskin’s description. ‘This isn’t real… this isn’t real… this isn’t real,’ she repeated the mantra over and over in her head.

On the other hand, Neal was more focused on his father… more precisely, on his voice. It had changed. The last he saw his Papa, he had a brogue similar to before he became the Dark One. But now? It was high-pitched and shrilly, oftentimes childlike and dark… unnatural. He missed his Papa.

Snow White asked what they can do, only for Rumplestiltskin to reveal that “they” cannot do anything; but the child growing in Snow’s belly can. “The infant is our only hope. Get the child to safety… get the child to safety and on its… twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return. The child will find you and the final battle will begin!”

Neal winced at the high, insane cackling, unable to believe what he was seeing or hearing, of how far his father had gone… of how lost he was.

“You really can see the future,” Arthur stared at Rumplestiltskin in awe, thoughts of making a deal with him to find the missing shard of Excalibur running through his head. As though hearing his thoughts, Guinevere gave him a warning look, “Arthur, no!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled; oh, Camelot’s King was so transparent. “You can ask, dearie. I don’t bite. Much.”

“Rumplestiltskin,” Belle sighed, shaking her head fondly at him.

“No,” was all Guinevere said, forcing Arthur to turn away.

“Hmm, pity,” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

The conversation that just took place was lost on Emma as she repeated Rumplestiltskin’s words in her head. ‘Coincidence!’ she insisted to herself. And even if it wasn’t, it couldn’t be real. When it came to fairy tale versus reality, reality won every time.

When Snow and Charming turned to leave, Rumplestiltskin became slightly deranged, demanding for a name. “…I. Need. Her. Name! I want her name!”

“Her? It’s a boy,” Charming corrected. But Rumplestiltskin only had eyes for Snow, and finally, she revealed the baby’s name, “Emma. Her name is Emma.”

“Emma,” Rumplestiltskin breathed out.

All eyes were on Emma, whose eyes were wide with fright and mild disbelief.

“Emma, come on,” Neal sighed.

“Coincidence,” she croaked out, though her voice sounded weak even to her ears.

David sighed, “You are our daughter, Emma. You have my coloring, and Snow’s eyes and her chin. You resemble us.”

Tears cascaded down Emma’s face and she looked away, prompting many sighs to echo in the room. She couldn’t accept the fact that… it wasn’t so much as fairytales existing, but her parents being fairytale characters. Because then… it would give them a good reason for having left her, and where would her anger go?

Back to Emma and Henry, they passed Storybrooke town limits, and then the scene transitioned to Emma driving through downtown Storybrooke. Henry refused to give her an address and Emma stopped the car and got out, obviously annoyed.

“You kept it,” Neal said suddenly. “The car.”

Emma scowled, “I liked the car, okay. It had nothing to do with you.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say you two know each other from before this, ah, unfortunate gathering,” Robin piped up, looking between Emma and Neal. “Not such a great parting either, was it.”

“What gave it away,” Emma mumbled sarcastically while the others looked on in interest.

Belle smiled at Robin, “Oh, I wouldn’t say it is unfortunate, Robin. We’re gaining useful information and for some of us, we’re no longer cursed and have been reunited with our loved ones.”

He stared pointedly at Regina then Zelena, “I’m forced to sit in a room with the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch, forgive me, Belle, if I don’t find our company appealing.”

“And Rumplestiltskin,” Regina snarled. “The Wicked Witch and myself, fine, although I don’t recall ever running into you, bandit. But why not the Dark One!”

“Yes, why not the Dark One?!” Zelena demanded, voicing her agreement with Regina for the first time.

“Yes, why not me. I’m awfully frightening,” Rumplestiltskin giggled, wiggling his fingers childishly.

Robin stifled a smirk, “I’ve learned to repress that, ah, memory of our day together, Dark One.”

“Pity. I do love recalling your screams,” he replied dryly. Belle huffed, smacking him lightly on the side in admonishment.

“Seriously!” Neal shouted, appalled and disgusted at their behavior and total indifference. He turned to August, who gave him a ‘He’s the Dark One, what did you expect’ look.

For the first time Emma noticed the Clock Tower, which told the wrong time. Henry started to explain the curse in a bit more detail: That the Evil Queen sent everyone to Storybrooke, Maine from The Enchanted Forest; that they’re trapped and frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke and unable to leave, and that if they do decide to leave, bad things happen.

“How does he know all that?!” Regina demanded from nobody in particular. She then glared at Jefferson, the only person she knew possessed both, his cursed memories and those from The Enchanted Forest, “Was it you.”

Jefferson gave her a crazy look, and for the first time, everyone (except for Rumplestiltskin and Belle) took note of his appearance among them, so quiet he had been. “You’ve had me trapped in that, that place! What do you think, your majesty,” he sneered.

“What do you mean, ‘trapped’?” Belle asked, concerned.

“…”

Correctly deducing the reason behind Jefferson’s inability to speak, Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Oh, well. A mystery to be puzzled at a later time.”

“Stupid dampener!” Grumpy huffed, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Then, Archie walked up to them with his dog, Pongo.

“Hey, that’s me!” Jiminy cried out. So excited he was, he shifted into his human form.

Regina scoffed, “We can see that, bug.”

“You are such an unpleasant woman,” August shook his head at her. “You don’t have to insult someone with every breath you take, you know.”

“Why you—”

Interrupting her, Jiminy smiled at him, feeling as though, for some reason, he should know this August Booth. “Thank you.”

Henry explained who Emma was to Archie, who then revealed that he was the Mayor’s son. When asked about his whereabouts, as he had missed his session, Henry lied.

“Henry, what’d I tell you about lying? Giving in to one’s dark side never accomplishes anything,” Archie admonished him softly.

Grumpy snorted, “Yep, that’s Jiminy, alright.”

Jiminy blushed before he shrank back into a cricket. Emma blinked at the disturbing sight – realistically, she knew that her bubble of denial would be popping soon.

“What session?” Neal asked, more concerned with that tidbit about his son, than the fact that the Evil Queen had given herself a position of power and authority.

Snow hesitated, glancing at Emma and then Regina, before saying, “Oh well, Archie, I mean, Jiminy.” She paused, huffed, and continued, “Jiminy as Archie is a therapist. Henry sees him for some… reason.”

Neal glared at Regina, who appeared unbothered. “I would why that could be,” he said sarcastically.

Once Archie left, Henry insisted he wasn’t crazy and that Archie really was Jiminy Cricket.

“Smart boy,” August smiled.

“Right. The lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit,” Emma said.

“I’m not Pinocchio!”

August stifled his automatic reaction, especially when his father spoke up, his voice filled with grief, “Where is my Pinocchio?” He expected to see him with Emma, but she didn’t appear to have had anyone in her life. He traded looks with Jiminy, who looked incredibly guilty. ‘Was I wrong in insisting that Pinocchio go through the wardrobe?’

Red tilted her head, “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the little guy at all. Has anyone seen him in Storybrooke?”

A lot of negatives met her inquiry, along with worried frowns.

“I’m sure he’s somewhere, Geppetto,” Snow reassured him kindly.

If anything, Geppetto, Jiminy and August felt even guiltier.

Back in The Enchanted Forest, Charming, Snow White, Red, Granny, Grumpy, Doc, Geppetto, Pinocchio, Jiminy and several guards have gathered around a round table, discussing plans regarding the Evil Queen’s Dark Curse and what action they should take to prevent it.

“It’s like my Round Table,” Arthur commented, admiring the meeting on the screen.

With her memories of Arthur and Camelot adopted from Mary Margaret, and her memories of Lancelot, Snow smiled kindly at the legendary Arthur Pendragon that sat before her, “So it is. How about that.”

“I believe it was inspired from your rule,” David informed him kindly.

Arthur inclined his head in respect, a small smile playing on his lips. He liked David – a very unique royal he made.

Jiminy insisted that fighting isn’t a good idea, while Doc was wary on whether or not Rumplestiltskin should be trusted. To support Rumplestiltskin’s claim, Charming revealed that the animals were abuzz with Regina’s curse, and that it’s happening.

“There’s no point. The future is written,” Snow sounded hopeless.

Regina cackled. “Has poor little Snow White lost all hope? How wonderful. I crushed your hope, and now your happiness. It’s so nice to win, isn’t it,” her smugness should be illegal.

“Don’t worry, you’re going to lose, Regina. You know why? Because good always wins. It may take time, but in the end, good. Always. Wins,” Snow claimed emphatically.

“Hear, hear!” David, Granny, Grumpy and Red cheered.

Looking at Emma, her expression torn between skepticism and fear, Regina could feel her blood practically singing with victory as she drawled, “Clearly.”

Blue interrupted the meeting, a couple of soldiers behind her dragging in a tree trunk. She revealed the trunk was their only hope of saving Emma.

“A tree? Our fate rests on a tree?” Grumpy growled in disbelief. “Let’s get back to the fighting thing.”

Laughter ensued; at the time, it was a terrifying notion, especially with the Dark Curse approaching. Now, however, Grumpy’s comment had a certain comedic effect.

Merida nodded in approval, “I agree with the dwarf. You should stand and fight. Not dabble in enchantments and what-not. That’s the Queen’s problem, innit? She hides behind her magic to mask her weakness in battle.”

“Excuse you,” Regina sneered, glaring at the redheaded nuisance in affront. “I’ll have you know, I am an excellent swordswoman.”

Another bout of laughter ensued.

“I am!” she insisted.

“If you say so, your majesty,” Rumplestiltskin crooned.

Killian sneered, “Like you’re one to talk, coward.”

“Shall we have another duel, pirate?”

“Yes. And since there is no magic, you shall taste my blade this time, Crocodile.”

Clearing her throat, Abigail reminded them, “It is not only magic that has been neutralized here. Blades have been dulled, remember?”

Blue explained that the tree was enchanted and that, if fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse. Geppetto insisted he can do it. Then, Blue revealed the catch: “The enchantment is indeed powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one.”

Rumplestiltskin emitted his loudest giggle yet, eliciting quite a few shivers and goosebumps from some individuals, and an annoyed “tch” from Killian. Blue glowered at him; and Rumplestiltskin smirked as he mouthed, ‘Lie!’

Staring warily at Snow and David, and then at Geppetto and Jiminy, Blue rapidly tore her gaze from the Dark One’s, a shiver going down her spine. Of course he would know about her little deception, however temporary it was. It didn’t matter, anyhow. She tasked Geppetto with informing them that another could be protected, but… no. Emma was all alone. She snapped her head around to look sharply at a guilty Geppetto, and his equally guilty conscience. “Oh, no. What did you do, Geppetto…” she whispered to herself, a hand covering her mouth.

Another giggle permeated the room.

“What, may I ask, do you find so funny?” Zelena snapped, his incessant laughter grating on her last nerve.

“A tale for another time, dearie,” he smirked at her.

Back in Storybrooke, Emma walked Henry up the garden path to the Mayor’s house. All the while, Henry kept pleading with her to not take him back, that he didn’t have parents, but a mother who was “evil” and that she doesn’t love him, but only pretends to.

“Does he… really believe that?” Regina gasped, her voice a low whisper and filled with sadness.

Neal rolled his eyes, “Can you blame him. I mean, you are the Evil Queen.”

Glaring at him, she retorted, “Yes, but he doesn’t know that.”

“Sure he does,” Grumpy grunted. “Where’ve you been lady? Haven’t you been listening to a word he said? He knows about your curse.”

“Believing and knowing are two completely different things, midget!” Composing herself, Regina said, “Besides, I always treated him with love and affection. Evil Queen or not, I love my son.”

But Neal wasn’t having it. “He’s not your son, lady!”

“Neal!” Emma rebuked sharply, a warning in her eyes.

Laughing maniacally, Regina sneered, “And what? She is.” She inclined her head sharply toward Emma. “She stopped being his mother the second she gave him up.”

Speaking for the first time, Tiger Lily clapped her hands overhead and shouted, “That’s enough!”

The door opened to reveal Regina and Sheriff Graham.

“And there I am. Her obedient slave,” Graham sighed, his voice possessing a slight whine.

Tossing him a sympathetic look, Red patted him on the shoulder, her smile kind. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Emma will break the curse and you’ll be free from her hold on you.”

A sad smile pulled at his lips, but he didn’t bother to correct her. ‘Oh, if only you knew… my devotion has nothing to do with the curse.’

When Henry revealed that he found his real mother and ran into the house, Graham offered to check on him, leaving Regina and Emma alone.

“How’d you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?” Regina offered.

“Don’t drink it!” Snow and David cried out.

Regina rolled her eyes. “I’ve no reason to poison her… yet,” she smirked evilly.

Uncomfortable, Emma tilted her body to face Killian instead of Regina, who sat a couple of seats to her left. The reality of the situation was getting too hard to ignore. Henry claiming he found his real mother, Regina offering her apple cider, Emma asking for something stronger; and now, as she watched, Regina leading her to the foyer… it all happened exactly as it did before she was haphazardly thrown into this place.

If those series of events did happen… then, that meant the events that occurred in fairytale land to the fairytale characters really happened as well… didn’t it?

Emma inquired as to how Henry found her, to which Regina explained the details of the adoption.

“…I was told the birth mother didn’t want to have any contact.”

Emma nodded. “You were told right.”

“That’s cold,” Aurora murmured, unable to comprehend this odd land’s machinations and how a mother could simply let go of her child.

Having overheard her, Emma snapped, “It’s not like I was in a position to raise a child.”

She glared at Neal, the blame palpable in her green orbs, and he looked away, guilty. August sighed, the guilt at his feet as well, despite the fact that he didn’t know Emma was pregnant at the time.

“And the father?”

“There was one.”

“…” Neal looked utterly frustrated. He settled for glaring at August. After all, why would Emma tell the person who framed her and who was the sole reason she got sent to jail.

“Do I need to be worried about him?”

Matter-of-factly, Emma revealed, “Nope. Doesn’t even know.”

A growl emanated from David. “If I get my hands on him, he’ll wish he’d never been born,” he yelled, and Neal squirmed uncomfortably (much to Emma’s amusement, though she didn’t show it; instead, she glared at the man who believed himself her father). “How dare he get you pregnant and not stick around.”

Coming to Neal’s defense – it was the least he could do since he was partially to blame for all this – August pointed out, “Emma said he didn’t know. It’s not like he found out she was pregnant and ran.”

“Still!” Snow huffed. “There must be a good reason Emma didn’t tell him, which doesn’t say much about what kind of man he is.”

Annoyed, Emma said, “Can we stop discussing my private affairs. Let’s just…let’s just continue watching, okay? I don’t want to talk about …” sighing when Neal’s name wouldn’t come out, she settled on, “Henry’s father.”

Neal grimaced.

Emma assured Regina she didn’t have to worry about her just as Graham came down the stairs, reassuring Regina that Henry was alright, just tired.

“And that’s the last you shall see of my kindness, Regina,” Graham snarled at her.

Unbothered, Regina said, “We shall see.”

With Graham’s departure, the interest waxed, especially from Emma and Regina, as everything that occurred afterwards was now considered the future.

After Graham left, Regina and Emma talk some more, with Regina defending herself, claiming she’s not evil, just a busy woman with two jobs who is sometimes strict. “… I don’t think that makes me evil, do you?”

“You are evil,’” Grumpy inserted.

“No one asked you, dwarf,” Regina sneered.

Emma revealed Henry’s reasons: “the fairytale thing.” which came as a shock to Regina who asked for an elaboration.

Abigail sighed, “Oh, no. Emma…I wish you hadn't told her that.”

Defensive, Emma snapped, “It’s not like I knew it was real at the time.”

“AHA!” Rumplestiltskin interjected shrilly. “So you finally believe, hmm.”

“No!” Emma fidgeted yet again. Suddenly, she asked, “Can you stop…doing that. Changing forms. It’s…creepy.”

Rolling his eyes as he shifted from the imp to the man, Rumplestiltskin said, “You ask like it’s under my control, Ms. Swan.”

“I don’t mind,” Belle reassured him, leaning into his side, much to some of the individual’s surprise and discomfort, though only Killian showed blatant disgust.

After Regina revealed that she had no idea what Emma was talking about, Emma claimed it wasn’t her business and left. Before heading to her car, Emma turned around to find Henry watching her from an upstairs window.

Cacophonies of disapproval echoed throughout the room. Snow, however, was optimistic, “She’ll come back.”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Regina hissed, her expression victorious once again.

The scene transitioned to Emma driving out of town; however, just as she was approaching the sign, she noticed Henry’s storybook on the front seat. “Sneaky bastard,” she muttered.

Laughter ensued.

“My grandson’s a genius!” David cheered, hugging Snow tightly to his side, both of them beaming at the fact that their daughter wouldn’t be leaving Storybrooke after all.

Regina muttered to herself, “Oh, Henry.”

All of a sudden, a wolf with mismatching eyes appeared in the road and Emma gasped, the car spinning out of control and crashing into the “Welcome to Storybrooke” sign.

Graham mirrored Future-Emma’s gasp, his expression alight with happiness, “My friend! Oh, how much you’ve been missed.” He hadn't seen him since the Evil Queen ripped his heart out and made him her slave.

Red and Granny clapped their hands together, grinning from ear to ear at the wolf’s appearance. Red even gave Graham an approving glance, interested and delighted over his friendship with a wolf.

David and Snow, on the other hand, were more concerned over their daughter’s wellbeing. “I’m sure she’s alright,” David assured his wife.

Emma hit her head on the steering wheel and she fell unconscious as the wolf howled.

The scene then changed to The Enchanted Forest, where Geppetto was working on the enchanted wardrobe with Pinocchio.

Geppetto hungrily stared at his son while August smiled fondly at the scene.

Snow White stared out a window as Charming joined her side. Snow was telling her husband that she doesn’t want to leave him while Charming assured her it was the only way to be safe from the curse. Snow said, “He said it would be on her twenty-eighth birthday.”

“He could be wrong,” Neal insisted stubbornly. This ability to see the future was new to Neal; so it made sense he would be the most cynical regarding the Dark One’s prediction.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Oh, but I am not.”

Sneering at Neal, Zelena snapped, “As you can see, you idiot, Emma did come to Storybrooke on her twenty-eighth birthday.”

“But she didn’t break the curse,” Neal pointed out.

“Yet,” Red, Granny, Grumpy, Graham, Blue, Nova, Snow and David intoned.

Smiling giddily, Rumplestiltskin said, “You all flatter me.”

“She won’t be breaking the curse, I’ll make sure of it!” Regina hissed venomously.

All of them seemed to have forgotten that Emma was in the room.

David’s expression became cold, his jaw taut and eyes practically spitting fire, “You touch even a hair on my daughter’s head, and you’ll have me to deal with!”

“And me!” Snow hissed, to which others from their inner circle echoed their agreement.

Feigning a shiver, Regina drawled, “I’m so scared.”

Throwing her a wolfish grin, Red said, “You should be.”

That was kind of scary, Regina thought privately.

“What’s twenty-eight years when you have eternal love? I have faith,” David was saying, “You will save me, as I did you.”

Leaning closer into Phillip, Aurora shuddered, “I cannot imagine being separated from my Phillip for such a long time.”

“Neither can I,” Phillip kissed her.

Maleficent sneered, “You two sicken me.”

“Welcome to my world,” Regina scoffed, glaring daggers at David and Snow who were kissing both, on-screen and off-screen.

Suddenly, Snow bent over, her expression contorted in pain. “The baby. She’s coming!”

“What horrible timing,” Guinevere said sympathetically, sad eyes traveling between the couple on-screen and in the haven.

Emma sighed. ‘Guess that explains how I didn’t have my moth-… How Snow didn’t come with me. The wardrobe could only take one.” She froze all of a sudden… ‘Does that mean I’m starting to believe?’ She didn’t want to. Rumplestiltskin, who had been observing her throughout her internal battle, giggled. She shuddered; he was too omniscient… which was definitely creepy.

On the parapet of the Castle, Grumpy stood guard with Sleepy and two others. Grumpy suddenly kicked Sleepy awake.

“Why do we keep putting Sleepy on guard duty?” David asked.

Grumpy shook his head furiously, “I keep asking you two the same thing!”

Shrugging, Snow smiled, “He’s an excellent guard… when he’s awake.”

“That’s just sloppy, your majesties,” Arthur attempted to remain civil by using their honorifics, but it was clear for everyone to see that he believed David and Snow weren’t fit to make strategic decisions.

Maleficent looked absolutely delighted, “Ooh, I like you.”

“I mean no offense,” Arthur didn’t share Maleficent’s sentiment and clearly felt disturbed at being complimented by her. “I merely believe that loyalty and kindness have no place when it comes to the defense of the kingdom and of its people.”

Snow sighed and inclined her head, her smile assuring him that no offense had been taken, “You’re right, of course.”

“Too bad you don’t have a kingdom to get back to.” That was what Regina wanted to say; unfortunately, all that came out was: “Too bad you don’t have a …”

“That damn dampener!” she snarled at the ceiling, much to Rumplestiltskin and Zelena’s amusement.

A cloud of green and purple smoke, thick and vicious, was approaching rapidly. A dragon flew past, as did other flying creatures, in a desperate attempt to outrace the curse. Grumpy rang a nearby bell: “The curse, it’s HEREEE!”

Curious, Belle looked at Maleficent, “Was that you?”

“Perhaps,” Maleficent sniffed, glaring daggers at Regina.

Back in Storybrooke, Emma woke up on a cot behind bars. In the cell next to her was Leroy, who was whistling, and outside Marco was repairing a cabinet.

“She made me the town drunk!” Grumpy snapped, joining Maleficent in giving a smug Regina the black stare.

Donning a look of innocence, Regina said, “I frankly don’t see much of a difference. You are grumpy. I simply made you a grumpy drunk.”

Grumpy made to stand, fists curled, if it weren’t for Snow’s calming hand on his arm. “Why I oughta—” he growled.

Staring at his cursed self, Marco sadly stated, “I am childless here…”

“Be thankful I didn’t fashion my wardrobe out of your puppet,” Regina sneered, nostrils flaring angrily.

But to Geppetto, Jiminy, August and Blue, they knew it was an empty threat… Regina had no idea what happened of Pinocchio, because he never came to the Land Without Magic through the curse.

Leroy and Marco engaged Emma in conversation; and while Leroy was belligerent, Marco was kind, claiming he and his wife tried for many years to have children, but never succeeded.

Snow laughed at Leroy’s remark about children being brats. “Oh, Grumpy. You do share similarities with Leroy, you know.”

“Your brat is an exception, of course,” he grinned.

“Of course,” David and Snow rolled their eyes.

Emma’s discomfort grew. It was weird watching herself in the future. As in… if that voice didn’t carry her off to this place, she would've lived through all that… and more. She shook her head, ‘This is so bizarre!’

Sheriff Graham joined them and unlocked Leroy’s cell as he told him to stay out of trouble.

“I can’t believe we lived through the same day for twenty-eight years and didn’t notice,” Graham stated, appearing as though he shared Emma’s current thoughts on the bizarreness of the situation.

Grumpy flicked his head in Graham’s direction, “Tell me about it, Huntsman.”

“Speaking of which… what should we call you?” Snow asked kindly.

Uncomfortable, Graham couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. Regina, however, let out a maniacal laugh, “He doesn’t have a name.”

“Shut up, you evil witch!” Red snarled, feeling extremely protective of the Huntsman for some reason.

(Right… Emma looked at Graham with wide eyes. The Huntsman. As in the fairytale character who was supposed to carve Snow White’s heart out on the orders of the Evil Queen, but didn’t due to an attack of compassion. Instead, he spared her life, giving her the chance to flee which led her to the Seven Dwarves, and ultimately, her Prince Charming. The Disney adaptation never revealed the Huntsman’s fate after he told Snow White to run away.)

“I don’t want to use the name she gave me,” Graham revealed in a small voice.

Regina continued to cackle. Rumplestiltskin couldn’t have that; if he were to create any enemies in this room, it would be the one who imprisoned his love and had him mourn her for many years.

The modulated brogue of Rumplestiltskin and not the shrilly cry of the imp, resonated in the room. “Regina didn’t give you your name. Your given name before you were abandoned to the wolves was Graham Humbert. You were simply too young to remember it and adopted the moniker of ‘Huntsman’ when you got older.”

A plethora of disbelieving expressions was aimed at Rumplestiltskin, and Regina looked like she had been hit over the head with a frying pan. “WHAT!” she yelled.

“What...” Graham cleared his throat, eyes bright with unshed tears, “What do you want in return?”

Rumplestiltskin waved a hand, “Nothing.”

Belle looked proud while Neal slightly resembled Regina in her surprise.

Scoffing, David leveled Rumplestiltskin with a serious stare, “You never do anything for free. There’s always a catch with you, always a deal to be made, always something in return.”

“David,” Snow whispered, attempting to quiet him. She was starting to realize that they were, sometimes, too quick to judge when it came to Rumplestiltskin.

Not offended in the least bit, unlike his beloved Belle who was bristling with anger beside him, he patted her thigh lightly and giggled, the imp slowly taking over him, “Oh, Charming, Charming, Charming. Robbing Regina of some happiness is price enough.”

“You imp,” she screeched.

“Thank you,” Graham whispered. But Rumplestiltskin waved a hand in dismissal, “Don’t mention it.” Sharply he emphasized, “I mean it, don’t. I do have a reputation to uphold, dearie,” he giggled.

Hope burgeoned in Neal’s heart before he quashed it; every time his Papa gave him reason to hope that the man still existed, that his father hadn't been completely overtaken by the Dark One, he’s proven wrong over and over, until he stopped daring to hope.

Emma insisted she wasn’t drunk when Graham insinuated Regina’s drinks were stronger than initially believed; and when she told him a wolf appearing on the road was the reason behind the crash, Graham reacted with disbelief.

“I wish I believed you,” Graham sighed.

Red patted his shoulder again, “It’s the Curse. Don’t blame yourself.”

Suddenly, Regina stormed into the room: Henry was missing again and she’s quick to place the blame on Emma.

“Lady, I haven’t seen him since I dropped him at your house and,” looking at the prison bars, Emma said, “I have a pretty good alibi.”

“You need to stop blaming everyone for things that are obviously your fault,” Emma stated in a hard voice.

Regina glared at her, her voice daring her to continue, “And what do you mean by that, Ms. Swan.”

“Pretty obvious, Madam Mayor,” Emma said snarkily. “Like I mentioned, I’ve a good alibi. Henry disappeared on your watch. It’s your fault, no one else’s.”

Granny snorted, “The Evil Queen has grown used to blaming everyone else for her unhappiness.”

“Just one person, actually,” Regina sneered at Snow, ignoring Emma for the moment.

Zelena had an ugly smirk on her face that meant nothing good. “What I find interesting though, is that in such a short amount of time, Henry ran away from you, Reggie dear. He went all the way to this…Boston place to find his mother, and when she left, he ran away again. The message is quite obvious, don’t you think?”

“Zip it, Greenie,” Regina growled.

“Is this all you do?” When Tiger Lily spoke, her voice resonated clearly in the room, prompting almost everyone to settle down and focus on her. “Fight, fight, fight. Wouldn’t it be more conducive to listen and let go of petty arguments?”

Grumpy stared at her in disbelief, “Petty arguments? Sister, the Evil Queen cursed us. Ripped us away from our homes, our lives, our friends and families.”

Emma assured Regina she could find Henry if she’s let out; and the scene shifted to Henry’s room. While she and Graham debated their different methods in carrying out investigations, Regina hovered in the background. Finally, Emma discovered a receipt for a website that revealed the identity of his mother, and the credit card he used to pay for it, which belonged to Mary Margaret Blanchard.

“Of course it’s you,” Regina sneered.

Snow rolled her eyes. “Yes. I gave Henry my credit card and told him to find his biological mother, then to hop a bus on a four hour ride to Boston. Get real,” she huffed.

Robin looked proud, “Your son’s a little thief in the making, isn’t he.”

“Like father, like son,” Emma mumbled under her breath.

Killian, intrigued, smirked at her, “What’s that, love?”

“Nothing.”

Neal shifted guiltily and turned to look at Robin, “I uh, don’t think it’s a good thing.”

“Nonsense!” Robin exclaimed. “Thievery doesn’t always have to be bad. Why, I steal from the rich to give to the poor – that’s honorable and altruistic.”

If looks could kill, Robin Hood would be six-feet under, “My son is not a thief, bandit.”

More amused than offended, Robin smirked, “Was that supposed to be an insult, your majesty?”

For a brief moment, Tinker Bell felt something; but when she looked closer at Regina and Robin Hood, the feeling vanished. Frowning to herself, she shook her head and looked away.

The scene changed to Storybrooke Elementary School where Mary Margaret was holding a bird in her hand as she taught her class.

“Your hair!” David cried in shock. He then ran a hand through Snow’s long locks, “You look beautiful, the fairest in all the lands, no matter how your hair looks like.”

Snow beamed and kissed him. “I must admit, short hair was less hectic, and a nice comfort. But I… oh I do prefer my long hair. I missed it.”

Regina sneered, “Vanity aside, let’s get back to the episode! I want to see why you deemed it wise to give my son your credit card.”

“I didn’t give him anything!” she retorted, irritated.

“Then how did he get it!”

Robin interjected, “Didn’t we just agree that young Henry performed a little thievery?”

Snarling, Regina snapped, “We didn’t agree on anything. My son is not a thief. He’s being corrupted by Snow White!”

“You’re really delusional, lady,” Emma remarked, staring at Regina in disbelief.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

As the class ended, the children making their way out, Regina stormed into the classroom yelling for Henry. Emma deduced that Mary Margaret didn’t have any idea of Henry’s actions and it was revealed that Henry took her credit card without her knowledge.

“Told you,” Robin said smugly.

Regina scowled, “I pray for your slow and painful demise.”

“Who in their right mind would let you adopt a baby,” Neal stared at Regina, disgusted.

“Shut it, Cassidy!”

The next revelation was that Mary Margaret was the one to give Henry the storybook, something which infuriated Regina, who demanded to know what the book was.

“Go, Snow!” Granny hooted, pumping her fist into the air.

Regina looked victorious, “You see! Even cursed as meek Mary Margaret, you’re still trying to bring me down!”

“Yes,” Snow drawled. “That’s my goal. You caught me.” Shaking her head, she passionately declared, “I never tried to destroy you. I only ever wanted your happiness. You are the one who cursed us all. Mary Margaret doesn’t know anything about the curse, and even if she, I mean I, oh this is confusing!” Taking in a deep breath, she continued, “Naturally, if I knew I was cursed, I’d fight like hell to break it. Why would anyone want to remain cursed!?”

“Hear, hear!” Grumpy cheered.

Emma shook her head, “These people are crazy.”

“Aye, makes one want to drink their weight in rum,” Killian added.

Rolling his eyes, Neal said, “You’re a pirate. Since when do you need an excuse to get drunk on rum?”

Staring at him with intent blue eyes, Killian slowly said, “You seem somewhat familiar… have I threatened you before?”

Playing with the collar of his shirt, Neal shortly muttered, “No.”

“Just some old stories I gave him,” Mary Margaret said. “As you well know, Henry is a special boy: so smart, so creative, and as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it.”

David smiled proudly at his wife. “Even cursed, and you still look out for family.”

“Of course,” Snow grinned, kissing him deeply.

“Ugh,” Zelena sneered. “Could you please try and limit your public displays of affection to none a day. You make me want to hurl.”

Maleficent and Regina unconsciously nodded their agreement.

Belle gave her a pitying look, “Once you find love, you’ll think differently.”

“And what makes you think I hadn't already found it!” Zelena demanded, her eyes shifting too quick for anyone but Rumplestiltskin to notice, at himself.

Regina laughed, “Right. Why do I find that hard to believe?”

“What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip to Boston.” And with that, Regina knocked over a stack of books as she left the classroom in a huff.

“Mother of the year, that one,” Neal said sarcastically.

Regina snarled at him, “And what would you know, Cassidy.”

“You’re such an unpleasant person, you know that,” Merida commented, looking at Regina in distaste.

“Oh I love it when we gang up on Regina,” Zelena smirked; she wasn’t about to let Regina’s previous nasty comment slide. Thankfully, Regina had no shortage of enemies in this room – it was like all her birthdays rolled into one and she was going to enjoy every single second of this experience.

Regina looked down her nose at the redhead, “Listen, princess. You don’t know me, so let me part you with a little warning. Don’t get on my bad side, hmm.”

“Are you threatening her?” Macintosh disliked Merida greatly, but only he had the right to threaten her or mock her. Nobody else. Especially not this evil witch.

Donning an expression of faux-surprise, Regina asked, “Was I not obvious?”

“I don’t need protecting, Mac. Not from you ‘specially!” Merida huffed.

Emma helped Mary Margaret.

Snow beamed at Emma who resolutely avoided looking in her direction.

Mary Margaret then explained how a book was going to help Henry, putting her foot in her mouth when she mentioned the loneliness of an adopted child and what their thought process was: “…why would anyone give me away?”

Just like Mary Margaret, Snow began to apologize profusely to her daughter, “I’m so sorry!” Her eyes welled with tears, “That was so thoughtless of me!”

“It’s alright, forget about it,” Emma waved off her apology, eyes still averted.

“Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have: hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.”

David grinned at Snow, “Mary Margaret or not. Even cursed, you Snow, you’re still in there.”

“I am, aren't I,” Snow beamed, much to Regina’s growing irritation.

Mary Margaret then directed Emma to Henry’s castle right as the scene shifted to The Enchanted Forest.

Snow White was in the final stages of labor; Charming was holding her while Doc tended to her.

“I cannot understand how you entrust the life of you and your baby on a dwarf who got his medical degree from an axe,” Rumplestiltskin muttered in a voice loud enough to carry.

Affronted for her friend, Snow huffed, “He did just fine, thank you very much!”

“Bossy told me the same thing once,” Grumpy added sheepishly, insinuating he was in agreement with the Dark One on this.

Anna appeared fascinated, “An axe can give you a medical degree. Elsa, we really should get out of Arendelle more often.”

“Perhaps, Anna,” Elsa smiled softly, pacifying her adventurous little sister.

After much screaming and demands to push, Snow White finally gave birth. The scene shifted back and forth between the approaching Dark Curse and the birth of Emma. They covered the baby in a blanket with “Emma” embroidered on the side and Charming kissed Snow White’s forehead.

Emma gasped, the sound loud enough to bring everyone’s attention to her.

“That… that blanket. I-I have it with me still. It’s,” swallowing harshly, Emma finally met Snow and David’s gazes, her own green eyes welling with tears, “it’s all I have from my parents. I’ve always carried it with me everywhere.”

A sob escaped Snow, “Oh, Emma.”

“It’s, it’s true then. The Curse. The Enchanted Forest. All of you… all of this. You, you really are-” cutting herself off, Emma dragged a hand roughly down her face. “My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming,” she stated in disbelief.

“King, actually,” David said weakly, attempting and failing to insert some levity into the situation.  Snow smacked him across the chest, chastising him, “David, now is not the time!”

“Well done, dearie, finally caught on have you,” Rumplestiltskin said; Neal was the only one to notice the flicker of relief in those lizard-like amber eyes.

Emma kept shaking her head, not in denial, but in disbelief, “It sounds crazy but… it’s crazier to not believe in something just because you don’t want to. I just,” she looked at her parents (yes, parents!) again, “I need time, though. It’s impossible to believe, but it’s harder for me to accept. I just… need some time.”

“And you’ll have it,” David quickly cut in before Snow could put her foot in her mouth again. Knowing his love and her impatience, she’d only push Emma away. “Take as long as you need. We’ll be here waiting when you’re ready.”

Emma gave him a hesitant smile and looked away.

Sighing, an annoyed Maleficent said, “As touching as this has been, can we get on with it!” What right did they have to be happy, reuniting with their child, when they, those so-called heroes, are the reason she lost hers! Her revenge will be slow yet swift… lull them into a sense of false security and then crush them. She’ll make them rue the day they crossed her. She just needed to be patient.

As though reading her mind and seeing her intentions, Snow and David looked at Maleficent sadly, their visages marred with guilt.

“The wardrobe. It only takes one,” Snow said with unadulterated sadness.

“Then our plan has failed. At least we’re together,” David said. But Snow argued with David that Emma needed to be sent through the wardrobe before the curse overtook them. Snow was adamant that it was Emma’s best chance and that they had to believe she would come back for them.

It was the exact reason she gave Henry up, and the hardness in Emma thawed a bit. Just a bit, because…

Swallowing with difficulty, Emma hoarsely spoke up, her eyes fixated on the screen, “I understand where you’re coming from, and that you wanted to give me my best chance. I do, because it’s why I gave Henry up. But… a part of me wishes you listened to David. At least we would be together.”

Another sob escaped Snow and David looked wrecked.

Clearing her throat, Regina grudgingly said, “Not to defend Snow, as that’s the last thing I’d ever do. However, should Snow White and her charming prince kept you, I would have ripped you apart anyhow.” Gleeful malevolence etched itself onto her face, “I’d have kept you for myself, maybe. Raised you as my own. Taught you to hate your parents. Or perhaps I’d have left you in an orphanage, alone and abandoned. Either way, the only happy ending would have been mine.”

Disgust appeared on almost everyone’s faces.

Emma sneered, “You really are a piece of work, aren't you.”

“Then it’s a good thing we knew what was best, Regina,” Snow said curtly. “That we sent Emma away. I’d rather have my daughter begrudge me than have her in the middle of our battles. Because that’s what it is. It’s always been about you and me. You just had to let everyone feel your suffering.”

Furious, Regina waved her hands as though to use magic, but nothing happened, much to Rumplestiltskin’s delight, who giggled maniacally. “If I had my magic, I’d crush you right now,” she snarled.

“Your magic never scared me before, Regina,” Snow retorted. “But it’s good to see you on the same level as us mere mortals. You won’t be able to control us here. You won’t be able to intimidate us or force us to do your bidding. You’re done, Regina.”

Snarling like an animal, Regina sneered, “Oh, we’ll see about that. Don’t forget, this here, all of this, it’s temporary.”

“You really are a charming woman, witch,” Robin drawled, his handsome face contorting with deep dislike as he stared at Regina.

“What would you know about charm,” Regina snapped.

On the outside, Regina was fighting excellently and putting up a strong, solid front; inwardly, though, she was exhausted. It really was tiring, to be fighting with everyone in every direction. There were thirty-five people to contend with, and none of them was on her side. Rumplestiltskin, her tutor, would've been, as would Maleficent, her only friend… if she hadn't punished them as well. She just couldn’t help herself.

Snow White kissed Emma on the forehead and whispered a goodbye before Charming left, her mournful cries echoing in the room behind her.

A tear cascaded down Emma’s face. It was obvious, the raw grief and sadness Snow White emanated at having her daughter ripped away from her… at having Emma taken away from her.

Even Rumplestiltskin wasn’t immune to the sad moment and he felt glad when the imp reemerged, the illusion of Zoso at the corner of his eye banishing most of the sadness away.

With Emma cradled in one hand and his sword in the other, Charming began dispatching the Evil Queen’s soldiers as they attempted to stop him from getting to the wardrobe. In the process, however, he suffered a wound to the shoulder, but he soldiered on and kept on going until he finally kicked open the door.

Phillip whistled, “That was really impressive, King David. Excellent swordsmanship. All that while holding your child!”

“Please, call me, David,” David smiled.

Nodding curtly, a winsome smile on his face, Phillip said, “Then you must call me, Phillip.”

“You’d make an excellent pirate,” Killian complimented him.

Uncertain on how he should take it, David said, “Er, thanks. Don’t think that’s a compliment though.”

“Sure it is,” Killian insisted, a devilish smirk on his handsome face.

He placed Emma inside the wardrobe and kissed her on the forehead, tears running down his face as he said, “Find us,” right before he closed the wardrobe.

More tears fell down Emma’s face. She was obviously very loved by her parents. The wardrobe must have dumped her on the side of the road. Her parents cared about her, loved her. Nevertheless, it was still hard to let go of twenty-eight years of grudges and anger.

Two soldiers advanced on him and he fought them off. Unfortunately, one got him in the abdomen and he collapsed.

Snow let out a scream, tears coming down her face. “Oh, I know you survived this. But watching you get hurt, it’s horrible! I couldn’t know if you survived, the Curse took us before I could find out.”

“Shhh, Snow. I’m here. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” David reassured her.

The other couples in the room held on to their loved ones that much tighter: Phillip and Aurora, Rumplestiltskin and Belle, Abigail and Frederick, Anna and Kristoff, and Arthur and Guinevere. They couldn’t imagine being in such a precarious situation, and truly sympathized with Snow and David.

The soldier who stabbed him stepped over Charming to open the wardrobe, but Emma was no longer there. Seeing this, Charming smiled before losing consciousness.

“You risked your life for me,” Emma stated, her tone neutral.

David sat up straight, “Of course. I’d die for you and your mother. A thousand times over.”

A watery smile on her face, Emma nodded, holding eye contact with him for a while longer before looking away. Neal felt happy for Emma; she deserved to be loved and have her parents in her life, a family. He then looked at his family, his Papa… at Rumplestiltskin. He seemed happy enough without his son whinging about magic and amassing power. He had friends, enemies, frenemies, acquaintances, and telling by the way Belle always made sure to maintain skin contact with him, a lover. He had love in his life. He didn’t need Baelfire. ‘No Neal. I’m no longer Baelfire. Baelfire is gone. I’m Neal Cassidy!’

Back in Storybrooke, Emma joined Henry at his castle and gave him his storybook.

“I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle will begin,” he told her sadly.

Emma scoffed, unwittingly echoing her future-self, “I’m not fighting any battles, kid.”

“No, it’s much too early for that,” Rumplestiltskin agreed, expression solemn and gaze faraway, even though he didn’t have his magic in this room.

Regina smirked, “She needs to break the curse first. And luckily for me, that’s unlikely to happen.”

Just for the sake of pissing off and disagreeing with Regina, Emma wanted to yell that she could and she would. But she swallowed back that impulsive urge and bit her lips to keep quiet.

 Emma showed Henry hostility when he kept insisting that her destiny was to restore happy endings. Henry, however, brushed it off and told her he knows she likes him and that he doesn’t blame her for giving him away: “You’re just pushing me away because you feel guilty. It’s okay; I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance.”

“Smart lad,” Killian said.

August agreed, “Really smart.”

“He seems like an intuitive child, don’t you think, Rumple?” Bella added, leaning into her love.

He absentmindedly carded a hand through her hair, “Yes.”

Shuddering, Killian looked away. Although, he had to admit he preferred to see the Crocodile in his Dark One form rather than the man… than the weak, cowardly spinner he met, oh so long ago.

“How do you know that?” Emma asked.

Henry said, “The same reason Snow White gave you away.”

Emma laughed, shaking her head, “He really is something, huh. I wish I’d have listened to him. Future-me, I mean,”

“Well, I for one am glad for your stubbornness, Ms. Swan; and your inability to believe. It was very fortuitous for me, I must say,” Regina smirked gleefully.

Neal glared at August, who once again, shifted in his seat, his handsome face darkening with guilt and self-hatred. He just had to adopt a hedonistic lifestyle. He should’ve kept his promise to his Papa; but he didn’t… and look at what happened!

“Guardian Angel, my ass,” Neal hissed, eyes rolling heavily in their sockets.

She responded with more denial and then insisted on taking him back home to Regina.

“Yes, bring my son back to me!” Regina snarled. Henry’s next words, however, hurt her to the very core. ‘Why would he say his life sucks with me. I love him. I’d do anything for him.’ She forced the tears to retreat – she wouldn’t be showing any weakness in front of these heroes and her enemies. She was in a friendless room, she had no one, and the only person she did have… her son, Henry… well, apparently he hated her. Just like the imp warned her long ago, she felt empty.

Rumplestiltskin giggled knowingly.

Regina clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

“Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway; my parents didn’t even bother to drop me off at a hospital!” Emma’s anger melted and she broke down, her voice said. “I ended up in a foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back…” Getting a control on her emotions, she calmly said, “Look, your mom is trying her best. I know it’s hard. And I know sometimes you think she doesn’t love you. But at least she wants you.”

“Oh, Emma!” Snow’s sobs renewed with fervor. “I’m so sorry!”

David opened and closed his mouth a few times before he was able to say, “We didn’t mean for you to end up on the side of the road—”

“I know. I know. This me… future-me, she doesn’t know the truth. I get it,” Emma sighed, tired. “You don’t need to apologize every time. What’s done is done. If that past could be changed then whoever brought us here, they would've taken us further back in time.”

Maleficent looked at Emma in a new light, “How astute of you.”

“Don’t take compliments from her, she rarely ever means them,” Aurora snarled, glaring daggers at the sorceress.

“To you, maybe,” Maleficent retorted.

Regina, on the other hand, was gaping at Emma. She defended her to Henry. A part of her… the old Regina, would have thanked her. But this Regina, the Evil Queen, haughtily looked away. She should be defended – she was Henry’s mother. She adopted him, saved him from the foster system, changed every diaper, raised him, took care of him, loved him. It was all her. Not Emma Swan. Her!

“You didn’t-” August tried to explain, but couldn’t.

Frowning at the odd man who seemed to be friends with Neal, Emma leaned forward, “What?”

“…” Sighing, August’s shoulders slumped, “Never mind. You’ll find out later.”

“That dampener really puts a dampener on things, huh,” Anna joked, a childish smile on her face that had Kristoff and David laughing, and Elsa rolling her eyes in a ‘God give me strength’ manner.

Nova let out a tinkling laugh, “Nice pun!”

Henry corrected Emma, claiming that the freeway was where she came through the wardrobe and that her parents were trying to protect her from the curse. Sarcastically agreeing, Emma took his hand and they walked off.

“This is going to be very tiring. Watching Emma treat Henry with skepticism,” Neal sighed.

Emma glowered, “Well excuse me for not believing. Future-me doesn’t have the proof that present-me has, okay?!”

Raising his hands, Neal said, “I’m not blaming you. Just saying it’ll be exhausting to watch. And annoying.”

“I’m with you there, man,” Grumpy growled; there were a lot of noises of agreement, and Emma sheepishly looked away, mumbling “sorry” under her breath.

Killian chuckled, “Don’t worry, princess. I think it’ll be amusing.”

“I’m not a princess,” she corrected him.

One dark eyebrow raised, he smirked, “Sure you are. Your parents are King and Queen. That makes you a princess.”

Neal glared at them with suspicion. Was Hook flirting with Emma?! And by the looks of it, Emma wasn’t annoyed by him; in fact, she seemed extremely receptive of him. He clenched his fists, jealousy consuming him for a brief moment.

In The Enchanted Forest, Snow White finally made it to Charming and collapsed to her knees as she cradled his head in her lap. Regina joined them and told her not to worry, that in a few moments, she won’t remember him at all. When asked why she’s doing this, Regina responds, “Because this is my happy ending.”

“Was it, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin smirked. “Truly, was it?”

Catching on, Snow inquired, “Are you happy, Regina.”

“Shut up! The both of you. Once Emma Swan leaves Storybrooke, I will be!” she snarled.

When the soldiers revealed that Emma got away, relief lit up Snow White’s features. “She got away. You’re going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win.”

The amount of faith that was put on her was startling and incredibly uncomfortable.

Cheers of agreement met Snow White’s statement.

“Yes. Good will always win,” Aurora snapped at Maleficent.

Eyebrows arched, Maleficent said, “Last I checked, you were still under my Sleeping Curse, and your darling prince isn’t even close to finding you. I seem to be winning right about now.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled and Regina rolled her eyes. Despite their issues with one another, neither one of them revealed that Maleficent wasn’t in a victorious position as, for twenty-eight years, she has been stuck in the library basement as a dragon. Even if they wanted to, though, they wouldn’t be able to because of the dampener.

The ceiling cracks and the air began to darken and swirl as the Curse started to envelop them.

“Where are we going?” Snow White yelled right before she buried her face in Charming, covering his body with hers. Victorious, Regina stood in the middle of the room and exclaimed, “Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine.”

The Curse then covered everything and the scene transitioned back to Storybrooke where Emma and Henry stood in front of the Mayor’s house.

“I can’t believe I thought Rumplestiltskin was the evil one,” Anna piped up matter-of-factly.

Belle frowned, “How exactly do you know Rumple?”

“…” Anna tried.

Another giggle emanated from Rumplestiltskin. “Dearie, I have history with almost everyone in this room. The number of people I know and have made deals with would make your head spin,” he said.

“You must be so proud,” Neal snarled.

“As a matter of fact, yes, I am,” Rumplestiltskin enunciated clearly.

Muttering infiltrated the room, most of which sounded sheepish and their owners averted eye contact with the Dark One. Despite their warnings not to do so, they’ve all made deals with him at one point or another. Especially David and Snow, who have made plenty of deals with him when it suited them and actually had the most interactions with him than anyone else in this room, excluding Regina, of course.

“He seems to have taken quite a shine to you,” Regina told Emma once Henry went inside.

Neal appeared proud, “He should. Emma’s his mother.”

“No one asked you, Cassidy.” Doing a double-take, Regina snarled, “Why are you even here. Who are you!?”

He ignored her, mostly because he could feel his father’s gaze burning a hole into him, and that made him nervous. Even if the dampener wasn’t in effect, Neal wouldn’t have liked to reveal his identity; he couldn’t face his father, and if that made him a coward, so be it.

Emma confided in Regina of the wish she made the other day only for Regina to treat her with hostility, stating that Henry was her son and that Emma didn’t have a place in his life; that she was the one who had raised Henry for ten years, not Emma.

“I don’t know what has gotten into me,” Emma shook her head, furious with herself. “I would never reveal something so private to anyone, let alone you. I guess you’re good at acting like an actual person than an evil queen.”

Regina sneered, but offered no response. Perhaps her reaction was severe; but she was certain her future-self felt threatened by this woman’s appearance in Henry’s life.

“…Do you know what a closed adoption is? It’s what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you’re gonna be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you leave this town. Because if you don’t, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do.”

“Did you just threaten my daughter!” David roared, attempting and failing to get to his feet due to Snow preventing him.

Rumplestiltskin laughed, the imp having receded to portray the man. “Your threats are beginning to lose their punches, Regina.”

Neal scoffed, “You threatening Emma ensured your worst fear. She’s gonna be sticking around now.”

“Then I’m going to have to do something to remedy that,” Regina snarled.

This time, Snow tried and failed to lunge at Regina, due to David preventing her. His focus was on Neal, “You seem to know a lot about my daughter.”

“…” Neal sighed and threw his hands in the air. He simply settled on, “Yeah. I do.”

Emma rolled her eyes, “David, please don’t do that. The over-protective dad act is a bit too soon.”

Sheepish, David nodded and refocused his attention on Regina, “Like I said before… one hair on her head, and you’ll wish you’d never been born. This, I vow to you, Regina!”

“Yes, yes, you’ve made your point. I’m shaking in my boots,” she drawled, waving a negligent hand.

As Regina turned to leave, Emma called after her, “Do you love him?”

When she eventually claimed she did, Emma looked troubled.

“Your so-called superpower is a joke!” Regina shouted. “I do love Henry.”

Emma nodded, “I believe you. Here. But there,” she inclined her head toward the large screen, “it didn’t sound like it.”

“You must be losing your touch then,” she retorted snappishly.

The scene began to shift through various scenes: Regina entered Henry’s room; he’s asleep and she takes his book without him noticing.

“You better not do anything to that book!” Emma and Snow snarled. They then looked at each other, surprised. Snow smiled and Emma bit her lip before giving her a small smile.

Huffing, Regina said, “I’m not going to do anything to it. I probably just want to read it.”

“Yes, and find out how it ends. Including the bit where it’s mentioned that Emma is the savior,” Belle pointed out, distressed.

Tiger Lily sighed. “There is no point in worrying about something before it happens,” she said wisely. “If it even happens,” she added.

At Storybrooke General Hospital, Mary Margaret was putting a flower on the bedside of a patient.

“That’s one of our subjects,” Snow sighed sadly, shaking her head at whatever lonely fate Regina had given the poor man.

She did the same for another man who had a wristband with the words “John Doe” on it.

David gasped, sitting up straight so quickly he nearly knocked Snow over. “That’s me!” He then glared at Regina, who was staring at him slyly.

“I just… I just put flowers on your bedside and I, I left,” Snow covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. “How can I not recognize you?”

“It’s the curse, dear,” Regina sneered. “You’re not supposed to.” She laughed to herself, dark eyes dancing merrily, “This has put me in such a good mood.”

Red threw her a dirty look, “Enjoy it while it lasts. Because you won’t be smiling for long.”

“We shall see,” Regina hummed, enjoying the distraught written all over Snow and David’s faces.

Emma felt horrible; watching her parents… their past, and seeing them in this room, and then watching them in the future, how David’s in a coma, without a name, without an identity, and Snow just… passes her husband without acknowledging him or sparing him a second glance. It was absolutely terrible.

“I’m certain that with Emma in town, the curse will lose some of its hold, and you’ll wake up soon,” Abigail offered David some words of comfort, and telling by his smile, he appreciated them. Abigail then shuddered and tightly clasped Frederick’s hand… she shuddered to think of what cursed fate Regina had in store for her. And for her Frederick.

Snow sadly burrowed her face in David’s chest, “Let’s hope so.”

“No pressure,” Emma mumbled.

Henry was looking at the Clock Tower from his bedroom window, it’s still frozen on 8:15. The scene then transitioned to one final scene: Emma walked into Granny’s Bed and Breakfast, where Granny and Ruby were in the middle of a loud argument.

“Good to see some things don’t change,” David smiled at the pair.

Biting her lip, Red looked down at her ridiculously high platform heels, “Actually, our arguments are worse. We may be working together in the same establishment and still be grandmother and granddaughter, but… we’re awful to each other. Like we equally hate and resent the other.”

“What a pity,” Regina mocked her, smiling contemptuously at grandmother and granddaughter.

Granny let out an ugly expletive that had Killian roaring with laughter and Regina jumping back in shock.

“At least you still have each other,” Snow consoled her best friend, a sad smile on her face.

“I should’ve moved to Boston!” Red yelled.

Shouting at her retreating back, Granny snarled, her voice heavy with sarcasm, “I’m sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard!”

That offset another bout of laughter from Killian; even Neal, August, Macintosh and Kristoff saw the humor in Granny’s witty comeback.

“You are quite creative, Granny,” Anna laughed.

Splotches of pink appeared on Granny’s cheeks.

Grumpy shrugged, “Honestly, not seeing much of a difference between your cursed and real counterparts.”

“Other than insinuating that my granddaughter is a whore, you mean,” Granny snarked back.

Red looked absolutely mortified, “I don’t think a man passed me who I didn’t flirt with or give some innuendo.”

David frowned, “I’m sure that’s not true. What about Rumplestiltskin?”

Amusement colored Rumplestiltskin’s features as he recalled Red’s cursed counterpart’s only interaction with him throughout that one accursed day they kept on repeating. Always after he collected the rent from Widow Lucas.

“Oh my God!” Red buried her face in her bare thighs, the extremely short shorts she had been wearing before she got zapped in here, not leaving much for the imagination. Peeking at the amused Dark One, who thankfully, was currently in his human form, Red groaned, “I’m so sorry.”

Rumplestiltskin waved her away with a deep chuckle, “It’s already forgotten, dearie. Say nothing more of it.”

“Red!” Granny gasped, her thoughts along the same lines as Rumplestiltskin… there was only one time the two interacted on that single day. “Really?!”

Belle felt jealousy course through her and Rumplestiltskin was quick to bring her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Nothing happened, Belle.”

“Can we please move on!” Red huffed, a desperate plea in her voice. She just propositioned him once, okay. And she maybe tried to touch him someplace… inappropriate. But Rumplestiltskin as a man was very charismatic… and for an older guy, he was really handsome. And Ruby wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of virtuousness, thanks to the Evil Queen.

“Do we have to?” Maleficent smirked. “I’m quite enjoying this.”

“We’re moving on,” Graham yelled at the ceiling, trying to spare Red further embarrassment, especially with the Evil Queen smirking like a hyena.

Red gave him a tentative smile for his support, which he immediately returned in kind, his cheeks slightly heating up.

Emma interrupted them to ask for a room, which brought an abrupt end to their arguing as they stared at her in shock.

“We’ve never had anyone ask for a room before,” Granny shrugged.

Emma let out a small laugh, “Yeah, I kind of figured.”

After choosing the square room, Emma gave her name just as a figure appeared behind her.

“Emma. What a lovely name,” Mr. Gold complimented.

Rumplestiltskin, back in his imp form, let out the loudest and longest giggle yet.

“What is your scheme, Crocodile?” Killian snarled knowingly.

He sneered at the pirate, “Now that would be telling.”

Many pairs of eyes were fixated on Rumplestiltskin; though some were staring at Mr. Gold on-screen in fascination.

“You look well,” Belle said finally. The suit he currently wore resembled that on-screen; extremely expensive and so dashing, from his perfectly coiffed hair to his shiny pointed shoes; he even wore an expensive watch and a curious ring on his finger.

Regina sneered, “Of course he does. I gave him a good life, after all.”

“It didn’t come cheap now, did it, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin taunted, recalling the moment they sealed that particular deal… right where and when he wanted to.

Neal shook his head, a sad sigh billowing from his lips. After his Papa became the Dark One, he doubted he’d ever allow himself to be in a position without power, and he wouldn’t let something like the Dark Curse stand in his way.

Granny hastened to give Mr. Gold a roll of cash from a drawer, assuring him it’s all there. Accepting it without counting, he told Emma to enjoy her stay, a knowing timbre in his tone before he left.

Cue more suspicious looks. Disregarding them all, Rumplestiltskin slowly turned back into a man with a roll of his eyes. It was starting to become a nuisance. His suit remained, as did his jewelry and cane, but the slight burn of his skin and eyes and teeth as they changed could soon become irritating. He needed to decipher what that voice meant and achieve enlightenment so he could stick on one. bloody. form!

Grinning deviously, Maleficent said, “Is this when you follow Rumplestiltskin out?”

“Shut. Up!” Red snarled, her complexion turning a shade of red as vivid as her name.

Rumplestiltskin smirked; really, Ms. Lucas was incredibly amusing as her cursed counterpart. Naturally, even as Mr. Gold, he wouldn’t take advantage of the girl… his heart only belonged to one. He tightened his grip on Belle’s hand.

Asking who Mr. Gold was, Ruby revealed that he “owns the place.” Mistakenly assuming she meant the inn, Granny corrected her: “No. The town.

A scoff left Neal, “The town, really? Why am I not surprised.”

“So! How long will you be with us?”

“A week,” Emma said resolutely. “Just a week.”

“That’s too long! Why don’t you just go back to your transient life and leave us be!” Regina snarled.

Snow rolled her eyes, “You mean leave you be.”

“We want her here. We want to get rid of your leash!” Graham snapped.

Smirking, Regina taunted him, “You, my dear Huntsman, shall never rid yourself of your leash.”

“Yes, he will,” Red said emphatically, scooting closer to Graham in moral support and glaring daggers at Regina.

Recalling something Graham told him when he last bumped into him back at the Evil Queen’s Castle, when he helped him escape, David grimaced, and he felt his sympathy for Graham increase. He then glowered at Regina; her reign will end, and when it did, they’ll get Graham’s heart back.

Granny handed Emma an old-fashioned key and said, “Welcome to Storybrooke.”

“Yes, welcome!” Snow cheered, her vivacity returning now that her daughter was there to break their curse.

The scene shifted to Henry, still at his bedroom window, staring at the Clock Tower. Suddenly, the clock turned to 8:16 and Henry grinned.

“YES!”

Cheers echoed in the room, and even Regina’s loud, “NO!” of dismay failed to drown out the cheers, cries and applause.

“You’re going down, Evil Queen!” Grumpy hollered, both fists pumping the air in quick succession.

Emma, however, was in a state of disbelief. Yes, she believed, finally. But it was still disconcerting, to believe in such a thing as the curse. But she couldn’t deny what her eyes had seen: the clock finally started to work… time started to move, the moment she made the decision to stay in Storybrooke, the moment Granny gave her the key.

“I told you, Regina. You’ll lose,” Snow smiled so bright, her face almost split into two. She emphatically added, “Good always wins.”

A growl reverberating in her throat, and her eyes menacing, Regina said, “Oh, we’ll see about that. It’s not over yet, Snow.”

Chapter Text

Clearing her throat, Belle cut into the glaring contest between Snow and Regina, to point at the screen, “Look, there’s more.”

Zelena scoffed, “Of course there’s more. What did you think? That we were brought here to watch poor little Emma return home!”

“You are just as unpleasant as the Evil Queen,” Merida observed loudly.

Gasping in affront, Zelena’s skin paled – the green literally fading into a nice shade of English rose. “Hey! I am not. You take that back right now!”

An eyebrow arched, Regina sardonically said, “Who knew being likened to me was such an insult.”

In a comical fashion, almost half the room exclaimed, “We did!” Although none were as loud as Zelena, who had yet to take her green glare off of an indifferent Merida.

“Let’s just…watch,” Belle said in a low voice, eyes incredulously flickering from individual to individual before she shook her head in disbelief and leaned into Rumplestiltskin’s side.

At the Mayor’s house in Storybrooke, Henry is looking out his bedroom window at the Clock Tower, smiling giddily when the minute hand moved from 8:15 to 8:16.

In the room, every cursed individual donned smiles that were almost identical to Henry’s, while Regina looked on angrily.

The scene transitioned to show various cursed citizens waking up and going about their days, such as Mary Margaret, Archie Hopper, Mr. Gold, Ruby, Granny, and Sheriff Graham. Emma Swan is shown briefly before the camera returns to the Mayor’s house.

Regina is leafing through the storybook, pausing on the page that depicted the Evil Queen at Snow White and Charming’s wedding, just as he had hurled his sword at her retreating figure.

“If only it hit her,” David muttered.

Aghast, Snow gripped his arm tight, “You don’t mean that!”

In response, David tilted his head in Emma’s direction, whose eyes were fixated on the screen, watching as Regina discovered the last few pages had been ripped from the book. “Look at her… at our daughter. Snow, if Regina had been stopped that night, or even during her execution,” he added in a hush, dismayed at the perfect opportunity that escaped them because of his beautiful wife’s compassion, “none of this would have happened. We’d be at home, in our castle; having a birthday ball for Emma’s twenty-eighth year. She’d be happy, married, with kids that she had the chance to raise from the beginning. So, yes, Snow, as horrible as it sounds… if only my sword hit Regina. Not just us, but everyone,” he waved an arm around the room, eyes intent on his wife’s watery ones, “would be happy.”

Grudgingly, Snow, her lips compressed, nodded quickly and looked away; David had a point. He did. Of course, he did. But… sometimes, Snow couldn’t help but miss the old Regina; the younger Regina, who had so much love and kindness, and who always laughed. The Regina who saved her life.

Their short conversation occurred in hushed whispers, and therefore, nobody had been privy to the gruesome topic of their discussion. Even if they had been louder, no one would've noticed, as they were too busy discussing the ingenuity of Henry Mills.

“Such a smart lad,” Killian was laughing at the disgruntled looks reflected on Regina’s face on-screen and off-screen. And he wasn’t the only one.

Staring at the screen, Regina yelled, “I am not the enemy here, Henry!”

“You are delusional, lady,” Neal scoffed.

Before Regina could retort, an ugly expression taking over her face, Tiger Lily snapped everyone into silence, “Can we please just manage ten minutes without quarrelling among ourselves?!”

“What rock have you been living under, sister,” Grumpy snapped, dark beady eyes studying her with intent dislike. “We’re in the company of villains, here! One of which cursed us, took us away from our homes, and—” He paused all of a sudden, then threw his hands up in the air as he blew up, “Didn’t we already discuss this before?” He squinted at Tiger Lily, her composed expression and bearing making him immensely uncomfortable, “Who even are you?”

Aurora whispered to Phillip, though her voice carried to everyone in the room, “Do you think she’s a villain?”

He shrugged, “I don’t know, my love. I’ve never seen her before today.”

The four who knew of her identity (Killian, Blue, Nova, and Tinker Bell) looked at her, waiting for her response. “I am someone who grows weary of your incessant need to squabble over everything, and that’s all you need to know,” she responded huffily.

“Said almost every villain ever,” Kristoff pointed out.

Eyebrows arched, Tiger Lily asked, “Oh, and how many villains have you encountered, young man?”

“He’s going to be a prince,” Anna insisted pointlessly, her tone almost defensive as she hugged Kristoff’s arm.

Mouthing ‘young man,’ Kristoff frowned, “You don’t look much older than me!”

“Looks can be deceiving,” she retorted.

David smiled kindly at one of his and Snow’s greatest ally, “The Blue Fairy is hundreds of years old, yet she has the appearance of a young woman. Those with magic rarely ever look their age.”

“Now that we’ve hashed out this incredibly pointless topic, can we get back to my son’s insubordination!” Regina snapped.

For her part, Emma had been greatly enjoying this small respite from being in the limelight, which was what watching the future mostly entailed: impatiently waiting for her cynical, non-believing, and stubborn future-self to break the Curse.

Henry was getting ready for school when Regina stormed into his bedroom, demanding for the missing pages of the storybook; the conversation ended with Henry claiming she wasn’t his mother, just as the Clock Tower chimed and Regina realized time started moving.

For a brief moment, Regina’s features crumpled in hurt at Henry’s adamant declaration that she wasn’t his mother, but she quickly schooled her expression into one of fury when the insipid cursed denizens within the room returned to cheering over her Curse weakening.

The scene transitioned: Regina was standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the Clock Tower when Archie, who was walking Pongo, approached her. After a brief exchange of words regarding the clock’s rusty old innards, Regina looked across the street at Emma’s car.

Immediately, Snow and David turned harsh glares on Regina, who was busy giving Emma a black stare. Emma, however, only had eyes for the screen.

At Granny’s Bed & Breakfast, there was a knock at the door to Emma’s room and she opened it to find Regina standing on the other side, a basket of red apples in hand.

“Those better not be poisonous, Regina!” Snow growled.

Regina rolled her eyes. “An apple can just be an apple,” she sneered. “Besides, there is no magic in Storybrooke. Just how exactly am I supposed to have poisoned them?!”

“Who knows!” David huffed; despite Regina’s reasoning, he still stared at her with heavy suspicion, “You couldn’t gotten a batch of those cursed apples with you when you cast the Curse.”

Maleficent snorted, a delicate hand covering her lips and her mirthful eyes on Regina, who looked like she had been carved from stone. “She wishes,” the sorceress drawled.

“That was a unique apple,” Regina forced herself to say as her mind quickly ran through the series of events that led to her finally getting her hand on that damn apple – not that it did any good. “It was one of a kind, unfortunately.”

“Yes, yes, we know what unique means,” Robin quipped.

Glowering at him, Regina’s lip curled, “An uneducated man such as yourself, somehow I doubt it.”

Regina then delivered a long speech about the honeycrisp tree she’d been tending to since she was a little girl and its hardiness; she proceeded to hand an apple to Emma, all the while, revealing that Henry had issues and that Emma’s presence would only confuse him.

Emma emitted a long-drawn-out sigh and, for the first time since the Clock Tower started to work, instigated eye contact with somebody in the room. In this case, it was Regina. “You know, threatening me twice in less than a day is only going to make me wanna stay at Storybrooke even more,” she stated, her tone matter-of-fact and her expression hard.

“Well then, my future-self is going to have to remedy that issue, won’t she…” head cocked, Regina slowly corrected herself, “I mean: I.”

Shrugging, Emma said, “That’ll be a waste of time. I’ve been told that I’m really stubborn.”

“Takes after her mother,” David added proudly.

Snow laughed, “Like you don’t have a stubborn bone in your body, Charming.”

“You people nauseate me,” Regina sneered as she glowered at the mother, father, and daughter trio.

Ignoring Regina, Emma stared at her parents, hunger etched on her lovely features, but she was quick to shake it off and return her attention to the screen, where her future-self was repeating to Regina’s that her threats were only making her want to stay.

“Since when were apples a threat?” Regina asked innocently.

Emma said, “I can read between the lines. Sorry, I just wanna make sure Henry’s okay.”

“Of course, he is “okay.” I’m his mother, I’d never hurt him. And frankly, Ms. Swan, it’s none of your business. You gave him up in a closed adoption, might I remind you. You lost all rights to Henry, and I’m well within my rights to sue you,” Regina disclosed, her jaw taut and eyes practically spitting fire.

Graham snorted, “Yeah, right. Which would have worked if you hadn’t trapped us in that cursed hamlet.”

“You shut your mouth!” she sneered.

Rumplestiltskin let out a breathy laugh, “Ooh, touchy, touchy. You wouldn’t be thinking of hiring my services now, would you, Regina? Because I doubt I’d take that case.”

“As Mr. Gold, you would,” she taunted, still under the impression that Rumplestiltskin was still asleep in the future they're watching.

A knowing smirk on his face, he slowly enunciated, “Are you sure, your majesty?”

Briefly, uncertainty flashed across Regina’s face before she looked away with a huff.

Neal stared at his father, appraising him for a second. Like Regina, he quickly tore his gaze when, feeling eyes on him, Rumplestiltskin turned to study him, confusion and suspicion whirling around madly in his head.

Before Regina left Emma’s doorstep, she imparted to her that Henry was seeing a therapist, along with another threat.

The scene shifted to The Enchanted Forest, revealing the events that occurred after the Evil Queen interrupted Snow White and Charming’s wedding, after the latter had flung his sword at her, which disappeared along with her in a puff of dark smoke. She reappeared in her castle and the sword continued its trajectory until it impaled the wall.

Snow, David and their friends jerked up, their postures straightening as they focused intently on the following events. Regina, on the other hand, wore an angry scowl at her private business being aired out for all to see.

When Regina barked at the older gentleman over the proffered drink, Snow stared at her in disbelief, “Really, Regina!”

“Mind your own business, you,” she retorted rudely.

“Why, what is it?” Red inquired curiously.

Regina growled at the wolf, “And that goes for you too, mutt.”

“Now that was an awfully big threat. Destroy everyone’s happiness? How do you plan on accomplishing that?”

Grumpy snorted, “Even your mirror has grown used to your empty threats.”

“The Dark Curse.”

A malicious smile on her face, Regina gloated, “Not such an empty threat now, was it, dwarf?!”

“You suck,” he grumbled.

Guinevere stared at her in a mixture of pity and horror, “Why must you insist on debasing everyone in this room? You’re friendless and hated. Wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to redeem yourself? A good start would be addressing those around you by their given names, rather than using insults.”

“Did I ask you?” Regina retorted, her rude tone not diminishing in the slightest, irregardless of the queen she was addressing. “I’m not here to make friends, or to redeem myself? Friends with this lot? What a joke! Besides, I’m not the only one here who needs redemption,” she glared at Snow, who glared right back. “I don’t want to be here. And if I wanted friends, none of you would make the cut.”

“And thank the Lord for that!” Granny exclaimed, staring at Regina as though she were something particularly vile on the sole of her boots.

Snow shook her head, “There comes a time when apologizing leads nowhere. I’ve apologized countless of times. You refuse to accept them or forgive me. And a part of me is sorry; but the other part understands that I was manipulated, and the blame is not wholly on my feet. It’s time you move on, Regina, and stop living in the past!”

“Apologize for what?” Robin demanded, undeniably curious.

Her glare never leaving Snow, Regina snarled, “Never you mind, peasant.”

“How creative,” he murmured to Neal and August, all three of whom were sharing the same couch.

“That’s the Evil Queen for you,” August sighed, finally finding the strength to stop watching his father like a loved-starved puppy.

Clearing her throat, Elsa timidly said, “Can we please return to the past events? I am quite curious to see how such a dark curse was enacted.”

The elder gentleman and the mirror both exclaimed their shocks, both of them revealing that the Evil Queen made a deal to never use it when she had given it away.

“She’s not one to honor the deals she makes,” Maleficent stated icily.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

“She’s not the only one,” Neal murmured under his breath.

Apparently, his words weren’t as unclear as he hoped. Cocking his head, Rumplestiltskin demanded, his brown eyes alert, “What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“Since when do I care about anyone else’s happiness but mine?” Regina stated rhetorically.

Snow gave her a sad look, “You used to, a long time ago.”

“That time has long gone,” Regina hissed.

Grumpy scoffed, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“Then it’s a good thing there’s nothing for you to see, midget,” she snapped.

“Prepare the carriage. I’m going to the Forbidden Fortress.”

Maleficent straightened her posture. “Oh, how marvelous. I always do love reliving drinks with a dear friend,” she sneered mockingly.

As the scene transitioned to show the exterior of the sinister-looking fortress looming closer until it switched to its interior, Aurora shivered slightly in her seat, her expression paling dangerously. Phillip hugged her close, taking off his cape to wrap around her silk-clad form. “It’ll be alright, my love,” he assured her, placing a chaste kiss in her hair.

“It’s just that castle…brings back horrid memories.” She then buried her face in the crook between his shoulder and neck, “I hate her, Phillip. I really, really hate her.”

“I know. I do, too, my love. I do, too.”

The Evil Queen and Maleficent were sitting in front of a fireplace, talking while pouring themselves drinks. Then Maleficent asked how she was doing, to which the Evil Queen responded, “I’m doing fine.”

“Sure she was,” Red murmured. “Nothing like a good death threat to purge her of some of her seemingly endless rage.”

Graham, Granny and Grumpy snorted in amusement while Regina glared, as usual.

Maleficent looked skeptical. “Are you? If it were me, I’d be simply tortured, watching that flake of snow so happy.

“It’s a good thing you have each other,” Aurora snapped irritably, glaring between the two evil witches.

But Maleficent only had eyes for Regina as she coldly emphasized, “Had each other.”

“Oh, get over it already!” Regina huffed as though Maleficent was the problem here.

In response, Maleficent shortly asked, “Would you?”

Regina’s silence was answer enough, and she scowled angrily at the sorceress. Rumplestiltskin let out another giggle as he looked at the two while everyone else wondered what occurred between the two powerful, evil women that transformed their relationship from the friendly, cordial scene they were currently witnessing on-screen to the cold, antagonistic one off-screen.

“Weren’t you about the same age when you were to be married? Before she ruined it all?” Raising her glass, Maleficent continued, “Yes, you were.”

“WHAT!?”

“MARRIED?!”

“You were married?!”

“How?”

“Someone actually wanted to marry you!?” and that was Grumpy.

A hubbub of shouting and exclamations traveled throughout the room as everyone, excluding Rumplestiltskin, Snow, David, Maleficent, Victor, Jefferson, Tinker Bell, and Zelena, vocalized their disbelief and stared at Regina, surprised beyond belief.

“You were in love before?” Neal expressed in derision and disbelief. “You?”

Regina looked her nose down at him. “Is that so surprising, Cassidy?” she said haughtily.

“That you were capable of love once? Yes,” he retorted, unwilling to back down.

Besides the eight individuals who apparently knew of the Evil Queen’s prior engagement, Robin had been the only person to not outwardly react, having been rendered speechless by the fact that the dark witch once, as Neal Cassidy so eloquently put it, was capable of love. Somehow he couldn’t imagine it… Regina happy and in love… Unless, of course, it wasn’t a happy engagement but an arranged one; that would explain her bitterness. Except for the way in which Future-Maleficent revealed this shocking nugget of information – it sounded as though the Evil Queen’s bitterness derived from the fact she never married the man to whom she had been wed to.

Anna, however, was interested in one thing, “What did Maleficent mean by “before she ruined it all?””

All eyes were on Snow, whose face was marred with guilt. “…”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Spoilers!”

Regina stiffened in her seat; she didn’t want to speak of Daniel for fear that her emotionless mask would crumble and her enemies would be allowed to see her at her most vulnerable. Yet… the fact that Snow couldn’t speak of him clearly meant it would be revealed at a later time… didn’t it? And that was something she dreaded.

“It was about the same age you were when that sleeping beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent,” the Evil Queen retorted.

Smug, Aurora said, “As long as True Love exists, you’ll never win, Maleficent; as my mother proved to you, and so will I.”

A sour expression overtook Maleficent’s cold visage, “The story your parents informed you of is a joke, Aurora dear. Speak not of things you cannot begin to comprehend.”

“There’s nothing to comprehend,” Phillip jumped in, his protective embrace instilling his brave princess with confidence. “Queen Briar Rose and King Stefan defeated you. You brandish hate, and we fight back with love. Which is why good always wins.”

Zelena rolled her eyes, “Is this you heroes’ motto? “Good always wins,” yadda yadda yadda. It’s annoying.”

“Says the Wicked Witch,” August pointed out with a scoff.

“We don’t expect you villains to understand,” Granny added.

Rumplestiltskin tittered, his now amber eyes gleaming, “It’s like they forget I am in the room.”

Belle shook her head, “You’re not a villain, Rumple.”

Simultaneously, everyone (except Neal, Emma and August) intoned, “Yes, he is;” and Rumplestiltskin crowed, “Oh, yes I am!”

“You may seem like a villain and sometimes act like one,” Belle ignored everyone and only addressed Rumplestiltskin. “But you aren't, not completely. When it comes to you, it’s not all black and white, but gray. And besides,” here, she gave the others a fleeting glance, “if you were so evil, you wouldn’t love me.”

Maleficent let out a sardonic chuckle, “What an ignorant girl you are, to believe that evil cannot love.”

Privately, Neal agreed. Yet conversely, he also disagreed. When his father became the Dark One, a being so dark and evil, he still loved his son; he still loved Baelfire. That love, however, must have faded in time. Otherwise… why break their deal? Why did he let go of his hand and abandon him to another world? Why didn’t he come looking for him, especially once he became capable of seeing into the future? The only answer that made sense was that Rumplestiltskin eventually stopped loving Baelfire.

It is then revealed that Maleficent traded the Evil Queen her Sleeping Curse for the Dark Curse.

“Which failed. Undone by a simple kiss. Now please, return what’s mine.”

“That’s not how a deal works, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin chastised her in his usual satirical and trenchant manner.

Ignoring the imp, Regina scowled at her old friend, “And you knew it! That your Sleeping Curse could be undone so easily!”

“Oh, please. Everyone knows that every curse can be broken!” Maleficent snapped back.

Rumplestiltskin nodded, “I, myself, told you that countless of times, your majesty.” He then turned to the sorceress and placed a hand on the side of his mouth as though to cover it; with his other hand he blatantly pointed at Regina and mockingly said, “She always was a horrible student.”

Before Regina could breathe fire at the laughing duo, Tinker Bell spoke up, effectively silencing her, “Besides, not everyone is blessed with a True Love, as you well know.”

“Yes. Sometimes a kiss is just that: a kiss,” Rumplestiltskin tittered.

Maleficent refused to return the Dark Curse: “The Dark Curse, really? You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead.”

“So you lost someone you loved,” Robin deduced smartly.

“Excellently deduced, Sherlock!” Regina retorted rudely.

It was hard to sympathize with her when every time she opened her mouth and parted those crimson-painted lips, a gale of rudeness came gusting out.

“Who?” Macintosh and Kristoff echoed, confused.

Clearing his throat, Robin jabbed a thumb at his chest, “It’s Robin Hood, or Robin.”

Dark eyes rolled heavily in their sockets, “I know who you are, peasant.”

“Please stop talking,” Belle sighed, the toxicity emanating from Regina was starting to suffocate her.

When Maleficent suggested getting a pet as a means for comfort, the Evil Queen retorted that her only comfort was Snow White’s suffering.

“One track mind, that one,” Merida muttered. She didn’t like the Evil Queen at all.

It is revealed that Maleficent kept the Dark Curse hidden in the orb above her staff; yet she still refused to hand it over. “Hidden for the good of all, old friend. Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively… moral. Who did give it to you?”

Rumplestiltskin attempted his trademark giggle… but nothing came out. He squinted at the ceiling, amusement plain on his features as they receded back to the visage of a man. Apparently, the Dark Curse’s origin was a spoiler as well… ‘How delightfully interesting…’

On the other side of the room, however, most of the heroes were looking at Maleficent in unmitigated shock; the fact that she wouldn’t stoop to such evilness the most shocking of all.

“You wouldn’t, really?” Aurora asked, skepticism lacing every vowel and consonant.

“That’s what I said,” Maleficent drawled, annoyed by the many pairs of eyes drilling into her person. “There are lines even I won’t cross. Some of you already know how against the Dark Curse I was,” she pointedly glared at Snow and David, who squirmed once more in their seats before looking away.

Now that Rumplestiltskin was able to giggle at; though since he was in the form of a man, it came out as more of a deep chuckle that elicited a blush out of Belle and a jealous sneer from Zelena, her skin turning a vicious green the more pronounced her sneer became.

Emma frowned at her… parents’ behavior; she had always been an observant individual; it came with the territory after being bounced from foster home to foster home, never knowing what to expect, and needing to be aware of her surroundings and especially, to be able to make herself invisible or insignificant when the need arose. For that reason, Emma didn’t fail to notice her parents’ behavior toward Maleficent, and the profound hatred on her face when she occasionally addressed them or spoke about them. Princess Aurora… Sleeping Beauty, she thought, and apparently her mother Briar Rose (according to Aurora and Phillip), were supposed to be her adversaries, not Snow White and Prince Charming. Something wasn’t right… there was a secret there; an untold story that would, no doubt, create a lot of fireworks once it’s out in the open.

Maleficent’s refusal to part with the Dark Curse led to a witch fight between her and the Evil Queen. Impressive magic was cast between the two; however, the Evil Queen managed to defeat Maleficent by levitating and pointing various weapons at Maleficent’s unicorn. When Maleficent moved quickly to protect her pet, the Evil Queen dropped a chandelier on her, the circular metal successfully ensnaring the sorceress.

Anna gasped at Regina, “You threatened to kill a unicorn! You truly are evil!”

“Just exactly how black is your heart?” Abigail inquired, disdain coloring her ivory complexion.

Regina merely sneered at the two princesses.

For a second, just one measly second, Aurora sympathized with Maleficent. But just as quickly, the sentiment was stomped out and her regular dislike returned.

Picking up Maleficent’s staff, the Evil Queen said, “Love is weakness, Maleficent. I thought you knew that.”

“Love is strength!” Snow declared passionately.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Of course you’d say that.”

“And of course you’d see differently,” August huffed.

Shaking his head, Neal stared at her in disbelief, “And you’re trying to convince us that you love Henry. Isn’t that weakness, Evil Queen?!”

Maleficent smirked triumphantly, but maintained her silence.

“You’re twisting my words,” Regina snarled at him; for some reason, Neal Cassidy really disliked her, and just like with Zelena, she hated not knowing. She didn’t mind being hated, as long as there was a reason. And she was certain she didn’t do anything to them or their happy endings; she never even met them before tonight.

Belle shook her head, “No he isn’t. He’s simply quoting you to you.”

“If you’re going to kill me, kill me!” Maleficent snapped.

Aurora bit her lip and sighed, her shoulder slumping. Despite her deep dislike of Maleficent, and the feud between the sorceress and her family that went back decades, Aurora, as she much as she hated herself for not wishing it, couldn’t wish Maleficent dead. Imprisoned, yes. Redeemed, perhaps. But killed in cold blood… no. It just wasn’t in her… to be so cold and callous and to wish death upon someone.

“Why would I do that?” the Evil Queen asked. “You’re my only friend.”

Grumpy scoffed, “Some friend you are, lady.”

“No one treats their friends like that,” Red stated, adopting the tone a teacher would use when explaining that one and one equals two.

Regina sneered at them, “Our friendship is different.”

“To you, maybe,” Maleficent scoffed in disbelief. “I wouldn’t threaten to kill or grievously injure a pet or person you loved. And I wouldn’t renege on a deal or curse her to …” Maleficent cursed at the ceiling when the rest of her sentence was dampened. “Really?” she huffed.

Unaffected, Regina said, “That’s because you’ve grown soft, dear.”

“And you’ve become heartless,” the sorceress retorted snappishly. Adjusting herself so that her back faced her, Maleficent crossed her arms together and harrumphed, “I can’t even look at you right now, and I am done talking.” Her pale gaze then collided with the sapphire gems of the man sitting to her other side… ‘Victor, was it?’ and she smiled, noticing with surprise the dark glare he was giving Regina before she turned to face him.

Victor responded with a tentative smile before he went right back to glaring at Regina.

‘Interesting,’ Maleficent thought. ‘Oh, Regina. Now what did you do to him to earn you his ire…?’

“Don’t do this. This Curse… there are lines even we should not cross.” But the Evil Queen ignored Maleficent as she flipped the staff upside down and broke the orb against the floor. “All power comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll… It will leave an emptiness inside you… A void you will never be able to fill.”

Regina swallowed thickly; that line seemed to be a favorite among those that would constantly try to appeal to her better nature – like she had one anymore. It was a line repeated to her many times throughout the years by various persons, including her father. It always seemed a bit… foreboding to her.

“Thank you,” Snow said meekly, hesitantly, her eyes beseeching the sorceress. “For trying to stop Regina—”

“I didn’t do it for you,” Maleficent sneered, the ice in her eyes piercing Snow’s heart. “I could care less for your fate.”

Whispering to Phillip, Aurora said, “It’s so surreal. I don’t want to be confronted with the fact that Maleficent can be decent.”

“Good and evil isn’t always as black and white as we think, my love. You should know that,” Phillip smiled sadly. “We’re all capable of good and of bad.”

Stubbornly, Aurora huffed, “Still. She cursed me, my mother…”

“…” Phillip sighed and rested his cheek against Aurora’s head. He planned on saying, “And me,” divulging the curse Maleficent placed on him to prevent him from awakening her with a kiss.

The Evil Queen picked up the scroll containing the Dark Curse, “So be it.”

The scene changed to a sparse forest in The Enchanted Forest where the Evil Queen stood with the elderly gentleman from before, and several others (an ogre, a gnome and a blind witch), all of whom were gathered around a fire.

“What lovely company you keep, milady,” Robin said sarcastically.

Red snarled, “Company that compliments the darkness of her heart.”

“I tire of your incessant interruptions to disparage me,” Regina drawled, affecting aloofness.

After giving them a speech about ending their misery and achieving victory in a new realm, guaranteeing their happiness, the Evil Queen said, “But first, I need something from you. A lock of hair from those with the darkest souls.”

“I would think using your own hair would be more than enough,” Mulan commented.

Regina hissed in response.

After collecting their hairs, she took out her last ingredient and tossed it into the fire: “A prized heart from my childhood steed.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled; the imp had reemerged and his lizard-like amber eyes were alight with mirth.

“Shut. Up, you imp!” Regina snarled, her cheeks mottled with bright pink spots of half-rage, and half-mortification.

Confused, Snow asked, “What is it?”

Simultaneously, Anna cried out, “You killed your horse!”

Scoffing, Victor spoke up for the first time since introducing himself to Maleficent, “And this surprises you? You have just seen she was about to kill an innocent unicorn. Why not her precious steed?”

Pondering his words for a brief moment, Anna nodded woefully, “You’re right. I don’t know why that surprised me.”

“Because some random animal is not the same as a childhood companion,” David explained, the disgust palpable in his tone and on his features.

Kristoff let out a mourning sound, “Now that sounds worse.”

“Once you’ve finished discussing how horrible I am, then maybe we can get back to this wretched viewing!” Regina snarled as she gave David, Anna, Kristoff and Victor a black stare.

The fire escalated into a cloud of dark smoke before it suddenly dissipated. Everyone looked on in shock and confusion, the silence only broken by the gnome’s loud and long laugh. The Evil Queen, furious, promptly turned him into stone after he remarked on her failure and the scene transitioned back to Storybrooke where the stone gnome had become a decoration in the garden of the Mayor’s house.

“Wait, what?” Snow looked on in confusion.

Frederick shared that confusion, “The Dark Curse obviously worked. How come…” he trailed off, at a loss for words.

Giggling, Rumplestiltskin said, “Her majesty misread the fine print.”

“Worry not, I get it right the next time,” Regina forced a smile, unwilling to recall why it worked the second time, of whose heart she had to use so she could feed everyone her wrath.

“Doesn’t seem worth it now, does it?” Maleficent sneered.

Regina threw her an identical sneer, “Of course it is, Mal dear.” After all, the Curse brought her to Henry; despite what he thought… despite what everyone thought, Regina does love Henry.

Regina was picking an apple from her tree when Sidney Glass, the reporter for The Mirror, joined her, presenting her the newspaper’s latest edition.

“How nice, you gave your mirror a form,” Killian drawled as he stared at Sidney Glass with distaste. There was something disturbing about that man… something that greatly unsettled him, and he couldn’t put a finger on the ‘why’ of it. “I don’t like him,” he stated aloud.

Rumplestiltskin winced. “As much as I hate to agree with the pirate,” he sneered at said pirate, “You’d be right not to like him; he’s one of Regina’s underlings, an unctuous, obsequious bootlicker.”

“Why, Rumple, do tell us how you really feel,” Regina smiled saccharinely.

“I believe I just did,” he drawled, looking much more intimidating in his human form than in the Dark One’s skin.

As it turned out, Regina asked Sidney to look into Emma by digging into her past, but he found nothing juicy enough to satisfy her.

“Well, the truth be told,” Sidney began, “there wasn’t much. She spent a lot of time in foster homes. She got into a little trouble when she was a kid, but the details are locked up pretty tight. Since then, she’s clean. Bounced around all over. The only thing I really learned was that she doesn’t like to sit still.”

“Thanks for summing up my entire life in a couple of words,” Emma scoffed sarcastically.

Wanting to know her daughter, Snow asked, “Why didn’t you make a home somewhere?”

A short pause ensued, and just when everyone thought Emma wasn’t going to answer, she slowly spoke up, “I was always searching… for my parents. It’s what I, um, what I spent my entire adult life doing: finding people ‘cause I always hoped that, I’d also find my parents.”

“Oh, Emma!” Snow exclaimed sadly.

She shrugged, “It is what it is. I’m not looking for sympathy or empathy or anymore apologies or platitudes.”

Then Sidney revealed that Emma gave birth to Henry in Phoenix.

Neal almost got whiplash as he turned to stare at August, who subtly dipped his head in affirmation. He remembered asking August about the location of the prison Emma was in ten years ago; but her so-called ‘Guardian Angel’ refused to budge on the subject. Now he knew… Phoenix.

In the end, Regina ordered Sidney to keep looking and sent him away.

“Underling, indeed,” Maleficent sneered.

Elsa, as a queen herself, stared at Regina in disapproval, “That is not the way to achieve unwavering loyalty. Kindness is a much better motivator than fear.”

“And you’d know this, how?” Regina mocked.

Jumping in, Anna hotly snapped, “Elsa is the Queen of Arendelle. A much better queen than you, that’s for sure.”

“Anna,” Elsa acknowledged her softly, patting her hand in a calming manner. It felt odd, not having to hide her hands, not having to worry about the unholy magic she conjured. With the wards nullifying magic, Elsa, for the first time in a long, long time, felt free, normal, like herself again; no longer living in the shadow of fear, or worrying about the reactions of others. She never wanted this gathering to end, if only to be spared from the leash of her powers.

At Granny’s Diner, Emma was at the counter, reading the newspaper, when Ruby put a mug of hot chocolate in front of her. Emma told her she didn’t order it, only for Ruby to reveal that she had a “secret admirer.” Turning around, Emma saw Sheriff Graham and walked over to him.

“Hey now,” David looked uncomfortable, “don’t go flirting with my daughter.”

She hid it well, but Red felt something stirring inside… what? Jealousy? No. Or was it…

Looking just as uncomfortable (and subtly studying Red’s reaction, for some unfathomable reason), Graham put both hands up, “That’s future-me’s doing. No offense, Emma, you’re a lovely girl, but with my memories back… things are…different,” he settled on.

Her pale cheeks turned a flaming red and she threw David a dirty look, “Please stop doing that. I don’t need you to go all caveman on me. And don’t worry, Graham… same for me. Knowing you’re a Huntsman and not some ordinary Sheriff really changes one’s perspective around here.”

Frowning, utterly perplexed, Arthur quoted, ““All caveman on me.” Apologies, but what does that mean?”

“It must be some dialect of their world, Arthur darling,” Guinevere informed him.

Smiling at the legendary king and queen (from the stories in her world at least: Arthurian legend, after all, had always been more impressive and much more ancient, than fairytales), Emma succinctly explained, “It’s basically a reference to the origins of humanity… we were first cavemen before we evolved into what we are today. Acting like a caveman can be quite stereotypical. It’s like… primitive manner, or old-fashioned behavior if you like, toward women. As in, I can take care of myself. I don’t need a man looking out for me or telling others how to treat me.”

“How…odd,” Arthur smiled boyishly and Emma had to quash the blush that threatened to emerge at being on the receiving end of the devastatingly handsome king’s charm.

“But interesting,” Guinevere added, smacking Arthur lightly on the forearm.

Shooting Emma a beaming smile, his white teeth almost blinding her, Arthur was quick to dole out even more charm, his tone mildly apologetic, “Of course. Naturally, naturally. Odd yet interesting.”

Regina facepalmed herself, “Oh cry me a river.”

Killian, Neal and David frowned at the interaction between Emma and Arthur, and even Guinevere appeared slightly put out, though she deftly covered it with a diplomatic smile.

The two traded words and Graham even made an attempt at a joke after taking note she decided to stay in Storybrooke: “That’s good news for our tourist business, bad for our local signage.”

Red burst into laughter, “You’re adorable, Graham.”

Under his beard, Graham’s cheeks were a rosy red and he ducked his head, “Ahh, thanks… I think.”

Regina glared murderously at the pair; she could see it quite clearly. Oblivious they may be regarding the other, but she could see it clear as day: the two were slowly starting to like each other, craving each other romantically. And that would not do. Graham was hers; he belonged to her, and not that mutt!

A chuckle escaping her, Zelena quipped, “And they say I’m green.”

“You are!” Regina barked. “Even the blind witch would see it.”

Sharing a secret smile with her husband, Snow looked giddily from Red to Graham, their developing feelings not going unnoticed by her – her next project would definitely be getting them together. Graham would be perfect for Red, especially with his fondness for and relation to the wolves; and Red would be good for Graham, instilling him with the confidence he desperately needed and the irrevocable love he craved and deserved.

“Snow…” David warned, though a fond smile was playing at the corner of his lips.

Blinking innocently, she responded, “Yes?”

However, when Emma revealed she liked cinnamon in her chocolate, Snow’s attention flickered almost immediately to her daughter, “Me too!”

“You-, you do?” Emma asked, almost desperately.

Beaming, Snow bobbed her head rapidly, “Oh, yes. So did your grandmother. My mother, that is.”

“That’s, um, that’s good to know,” and despite the indifference in her voice, it was clear to Snow and David that Emma genuinely meant it; that she craved to know her parents almost as much as they wanted to know her; and that Emma was pleased to share more than physical traits with her newly-discovered parents.

When Emma deposited the mug of hot chocolate on his table, Graham revealed that he wasn’t the one who sent it.

Red whistled, “Ooh, now that’s awkward.”

“I take back my previous comment,” David scratched the nape of his neck sheepishly.

Chuckling, Graham waved him off.

“Then who sent it?” Kristoff asked curiously.

Henry, who was seated at another booth, said, “I did. I like cinnamon, too.”

Regina scowled at the merry expressions on Snow, David, and Emma’s faces, incredibly displeased at the commonalities between them, despite their absence from his life.

“Awhh! How cute,” Belle smiled, looking at Henry fondly.

Neal grinned at the appearance of his son, glad that he was the ‘secret admirer’ and not Graham. He wasn’t under any delusions that Emma could one day forgive him, let alone take him back; but it didn’t mean he was okay with watching men flirt with his first love. ‘This is going to be a train wreck.’

When Emma wondered if he should be at school, he claimed he was ten then asked her to walk with him.

“He stopped asking me a year ago!” Regina snapped, not daring to allow the hurt show on her features.

Rumplestiltskin’s giggle, however, let her know that he could read her as easily as a book, just like he always could; she clenched her fists in anger and resolutely avoided looking at him.

Snow smiled at her daughter, “He wants to bond with you.” She then met her husband’s eyes, “Isn’t that nice, David?”

“It is,” he agreed.

Emma and Henry are walking down the sidewalk; Henry brings up the curse and that the first step to his plan is identification. He calls it “Operation Cobra,” and when Emma pointed out that the name was unrelated to fairytales, Henry claimed that it’s precisely the point, and that it’s a codename to throw Regina off the trail.

Regina’s scowl has been growing more pronounced the more Henry spoke, to the extent that her forehead was overcrowded with frown lines.

“Darling, those wrinkles might end up becoming permanent if you keep that face up,” Maleficent drawled, nonchalantly admiring her sharp nails.

A fond smile on his face, Neal hungrily observed his son and ex-lover on-screen; although, admittedly, he couldn’t help but feel jealous, wishing he was with them, helping his son to thwart the Evil Queen and convince Emma that the Curse was real.

On the other side of the room, Emma watched the proceedings intently. She understood her future actions, of why exactly she was determined to keep Henry at arm’s length. She had stayed in Storybrooke because she was a good person, and because, despite being deprived of a family for twenty-eight years, family mattered to her. She needed to make sure the son she gave up was happy and loved and safe. Otherwise, why give him up in the first place, if not to provide him with a better life… one she never got to have. Still… knowing what she knows now, she wished her future-self could act a bit warmer to her…to Henry.

Henry proceeded to explain that time had been frozen until Emma got to Storybrooke.

“No don’t eat that!” Snow yelped, almost jumping out of her seat when Future-Emma lifted the apple Regina gave her, to take a bite out off.

Red’s eyes were wide, “I totally forgot you had it. I thought you tossed it in the trash.”

“Excuse me,” Regina sneered. “Sleeping Curse aside, my honeycrisp tree grows the best apples. You’d be lucky to get even a taste.”

Granny harrumphed, “Well you’ll excuse us if we choose to miss out on that…experience.”

“Like I’d offer any of you anything unrelated to my wrath,” she retorted, lips curling in an ugly sneer.

August sighed and leaned into Neal, “She’s like a broken record.”

Neal nodded in vehement agreement while Robin, who shared the couch with them, and who had overheard, frowned in puzzlement, “What’s a record, exactly?”

“Umm… think of it as something that stores music,” August elucidated quickly.

Nodding, Robin nevertheless, still appeared quite flummoxed.

Henry stopped Emma from eating the apple, throwing it over his shoulder when she revealed Regina had given it to her. “Don’t eat that!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled at the expression on Regina’s face.

Sighs of relief echoed in the room, the loudest being from the two women who had been victims of the Sleeping Curse.

“Like I said, if I wanted to harm Ms. Swan, it couldn’t be with magic as we’re in a land without magic,” Regina insisted angrily. “And even if I did have magic, Henry should have faith in me.”

Abigail scoffed, “Are you saying, your majesty, that if you did indeed have magic at Storybrooke, that you wouldn’t use it to get rid of Emma Swan?”

A long pause descended upon them as Regina attempted to avoid the question everyone knew the answer to.

“I rest my case,” Abigail vocalized.

“What do you care anyway,” Regina sneered at the princess.

Blonde eyebrows arched, Abigail said, “James is my friend, as is Snow. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to their child. Furthermore, if Emma Swan is the one destined to break the Curse you put us under, then naturally I’d want her to succeed, and she needs to be well and awake in order to do that, no?”

Confused, Emma stared at her father… ‘I thought his name was David. Why would Abigail call him James?’

Emma summarized the details of the Curse: “So… for decades, people have been walking around, in a haze, not aging, with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious.”

“I still cannot believe we kept repeating that day and never knew anything,” Nova stated, shaking her head at herself.

Realization dawning on him all of a sudden, Neal blurted out, “Wait a second… if time was frozen, that must have affected Henry badly.”

Scowling at the man who she was quickly starting to despise with every fiber of her being, Regina snapped, “What on earth are you blathering on about, Cassidy?! My son is fine, thank you very much!”

“Really?” Neal said sarcastically; he seemed to be the only person to come to this conclusion as even Emma was staring at him with questions in her eyes. Although, August was starting to catch on. “If time was frozen and nobody aged, then when Henry started attending school, he’d be the only one who advanced to the next grade, the only child who got older. If he made any friends, they would soon forget him when the year was up; they’d stay for years in the same grade, while Henry constantly graduated to the next one, always having to make new friends who’d eventually stay behind and forget about him. It’s no wonder he immediately latched on to the existence of the Curse.”

Gasps of realization flooded the room. No one had even thought of Henry and his observations as he grew up in a town where the day kept repeating itself for the ten years of his life, and where everyone stayed the same age, despite him getting older and bigger with every passing year.

“Well, dearie, I am curious to know… as the only person unaffected by the curse, just how did you explain this anomaly to young Henry?” Rumplestiltskin inquired, his amber eyes morphing to brown alight with curiosity and a hint of knowing.

Before Regina could formulate some kind of a response, Neal soldiered on with the tact of a bulldozer, his usually warm eyes bright with anger as they pierced her unforgivingly. “And not only that! What about the holidays? Birthdays, Halloweens, Christmases, Thanksgivings… did he see snow fall? Was he able to build a snowman, or decorate a tree, get presents… how about trick or treating? He missed out on everything a little boy should never have to miss out on in the first place.”

“He’s right!” Emma gasped, the sad glimmer in her eyes hardening in an unforgiving manner (much like Neal’s current expression) as she turned her glare onto Regina, who was suddenly devoid of any words, her composure crumbling and her complexion paling.

Sharing the two angry parents’ indignation (not that she knew of Neal’s identity as Henry’s father), Snow snapped, “It’s alright for us. We were cursed, walking in a haze, not understanding the concept of time or day. But Henry? How could you bring an innocent little boy into that monotonous town, knowing that he’d forever feel left out? You didn’t even know about Emma returning on her twenty-eighth birthday. What if another decade passed and he was all grown up? He’d go off to college while the very first friends he made in that town were still stuck at the same age, in kindergarten.”

“I suspect our dear Mayor grew bored of her Curse and wanted to spice things up a bit,” Rumplestiltskin said blandly.

Taking umbrage at the four of them for their accusations, Regina snapped, “Henry was fine!”

“Just how did you explain all this to him, Regina,” David asked in a voice of forced calm. “He’s a curious, precocious young boy. At one point, he must have started to notice and asked you about it.”

Worrying at her bottom lip, when Regina realized the watching wasn’t going to proceed and nobody was about to let this matter slide without an answer, she exhaled roughly and disclosed, “I told him he was simply imagining things. Happy? He’s a child… eventually, he’d have let it go.”

Various expressions of disgust and disapproval were thrown at Regina.

“Are you serious?” Neal exploded. “You allowed him to think he was crazy?!”

Jiminy’s expression contorted into a mixture of concern and alarm, “It’s no wonder Henry is in therapy.”

“Great mothering there, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin said snarkily.

Mulan scowled, “I wouldn’t be surprised if at one point, Emma decides to take back her son.”

“She cannot,” Regina hissed, glaring at the warrior with disdain. “Henry is my son!”

But Emma was beginning to lose the uncertainty that had grabbed ahold of her since Henry appeared on her doorstep a couple hours ago, “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, lady. I’m starting to think he’s better off without you.”

“You can’t take him!” she screeched insistently.

“We’ll see about that,” Emma said shortly.

A bout of cackling laughter escaped Zelena, her skin having paled in delight in response to Regina’s suffering, “Oh my, isn’t this a nice turn, and certainly amusing for me.”

Before Regina could retort and enter a screaming match with almost the entire room, Tiger Lily allowed herself to be heard again, her tone calm with the uncanny ability to silence, “How about we observe Henry’s psyche and wellbeing and decide at a later time what would be best for him. This is, after all, events occurring in the future. All the answers you seek might be answered in due time.”

“She’s right,” Blue agreed, effectively putting an end to the fracas.

Unbothered by Emma’s disbelief, Henry continued to reveal that she was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming before he handed over the pages he ripped out from the storybook, one of which contained an illustration of Prince Charming placing baby Emma in the wardrobe, the name “Emma” clearly visible on the baby blanket. They stopped by the school entrance, and Henry warned Emma to keep the pages away from Regina. Once he left her side, Mary Margaret joined Emma.

“Just because I stayed doesn’t mean I believe Henry,” Emma sighed sadly. “He’s going to be so disappointed when he discovers that.”

Snarling at her like a rabid dog, Regina spat, “Then maybe you should leave now before he grows more attached and before you hurt him.”

“You mean more than you have?” Emma retorted angrily.

Ignoring the confrontation between Emma and Regina, Snow sadly said, “And there I am, talking to my daughter, and not knowing I’m talking to my daughter. David, I hate this.”

“I know. I hate it, too,” David comforted her. “But at least you’re with her; you get the chance to talk with her and interact with her. I’m stuck in a coma.”

A guilty look overtook her sadness and Snow pulled him into a deep, long kiss.

“Whoa, okay,” Emma breathed out in alarm. “How long were we arguing exactly?”

Red chuckled, “Ignore them. They can’t help themselves. Hang out around them long enough, you start to get used to the PDA.”

“But I don’t want to get used to it,” Emma insisted with wide eyes.

They had a short discussion about Regina, with Mary Margaret informing Emma that Regina had been Mayor for “as long as I can remember.

“Do you even remember how long you’ve known, Henry? Your cursed memories, I mean?” Neal inquired curiously.

All the previously cursed individuals in the room cocked their heads to the side, pondering the question over.

“Honestly, it’s a bit hazy,” Victor was the first to respond, his bright eyes faraway as they stared at one point. “I remember every day being the same, an endless repetition of days. Then, one day, despite it being the same day, I was looking over Henry when he was still an infant. My cursed counterpart knows Henry, he is aware of how old he is, but… he doesn’t really compute anything related to the concept of time. In the same day, Henry aged ten years, and I never thought anything was awry.”

Frederick nodded, “It’s like one day he was in my gym class. And then, one day, he wasn’t.”

“Same for me,” Snow said, a wrinkle forming between her eyebrows. “One day I rocked him to sleep when he was an infant. Then on the same day, he was older. Again, on the same day, he joined my classroom. It’s so confusing.”

Shrugging, David said, “The last thing I remember is putting Emma in the wardrobe… then appearing here.”

“You’re lucky,” Jefferson grumbled. “You’re not cursed with two identities.” He glowered at Regina, who despite the worrying subject, smiled smugly when Jefferson spoke up. “But I clearly remember the day Henry was brought to Storybrooke.”

“How?” Graham asked, intrigued.

“…”

Rumplestiltskin tittered, “I’m afraid he cannot say.”

Sneering at Regina, Neal said, “What a great environment to raise your son in. Growing up in a town filled with people who can barely remember him.”

“You shut up!” Regina sneered. “Who even are you?! This doesn’t affect you, plebe!”

“That’s my business.” Neal decided to keep his comments to himself for a little while as his argument with Regina along with his vehement concern for and defense of Henry prompted his father to recover his curiosity regarding his identity. Not that the dampener would allow his Papa to connect the dots; still, it was unnerving to be the sole focus of Rumplestiltskin’s intense and intent gaze.

“No one’s ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of… well, fear. I’m afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book and now he thinks she’s the Evil Queen.”

Grumpy harrumphed, “She is the Evil Queen.”

Disregarding the nuisance, Regina snarled, “You always make everything worse. You can’t seem to help it.”

Squarely meeting Regina’s dark stare, Snow stated, unapologetically, “I don’t regret it. Henry needed that book; he needed hope in his life. And that book brought Emma to Storybrooke, to us. So no, Regina, if given the choice, I’d do it again.”

Mary Margaret revealed to Emma that Henry believes she’s Snow White, eliciting a stunned expression from Emma. When asked who Henry believed she was, Emma lied and said she wasn’t in the book, and then she asked where she could find Henry’s therapist.

“Oh, am I about to show up again?” So excited was Jiminy, he transformed back into a cricket, hopping around excitedly on Geppetto’s shoulder.

“I wish you didn’t have to lie,” Snow sighed. “But I guess I, I understand why you did it.”

Emma shrugged, “It’s a weird situation.”

“Yeah, and you don’t do well with weird,” Neal chuckled fondly.

The scene transitioned to Dr. Archie Hopper’s office where he sat reading the newspaper when Emma knocked on the door and entered.

“I still find it weird,” David peered at Jiminy, and then returned his gaze to Archie on-screen, “that you can have a human form.”

“…” Jiminy tried and failed to inform him that he was originally a human, and that he asked to be transformed into a cricket by the Blue Fairy – a wish which obviously had been granted.

Aurora suddenly looked excited, “Did any other animals get a human form?”

A lot of faces were scrunched in deep thought.

“I don’t know actually,” Snow said softly.

Suddenly, Red piped up, “Oh, oh. There’s Billy. I think he was a mouse… Gus, is it? He was Ella’s companion.”

“Yes, he was!” Snow’s eyes gleamed in recognition.

Zelena looked absolutely disgusted, “Eugh. I don’t understand you princesses and your fondness for animals, especially those of the gutter kinds.”

Emma and Archie began to discuss Henry, and when she inferred that his fairytale obsession was crazy, Archie was quick to protest: “I hope you don’t talk that way in front of him. The word “crazy” is um… quite damaging. These stories—they’re his language. He has no idea how to express complex emotions so he’s translating as best he can, this is how he communicates. He’s using this book to help deal with his problems.”

“It’s remarkable,” Jiminy had been hanging on to every word of his cursed-counterpart’s lecture, nodding after every couple of words. “Truly remarkable how that world can translate everything into a reason considered to be ‘normal.’”

Granny, on the other hand, cared more about Henry than the psychobabble, “The poor kid’s already been damaged enough by his sadistic mother, he doesn’t need any more trauma.”

“Excuse you,” Regina sneered.

Neal interrupted, “Problems. Plural. What were you saying about being a good mother again?”

Emma deduced that Henry had been seeing Archie for longer than he had his book, meaning the problem was Regina.

“Called it,” Neal muttered.

Regina clenched and unclenched her hands, as though wishing she could conjure a fireball and turn each and every individual into smithereens, starting with the irritating Cassidy person! “I don’t see why you all have to keep harping on about my relationship with my son.”

“Who has been in therapy for a very long time because of the trauma you inflicted on him!” Snow declared passionately.

Belle seemed to be in agreement, “You bring a young boy into a town that’s cursed; time is frozen, its citizens don’t age; none of them can remember anything but vague memories; and every year he outgrows his friends, literally. Naturally the boy would need therapy. His mind has been damaged by these anomalies.” Clearing her throat, she inhaled deeply and continued, secretly pleased at the fact that everyone was hanging on to her every word, “When he was given the storybook, it explained everything that was wrong with the town. It’s not his language, it’s his sanity. That book proved he wasn’t going crazy as you’d have him believe, which, I might add, is damaging to the boy, for his mother to wave away his legitimate concerns and claim he’s ‘imagining things.’”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Rumplestiltskin brought her hand to his lips, kissing it.

Emma, Neal, Snow and David listened to every word with an air of solemnity, and toward the end of her explanation, they nodded their agreement. Running through all their minds was one thought: that they needed to get Henry away from Regina.

Rendered speechless, all Regina could do, was gape at Belle.

Archie attempted to defend Regina; he then moved to a file cabinet, opened it and took out a file before handing it to Emma. He claimed Henry spoke about her a lot and that it would be best if she read his file. He merely asked that she return his file once she was done with it.

“Why would I do that?” Jiminy frowned at his odd behavior. “From my memories as Archie, and the degree my cursed counterpart has, I know that… doctor-patient confidentiality is the most cardinal rule.”

Suddenly, a dark, gleeful smirk painted Regina’s lips, an “aha” of victory escaping her.

“Why do I sense your fingerprints are all over this?!” Emma snarled.

Shrugging innocently, Regina hummed, “Why, Ms. Swan, I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t,” Snow snapped, glaring daggers at her.

Once Emma left his office, Archie sat down at his desk and picked up the phone to make a call. Regina asked if Emma took the file, and when Archie revealed she did and inquired as to how she knew Emma would come to him, Regina said, “Because I’m the one who gave her the idea.”

Simultaneously, Snow hissed, “You bitch!” to Regina, and David cried out, “Jiminy!”

For his part, Jiminy was furious at himself; so furious was he, he turned back into a man and slumped on the couch beside Geppetto, who patted his back comfortingly. “It’s alright, my friend. It isn’t you.”

Snow turned to David with a frown, “This isn’t Jiminy’s fault!”

“No it’s hers!” Red glared at an infuriatingly smug Regina. “We can’t blame ourselves for what our cursed counterparts do.”

Emma, too, was glaring at her, “So that’s how you want to play it. You know, these games you’re playing, you’re only making me wanna stay even more.”

Graham suddenly looked despondent, “Something tells me I’ll be showing up next to haul Emma back to the station.”

“It’s alright, Graham. It’s not you,” Snow reassured the kind and gentle huntsman.

“Yes,” Rumplestiltskin said. “There’s only one person in Storybrooke that wouldn’t give in to the esteemed Mayor’s demands.”

At this, Regina glowered furiously at the imp, furious that, even in a cursed town of her own design, she still couldn’t beat him.

Eyebrow arched, Neal asked, “And who’s that?”

Smiling deviously, Rumplestiltskin matter-of-factly replied, “Why me, of course.”

“Of course,” David parroted sarcastically.

Staring apologetically at Emma, Jiminy said, “I’m so sorry. You have to know, I would never do such a thing—”

Interrupting him, Emma gave the cricket-turned man (and wow, she’s still not used to that) a small smile, “It’s okay. I know it isn’t you. And I’m sure my future-self knows you had no choice in the matter, either.”

“Thank you, Emma,” he said gratefully, though he still wore a self-deprecating expression.

Geppetto was still patting Jiminy on the back, “You see, my friend. You see. Everyone understands.”

“I doubt you’re the only one who will be bullied by the Evil Queen,” Grumpy huffed, his dark beady eyes glaring at Regina with hatred.

Whispering so that only Elsa and Kristoff could hear, Anna said, “Wow am I glad we didn’t get whisked off by that curse.” She shivered, “I’d hate to be under that woman’s thumb.”

The next scene occurred in Emma’s room at Granny’s Bed & Breakfast. She had made herself comfortable on her bed, reading Henry’s file when there was a knock on the door.

Glumly, Graham said, “And that would be me.”

He was right.

No one even laughed when Emma made a joke about having left the “Do Not Disturb” signs alone; although Killian donned a small smirk, amused by the blonde lass’s wit, and Regina had the biggest grin on her face yet, her dark eyes glittering with glee as she comprehended the full gist of her future-self’s plan. ‘Ingenious!’

Emma was shocked to hear the real reason Graham came by: Archie filed a complaint against her, claiming that she demanded to see Henry’s files and that, when he refused, she returned later and stole them.

“That’s, ooh why you,” the sight of Jiminy glaring at Regina was endearing. He kept popping back and forth from cricket to man and back again, so fast, it created a dizzying effect on almost everyone, and Emma had to force herself to look away, still unused to the overtly magical occurrences that took place right before her eyes. “You’re evil,” he finally settled on.

Grumpy grunted, “It’s in the name, Jiminy.”

“And to think you were all complaining about me cursing Ms. Swan gone,” Regina said. “I believe this way is better, don’t you think. There’s no permanent harm.”

Everyone merely stared at her; Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent, however, rolled their eyes.

Emma claimed she was being set up just as the scene transitioned to Storybrooke Elementary. Mary Margaret was giving a lesson outside to Henry’s class when Regina approached them, demanding to speak to Henry and snapping at Mary Margaret when she attempted to refuse her.

“I hate how Mary Margaret lets you step all over her!” Snow snapped, much to Regina’s delight.

Smiling gleefully, Regina purred, “Oh, but I simply adore it. I created your cursed counterpart to lack a backbone after all. Especially with me.”

“Isn’t it quite odd and confusing,” Guinevere asked suddenly, her expression genuinely intrigued, “to refer to yourselves in the third person?”

Mulling it over for a second, Snow shrugged, “No. not really. I mean, I know Mary Margaret is technically me; but at the same, she isn’t me.”

“It’s like I’m Red and I’m Ruby at the same. I was born Red and that vile woman,” Red sneered at Regina, “made sure that our counterparts were the opposites of us, or at least, having a few negative traits, otherwise it wouldn’t really be a curse, you know what I mean? But they’re both a part of our personalities now, I’m just more Red than Ruby.”

Snow nodded, “Exactly. And I’m more Snow than Mary Margaret. But even though, I learn from Mary Margaret, and some of her traits kind of… stayed with me, but for the better.”

“That sounds so confusing,” Elsa muttered, staring at the previously cursed individuals with a mixture of sorrow and horror.

Grumpy glowered at Regina, “That’s our curse!”

Once they finished discussing their cursed counterparts’ identity, Emma addressed Regina, “What are you planning now? You better not be planning on hurting Henry!”

“Of course I’m not!” Regina snapped. “Leave the parenting to me, Ms. Swan. I am, after all, his mother.”

Neal scoffed, “You can keep repeating that, lady, until you’re blue in the face. It still won’t make it true.”

“You quiet!” she hissed.

Stepping past Mary Margaret, Regina took Henry aside, “Henry, sweetie, I have some bad news. The woman who you brought here… she’s been arrested. She broke into Dr. Hopper’s office and stole his files. She’s a con woman. She’s trying to learn about us in order to take advantage of us. That’s why she’s sticking around. I’m sorry.”

“Wow!” Emma gaped at the screen before turning her glare onto Regina, “Are you serious right now?”

Many looks of disgust were aimed at Regina, who didn’t seem to find anything wrong with her actions by the look on her face.

Even Rumplestiltskin shook his head in disapproval, “He’s ten, dearie.”

“And what would you know about raising a ten-year-old,” she retorted snappishly.

Blinking at her, Rumplestiltskin let out a giggle as he turned back into his Dark One form. “Nothing,” he tittered.

‘Ouch,’ Neal winced and looked away, blinking back the burn in his eyes. He, however, failed to see the tight grip Belle kept on his Papa’s scaly hand, nor the intent stare Killian fixated him with. Even Blue adopted a mildly guilty expression before tearing her gaze from the humming Dark One.

Snow had taken to repeating some of what Regina’s future-self said, disbelief caressing most of the words, “She’s a con woman… learn about us in order to take advantage of us. What on earth are you on about!?” Shooting her step-mother a glare of disbelief, she snapped, “It’s not like you’re the President of the United States, or some millionaire or undercover agent. You’re a wretched small town mayor. That’s all.”

Emma coughed back a laugh and pressed a fist to help keep her mouth shut.

Tsking, Aurora said, “You’re quite a delusional person, aren't you?”

“No you’re not,” Henry retorted, matter-of-factly.

Hands on either side of her face, Snow shook her head, “I don’t know what’s worse… that Henry can see through your attempt to hurt him, or that you cannot see that your words and actions do hurt him.”

A sound of irritation escaping him, Neal said, “She can see just fine; she just doesn’t care.”

Having had enough, Regina whirled around to fully face him, “That’s it! Who are you, what is your purpose here. Better yet,” she turned her glare onto Emma, “How is it that you know him?”

“I’m not even gonna bother trying to explain that to you as I’m pretty sure the dampener won’t let me,” Emma rolled her eyes, not bothering to meet Regina’s burning gaze.

“Quite an irritating conundrum he makes, don’t you think,” Rumplestiltskin said in his trademark singsong manner.

Scowling at Neal, Regina snapped, “‘Irritating’ is not the word I’d use.”

Henry, however, refused to see it Regina’s way and when the school bell rang, he immediately left her side, returning to class.

“At least Henry’s a smart lad,” Killian reassured Emma kindly. “You won’t have to worry about the Evil Queen’s words affecting his spirit.”

Emma emitted a despondent sigh, “I hope so.”

When the scene shifted to the station, Graham shrunk into himself and stared disapprovingly at his cursed self. Red reached out and patted his hand, a gentle smile adoring her lovely features. “It’s not you,” she emphasized.

“It’s still my face,” he sighed. “I know it’s not my actions, but somehow, it still feels like me.”

Thinking briefly about the embarrassing actions done by Ruby, Red cringed, “I kind of see your point. But it’s still not us. If we were in our right minds, we wouldn’t have done what our cursed counterparts did; and that’s good enough for me.”

Smiling gratefully, Graham squeezed the hand that had been patting his and slowly released it.

A growl vibrating in her throat, Regina stared darkly at the mutt and her huntsman. ‘Unacceptable!’ she thought angrily. ‘Once we’re out of this room, I’ll be teaching the both of them a long, painful lesson!’

Noting the wrathful expression on her face, Rumplestiltskin frowned; as did Snow and Granny.

Emma was telling Graham that Regina was framing her and that she put Archie up to it: “He’s terrified of her, like everyone else in this town.”

“She needs to give us personality transplants and new identities to treat her with the fear she yearns,” Abigail said with disdain. “Doesn’t say much about you, does it?”

Regina glowered at her, “And what, pray tell, did I do to receive your ire, hmm?”

Zelena laughed loudly at that.

Abigail stared, dumbfounded, before she yelled, her entire form almost jumping out of her seat (and she would have stormed over to Regina, if it weren’t for Frederick holding her back). “You cursed us. You tore me apart from my husband, my father, my kingdom, my home. Tell me, your majesty,” she sneered, “is that not grounds for my ire?”

Sniffing, Regina turned her nose up, “I meant before the Dark Curse.”

“After is more than enough,” Abigail retorted heatedly. “And even if you hadn't cast the Curse, I wouldn’t respect you or like you. You who kill and slaughter and create many massacres. You who intimidate and force obedience through your magic. Why would I like you?”

“My love, do not address her any longer,” Frederick cradled his wife to his chest, stroking a strong hand through her golden hair.

Graham refused to believe Emma. He merely said Regina had her hands in everything since she’s the Mayor, which Emma took to mean the police force was included. Before he could respond, however, Henry came bounding into the room, Mary Margaret at the rear.

“Oh, good. I’m there to help you,” Snow smiled in relief.

Regina, on the other hand, was scowling at her son, Abigail’s words still ringing thunderously in her ears.

Henry was vibrating with excitement; he hadn't believed a word Regina told him and was under the impression that Emma had been gathering intel for “Operation Cobra.” Mary Margaret had accompanied Henry in order to bail Emma out, claiming she trusted Emma.

“Uh-oh, this spells trouble for you, lady,” Neal was grinning from ear-to-ear when Emma told Graham to uncuff her, citing she had “something to do.”

Regina scowled.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

And Zelena was sitting on the edge of her seat, excited for Regina’s comeuppance.

For her part, Emma looked unhappy at how well Neal knew her, despite the years apart. A part of her hated it, because their love hadn't been real. ‘If Neal loved me, he wouldn’t have framed me and abandoned me. Right?’ Looking at her parents (and that was still a difficult concept to believe – that she finally had parents!), Emma had an epitomic example of what true love was; and what she had with Neal, definitely wasn’t that.

The scene transitioned to Regina’s office; she was working at her desk when a mechanical roar echoed loudly from outside. She rushed to the window, only to see Emma cutting off a branch from her apple tree with a chainsaw.

“GO, EMMA!” Grumpy, Granny, Red, Kristoff, Anna, and Neal cheered.

A pleased blush coloring her cheeks, Emma bit her lip to cover a smile while Regina glared darkly at her.

Rumplestiltskin emitted a long giggle, his scaly hands clapping together in glee.

A maniacal laugh escaped Zelena and even Maleficent appeared pleased with this turn of events.

“Looks like not everyone in Storybrooke will be bowing down to you, Regina. Your reign of terror is ending,” David boasted.

Baring her teeth at him, Regina snarled, “What would you know? You’ve been in the deep throes of a coma for the last twenty-eight years.”

Her words, however, didn’t have the effect she intended on for David or Snow. In fact, Snow was practically radiating with happiness as she said, “That’s not going to stick for long. With Emma in town, and with your actions pushing her to stay, David will wake up in no time.”

“Then I’ll simply have to think of yet another way to keep you two apart, won’t I?” she said wickedly.

Regina stormed outside, yelling at Emma, “You’re out of your mind!”

“No, you are if you think a shoddy frame job’s enough to scare me off,” Emma retorted. “You’re gonna have to do better than that. If you come after me one more time, I’m coming back for the rest of this tree. Because, sister, you have no idea what I am capable of.” As she walked away, she yelled back, “Your move.”

Pumping a fist in the air, Grumpy cheered, “You tell her, sister!”

“Oh, trust me, Ms. Swan, I will do better than that,” Regina leaned forward, propping her elbows on her thighs. “Much better.”

Emma shrugged, “You can use up every move you have in your playbook. I’m not going anywhere.”

“And that’s why you’re the Savior. Such courage,” Rumplestiltskin marveled gleefully, his impish features receding to that of a handsome elderly gentleman.

Back in The Enchanted Forest, the Evil Queen was still in the sparse forest where she had attempted and failed to cast the Dark Curse earlier. The elderly gentleman from before was with her.

Snow shivered and hugged herself, “I don’t want to see this. I’d rather watch Emma.”

“Yeah… I really don’t want to know how the Evil Queen cast her Curse,” Red agreed with her best friend as she subconsciously leaned into Graham’s side.

Inwardly, Regina agreed with them as well… she didn’t want to relive this horrible moment. Yes, she succeeded in her revenge, but the taste was bittersweet because of what she had to lose to enact it. Living through it once was more than enough; she didn’t want to do it again, this time, with a live audience, all of whom hated the very earth she walked on.

She wondered aloud why the Dark Curse didn’t work, and when he revealed that helping her was his life, Regina pleaded for him to help her understand why it didn’t work.

Regina focused on the fire as it danced merrily in the fireplace, hoping the suffusing blaze would deter any tears from escaping her eyes at her father’s words: helping you is my life. He paid for that with his life, and she hated herself for needing revenge more than she needed her father.

“Who is that?” Macintosh wondered.

He advised her to seek the person who gave it to her in the first place; he then warned her, “Revenge is a dark and lonely road. Once you go down it… there is no heading back.”

“Listen to him,” Snow pleaded the screen.

Huffing, Regina said, “We already know I didn’t, idiot.”

Arthur shook his head, “He is a very wise man. You are lucky to have such a man in your court. You should have heeded his warnings and taken his advice.”

“Where is he, anyway?” Snow asked suddenly, frowning in confusion. “I’d have thought he’d be by your side in Storybrooke, like he always has been.”

Regina swiftly looked away, her front teeth biting hard on her bottom lip to keep any sound from escaping. Tactfully, Rumplestiltskin didn’t say anything; he may currently despise Regina, but he wasn’t as cruel as people believed him to be.

The scene transitioned to the underground prison that held Rumplestiltskin. A plethora of rats were scurrying about.

Belle frowned at the reminder of what Snow and David did to her True Love. Even Neal looked disturbed at the uninhabitable cell.

Gnawing at her lower lip, Snow stared down at her lap, suddenly ashamed of herself for cramming Rumplestiltskin in there.

“It’s just us, dearie. You can show yourself!” Rumplestiltskin called out gleefully. One of the rats suddenly transformed into the Evil Queen, and she wasted no time in informing him that the Curse he gave her wasn’t working.

“Your Curse?!” many exclaimed.

“The Dark Curse is yours?!”

Maleficent stared at him with dawning realization, “I should have known.”

Neal stared at his father in horror, “It was your curse?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Rumplestiltskin said, still in his human form, and wholly unbothered by the many glares thrown his way.

Swallowing back a sigh of relief at the reprieve, Regina made herself comfortable. It truly was taxing, being on the receiving end of many hateful sneers and glares, and having to defend herself and her actions against dozens of people. Let Rumplestiltskin deal with them for a while.

“Why?” David demanded angrily.

Smirking, Rumplestiltskin said, “Now that, that Prince Charming, would be telling.”

Interjecting the exclamations of anger, Belle said, “There’s no point in badgering him, the dampener won’t allow him to explain himself.”

Some looks of disgust were aimed at her then. “You defend him, Belle. Why?” Anna demanded, staring at her friend in confusion.

Grabbing Rumplestiltskin’s hand, Belle said, “I’m not defending him. I’m merely saying that whatever his reasons were, he’s not in any position to explain because of the dampener.”

“And yet… here you sit next to him, holding his hand, your feelings obviously not having deteriorated,” Phillip observed in a neutral tone. No matter what, he would always have a soft spot for Belle; after all, without her, Mulan might have succeeded in killing him, and he wouldn’t have a chance to awaken or even see, his true love.

Not wanting to hear Belle’s response, Rumplestiltskin snapped, “That’s enough. Belle’s life is hers. Now how about you all concern yourselves with your own problems and leave Belle be. I will never understand you people’s need to insert yourselves in business that does not concern you.”

Patting his hand in gratitude, Belle nevertheless, said, “I believe in Rumplestiltskin, and in our love.”

“How nauseating,” Zelena sneered.

Neal still couldn’t tear his gaze from his father’s form. He created the Dark Curse that ripped people away from their homes and loved ones; that made Emma parentless. A curse so dark, even Maleficent, of all people, feared it, claiming it made her moral. Why? He couldn’t understand the depths his father was sinking in. Why! He felt disgusted, horrified, angry, sad… ‘What happened to you, Papa?’

He then revealed to the Evil Queen of the worry exhibited by Snow White and Charming, explaining that they paid him a visit as well, anxious about her and the Curse.

“You told her!” David was furious.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “I’m a fair man, Prince Charming. Everyone who comes to me always wants something. If they have something I want, a deal can be struck. I’m not someone who partakes much in bias.”

“How moral of you,” Red mumbled sarcastically.

The Evil Queen demanded to know what she did wrong, and Rumplestiltskin agreed, so long as he got something in return.

“You wanted the Curse to happen, then,” Snow stated.

Rolling her eyes, Zelena snapped, “If he created the Curse, if he gave it to Regina, then what on earth would make you believe he’s against it being cast!?”

“Because he’d be trapped as well; he’d be cursed like the rest of us,” David retorted.

Shrewdly, August said, “Unless he was certain he’d be able to barter for a good life, despite being cursed.”

“You blasted little imp!” Regina snarled, her skin mottling with rage. “You knew, didn’t you?! That I’d make an error. That I’d come to you.”

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, “I can see the future, dearie.”

“But not everything,” Anna looked aghast at the mere notion of what the Dark One was capable of.

He did a small shake of his head, “Not everything, but enough to guide me, and that’s all I shall be saying on the matter.” This was the longest he managed without transforming back to his Dark One form, and he’d like to prolong the moment.

“Just answer me this: Why?” Snow asked sadly, her sparkling green eyes beseeching the oddly warm chocolate ones of Rumplestiltskin’s.

Emitting a long-drawn-out sigh, Rumplestiltskin crossed his ankles together and as expected, “…” Smiling grimly, he said, “As I just proved to you, I cannot say.”

When asked what he wanted, Rumplestiltskin said, “Simple. In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life.”

“Fine!” Regina said impatiently. “You’ll have an estate, be rich.”

Glaring thunderously at him, Regina growled, “I hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?” he tittered.

“Manipulate me!” she snapped.

Rumplestiltskin gave her a crooked grin, “Oh, but, dearie, our relationship was mostly built on manipulation. You know that.”

“That’s so sad,” Elsa sighed, staring at the two villains with sympathy.

Neal, on the other hand, felt nothing but disgust.

Before anyone could say anything, Rumplestiltskin snapped, his eyes narrowing, “Don’t act all innocent, Regina. You’ve done your fair share in retaliation, haven’t you, dearie.”

Dark eyes flickering to Belle, Regina swallowed and nodded curtly, “Fair enough. I’d say we’re even though, no?”

“Oh, no. Not by a long shot,” Rumplestiltskin sneered.

Everyone but Belle appeared to be lost as they stared between the Dark One and the Evil Queen in confusion.

“I wasn’t finished! There’s more!”

Sneering at the screen, Zelena said, “There always is with you.”

“You know Rumplestiltskin?” Maleficent was looking at Zelena with much more interest than before.

“…” Zelena cursed, “Oh, bugger!”

“There always is with you.”

Zelena gasped, abject horror flooding her features at having said the same thing as Regina.

“Yeah, yeah…” Rumplestiltskin continued with relish, “In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say: “Please.””

Neal stared at the Dark One on-screen, studying his flamboyant gestures and childish displays; his voice; everything… it was so alien, so startling. It further proved his father, the poor, kind Spinner, was no longer there, replaced by this…monster.

“Please?” Maleficent laughed lightly. “Oh, that’ll be the day, Rumplestiltskin saying please.”

“I can be very polite if I wish to,” Rumplestiltskin said dryly.

“And therein lies the problem,” Maleficent smirked. “You rarely wish to.”

The Evil Queen reminded him that if she succeeded, he wouldn’t remember the deal, to which Rumplestiltskin replied: “Oh, well, then what’s the harm?”

When Regina sealed the deal without hesitation, Maleficent erupted into loud laughter. “You still have much to learn, old friend.”

Scowling at the sorceress, Regina snapped, “He doesn’t remember anything. The way I see it, I got what I wanted for nothing.”

“If you say so,” Maleficent humored her.

Belle stared at her True Love with amusement, sensing that Regina’s arrogance was going to be her undoing.

Rumplestiltskin informed her that a heart needed to be sacrificed, and when the Evil Queen said she sacrificed her priced steed, he reacted aggressively, reaching through the bars to grab her by the throat, “A horse? This is the Curse to end all curses. You think a horse is gonna do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious.”

“That’s sick,” Neal looked a bit green, and he was unable to even glance at his father’s direction.

Robin, however, stared at Regina curiously, “Back then, was there even somebody you loved?”

“And why would I tell you,” she sneered.

He shrugged, “Whatever you wish. Something tells me we’ll be seeing it anyway, otherwise, how else had you managed to cast the Curse.”

“Nothing, not even revenge, is worth getting if it means you have to sacrifice the person you love most,” Phillip declared incredulously.

In an icy drawl, Maleficent stated, “That Curse is an abomination and it should not have been cast.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled while Regina glared firstly at Maleficent, then the room at large, almost daring anyone to say one more word on the matter.

“What I loved most died because of Snow White!”

Sighing, Snow lifted her hand in a surrendering motion, her next words directed at her husband, “I’m not even going to apologize anymore.”

Shaking his head, David smoothed back her long ebony tresses from her face, “The time for apologizing is long past, my Snow. There is nothing more you can do if she refuses to accept your apology and that you weren’t solely to blame. Leave it be, Snow.”

“I really want to know this,” Red sighed. Over the years, from the moment they met and befriended one another until the Curse came for them, Snow insinuated a couple of times that she played a role, however unwitting, in destroying the Evil Queen’s happiness. She never pressed the subject; and even if she had, Red suspected it was a secret Snow would not part with.

Feeling a certain pair of eyes basically glued to her form, Regina glared at Robin, “Stop staring, bandit!”

Without revealing a name, Rumplestiltskin alluded to the fact that the Evil Queen did, in fact, love somebody else. For the first time, uncertainty flickered in her dark eyes, and she appeared troubled.

“Oh no,” Snow stared at Regina in horror, the truth finally dawning on her.

Her expression cold, her face an impassive mask, Regina stubbornly kept her eyes on the screen.

“This Curse isn’t gonna be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question,” Rumplestiltskin said. “How far are you willing to go?” The Evil Queen stated she was willing to go as far as it took, which prompted Rumplestiltskin’s parting words, “Then please stop wasting everyone’s time and just do it! You know what you love… now go kill it!”

“How could you!” Snow shrieked in an accusing tone.

Preparing herself for another round with these insipid people, Regina turned her glare onto Snow. To her surprise, however, Snow’s accusation hadn't been directed at her, her green gaze burning angrily into Rumplestiltskin.

“How could you encourage her to …” Snow clutched at her throat when the following words wouldn’t come out. “You should’ve stopped her from doing what she’s about to do,” was what she settled on.

Mulan stared at Snow with judgmental eyes, her tone and visage expressionless, “Didn’t we recently come to the conclusion that the Dark One wished for the Curse to be cast. Why would he stop the Evil Queen?”

“There must have been another way!” Snow argued.

Shaking his head, Robin said, “I’m lost. And I believe, your majesty, I’m not the only one.”

For only Snow knew the only other person Regina loved most in the world with Daniel gone; and it explained why she never saw him in Storybrooke, standing by Regina’s side like he always has for as long as she knew them.

Regina found herself at a temporary loss of words. Snow must be disgusted with her – of course she was, the goody-two shoes. And she suspected for certainty that everyone else would, too. Even Rumplestiltskin, surprisingly, despite him being the one to reveal the last ingredient needed. Despite fulfilling the requirements of the Dark Curse, and choosing vengeance over love, Regina, nevertheless, was disgusted with herself. Yet… Snow was yelling at Rumplestiltskin… for her; in her defense.

And she hated Snow White all the more for it! Whenever that wretched girl portrayed the goodness within her, and the purity of her heart, it frustrated Regina and never failed to evoke her wrath. Because then, it made her feel bad for the girl, made her look bad to the people; she wished Snow White would act as wicked as only she knew she was.

Sighing, Rumplestiltskin, back in the guise of a man, said, “Dearie, when two people want something the other has, a deal can always be struck. A fair transaction had been made between Regina and I; and that’s all that matters.”

“That’s kind of cold,” Anna noted aloud.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “That’s my business. Sometimes it’s steep, sometimes it’s not. I don’t concern myself with anything other than both parties receiving what they wanted, especially not sentiment or whatever repercussions there may be.”

Swallowing back the tongue-thrashing he wished to deliver to his father, Neal pressed a fist to his mouth while he fumed. ‘Was that why he went back on their deal? He definitely didn’t honor their agreement, which means… Papa didn’t want to go with him through the magic bean; he didn’t have anything he wanted.’

Emma looked shrewdly at the Dark One, “Why did you want to know my name?”

“That, dearie, is my business,” he emphatically splayed his fingers against his chest just as the imp reemerged.

In Storybrooke, at Granny’s Bed & Breakfast, Emma was about to open the door to her room when an agitated Granny approached her, asking her to leave due to the “No felons” rule; a city ordinance which, as Emma correctly deduced, the Mayor’s office called to remind Granny of.

Surprising Regina, Emma let out a bark of laughter, “Nice try. You’re still not getting rid of me that easily.”

Contradicting Emma’s laidback reaction, all the cursed individuals, barring Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent, were grumbling invectives under their breaths while glaring daggers at Regina.

The scene transitioned to Regina’s garden where she was kneeling on the grass next to her abused tree, picking up apples and putting them into a basket. Sheriff Graham approached her and Regina proceeded to demand for Emma’s arrest.

Emma chuckled, finding it ironic that after avoiding a life of crime since she completed her eleven months at Phoenix, she arrives at Storybrooke with good intentions, only to get arrested twice, with the Mayor gunning for a third.

Concerned for her mental state, Red slowly said, “Um… why are you laughing?”

“Inside joke,” she waved a hand.

Shifting guiltily in his seat, Neal, once again, glared at August.

“I really hope I don’t arrest you again,” Graham sighed.

Graham, however, didn’t quite agree with Regina; he claimed that Emma didn’t steal the files as she was surprised when he leveled the charges at her. He deduced the entirety of Regina’s plan: to get Archie to accuse Emma of stealing the files so that he could arrest her.

“I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment. I made you Sheriff. And I can take it away just as easily,” Regina reminded him.

Shrugging, Graham said, “Please do. At least I won’t be under your thumb anymore.”

Reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, Snow said, “Don’t worry, Graham. You can stay as Sheriff. It’s Madam Mayor here that’ll be stepping down.”

“I will do no such thing,” Regina arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “What fantasy have you concocted?”

It was David who answered for his wife, “It’s not a fantasy; it’s reality, Regina. How delusional can you be? Did you really think that once the Curse is broken, the citizens of Storybrooke, that all of us, would let you stay on as our Mayor?”

“I think not!” Granny yelled.

“You’re not our Queen; you won’t be our Mayor!” Grumpy growled.

Smirking, Red looped an arm through Graham’s (which prompted Regina to see red), “Meaning Graham can stay on as Sheriff, without your interference.”

“And Emma can keep her room,” Granny added vehemently.

Suddenly aghast, Snow emitted a gasp as she brought her hand to her chest, “Oh no. Emma won’t be staying there for long. She’ll be moving in with me and David.”

“And Henry,” David reminded her.

Simultaneously, Emma and Regina interjected with profuse disagreements of their own:

“Thanks for the offer, but if I choose to stick around, I’ll decide for myself where I’ll be living,” Emma said.

Regina snapped, “Excuse me! My son will not be going anywhere.”

Placating her, Graham agreed to arrest Emma; he added, however, that the two women would just keep coming at each other, and that if it escalates, the only one that will get hurt is Henry.

“Thank you, Graham, for always looking out for my family,” Snow smiled.

Regina sneered at him, “You’ve gotten much too comfortable, Huntsman. I’ll have to remedy that.”

Subtly, Graham flinched, prompting Red, who sat right beside him, to glare daggers at the Evil Queen, a wolfish growl rumbling in her throat. She put a hand over his, “Don’t worry, Graham, we’ve got your back.”

The scene transitioned to Emma by her car, which had a boot on it. Her phone rang and Emma and Regina had a short conversation. Regina was inviting her over to make peace.

“Peace my ass,” Grumpy growled.

Granny huffed an agreement, “What’s your new angle, witch!”

Shrugging, Regina casually said, “I’ve no idea what my future-self has planned. Perhaps I do wish to bury the hatchet.”

“Yes, and mermaids are ugly,” Killian snorted.

Frowning, August said, “I think you mean ‘pigs can fly.’”

Throwing him a wink, Killian said, “Pirate humor, mate.”

At the Mayor’s office, Regina and Emma are seated, and the former began the conversation by apologizing.

“Okay, seriously. What’s your deal,” Emma had her eyes narrowed suspiciously between the Regina on-screen and off-screen.

“I know I’m not a mother – I think that’s pretty self-evident – but I did have him, and I can’t help it… he got in my head, and I want to make sure he’s okay. The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how… troubled… he is,” Emma admitted.

Smirking deviously, Regina sat back triumphantly, “Ah, I see now.”

Rolling her eyes, Red said, “Of course Regina would understand Regina, past, present, future, they all think the same – evil.”

“You flatter me, wolf,” she retorted happily, excited to see the results of her future scheme.

Having caught on, Rumplestiltskin tsked loudly, and surprising over half the room, he gave Regina a disapproving stare, “Really, Regina.”

“Oh shut it, you imp!” she snarled.

Head shaking in a negative manner, Rumplestiltskin simply said, “This will not end well for you, dearie.”

“You think he’s troubled?” Regina asked, ‘concerned’.

Emma proceeded to explain how Henry thinks everyone in Storybrooke is a fairytale character.

“Which we are,” Jiminy pointed out, matter-of-factly.

Putting a hand against her forehead, Emma huffed, “I know that now. Without proof, who in their right mind would believe such a thing?!”

“Emma,” Neal chastised her, eyes alarmed, “Henry is in his right mind.”

Scoffing, Emma asked, “And what, you believe.” Shaking her head, she elaborated, “Before we were dumped in this room with these people, would you have believed?”

And to Emma’s and everyone else’s surprise – except for August – Neal confidently said, in a manner that left absolutely no room for doubt, “Yes.”

“The poor kid can’t even tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it’s only getting worse. It’s crazy,” Emma opined.

Having overheard her, Henry ran out of the office. Regina didn’t appear surprised; in fact, she looked thrilled. When Emma asked if she knew Henry would be there, Regina revealed, “Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely five p.m. so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I’m his mother. Your move.”

“Some mother you are, lady,” Neal yelled, getting onto his feet. “You’re a bitch, you know that? Why the hell would you do that to Henry!?”

A united front in regards to Henry’s wellbeing, Emma joined Neal’s side, her face a furious fuchsia, “Your problem is with me. How dare you use Henry as a ploy to run me out of town!”

Jumping over to join them, Snow wagged her finger angrily at a smirking Regina, “Ooh, why I wanna…I wanna wipe that smirk right off your face! In what world is what you did to Henry, okay? Regina, you hurt Henry, do you not get that!”

“I did warn you, your majesty,” Rumplestiltskin stated, twisting his cane in his hand as he reverted to a man.

Frothing at the mouth, David shouted, “Once we’re through here, Henry’s coming home to his family. To Emma, to Snow, to me. And you, you will never get to be near him again.”

That succeeded in destroying her sense of victory and erasing her smirk. “You can’t do that!” Regina snapped. “I won’t let you!”

“There’s no magic in Storybrooke, remember?” Jefferson looked incredibly smug. “Exactly how are you going to be able to stop anyone once the Curse is broken? You’re defenseless, powerless.”

True fear crept down Regina’s spine, her eyes widening in realization. Not daring to let that fear show, she chose to glare at Emma, “Well, I’ll just have to ensure that doesn’t happen, won’t I.”

Rumplestiltskin felt a pinch of guilt… truth is, magic will return to Storybrooke once Emma Swan breaks the Curse. It wasn’t simply a crutch, an addiction… it was a necessity; for how else could he find his son? Shaking his head, Rumplestiltskin banished away the smidgeon of guilt; he’ll ensure Regina was powerless so that she couldn’t use magic against Storybrooke’s citizens once he brought magic back. After all, she deserved worse for what she did to his Belle. He may not know the entire story, but he knew Regina was involved, and not in a positive way.

Emma stared at Regina in disgust, “You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?”

At that, Regina alternated her glare between Rumplestiltskin and Snow.

“Probably born that way,” Grumpy grunted.

Sneering at him, Regina snapped, “You stupid dwarf, evil isn’t born, it’s made!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

Back in The Enchanted Forest, the Evil Queen was back in her palace, talking with the elderly gentleman and the mirror. When asked if she spoke to Rumplestiltskin, the Evil Queen displayed her uncertainty before explaining that she had to cut out the heart of the thing she loves most.

“Me,” the elderly gentleman said.

“WHAT!”

More exclamations of surprise echoed in the room.

Robin looked like he had been hit over the head, “The person you love most… is your servant?”

“He’s not—” Having choked up, Regina cleared her throat and covered her sadness with her usual sneer, “He is not a servant!”

“Oh, Regina,” Snow didn’t know if she felt horror or sadness or pity… or perhaps all three.

Regina glared her into silence.

“Daddy, I don’t know what to do.”

Gasping, Robin simply stated, “Your father.”

“He’s your father?” Arthur inquired, shocked.

Killian shook his head, “And you treat him with disrespect… having him fetch you drinks while you lord over him. Really, your majesty.”

“Keep that tongue behind your teeth, guy-liner, unless you want to lose that as well!” she snapped.

Emma shrugged, “Killian actually makes a great point.”

“With the way we’ve seen you treat him, all of us thought he was your servant. I wonder what that says about you,” Neal snapped, disgust etched all over his features.

“I didn’t,” Snow murmured, sad green eyes not once leaving Regina’s form.

Maleficent waved a hand, “You’re different, snowflake. You grew up around the man. Naturally you’d recognize him.”

“I love my father!” Regina sneered at all the horrified faces staring back at her.

Dryly, Rumplestiltskin said, “Evidently, otherwise we wouldn’t be here.”

Her father tried to talk her out of enacting the Curse, but the Evil Queen insisted she couldn’t keep on living the way she had: “What Snow did to me, what she took from me… It’s eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished.”

Tears in her eyes, Snow sadly said, “I’m sorry you feel this way.”

“Shut up!” Regina hissed, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

The room was completely silent. Almost everyone was clueless on what Regina and Snow were talking about; on why Regina hated Snow so much that she’d consider killing her own father to enact the Dark Curse; on what exactly it was that Snow did that consumed Regina with so much rage and hate and vengeance, she became the Evil Queen.

“If the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it?” he insisted.

Humming, Maleficent said, “So… I am not the only one to mention such a price.”

“No,” Regina replied coldly, her only focus being her father – her kind, sweet father.

It appeared as though her father was getting through to her as he continued to convince her of the consequences of having power and seeking revenge; that love was all that matters and that they could find happiness together, if she could only forget about Snow White.

“Listen to him,” Anna pleaded, hands clasped together as though in prayer while staring at the screen.

They all hoped Regina would heed her father’s advice and forget about vengeance, despite them knowing it was futile, as the Dark Curse was enacted.

Father and daughter hugged, and as the Evil Queen agreed with him, that she could be happy, she plunged her hand into his chest and ripped out his heart. “I’m sorry.”

“You really do have no soul,” Emma said, horrified. The world wasn’t exactly a utopia; Emma knew that family was capable of killing each other; evil existed everywhere, in all shapes and sizes. But Regina truly loved her father; according to the Curse, the heart of the thing you loved most was required, otherwise it wouldn’t work. To coldly and callously commit such a nefarious act for the sake of revenge, that, to Emma Swan, was unfathomable and profoundly heartless.

Killian stared at the Evil Queen in disgust, “And I thought I was a bad person.”

“You shut your mouth, pirate. You, of all people, are going to judge me?” Regina sneered, her voice cracking as she failed to swallow her sorrow.

Instantly understanding what Regina was referring to, Killian snarled, his lip curling angrily, “That was different, and you know it.”

He may have killed his father, but the relationship between him and his father, and Regina and hers, were two completely different matters – like night and day. His father abandoned him; there was no love lost for the man that sold him and his brother to servitude to save his own hide and procure his freedom. Regina’s father, on the other hand, stuck by her through thick and thin, apparently – he loved her, chose her, never thought of abandoning her even when he found out his heart was required in order for the Dark Curse to succeed. So, no, he didn’t believe he belonged on the same spectrum of heartless and evil alongside the Evil Queen.

“What are you two talking about?” Macintosh inquired.

Even Rumplestiltskin found himself confused, and he didn’t like that. What did Regina know of the pirate that he didn’t?

“Why bother asking, Lord Macintosh,” Robin sighed exasperatedly. “Most likely the dampener won’t allow any answers.”

Zelena, however, was staring at Regina in speculation. The murder of her father was worse than wicked; Zelena hated the man that raised her, the man who she believed to be her father, but never did she entertain the thought of murdering him in cold blood.

“That hole will only grow bigger, Regina,” Maleficent stated, and for the first time since they appeared in the Haven, she didn’t address her old friend with malice and discontent.

Annoyed, Regina donned her cold, emotionless front like an armor as she snapped at everyone, their staged whispers grating on her nerves, “Are we done discussing my actions? I did what I did. I’ve moved on, you should too!”

The scene transitioned to Storybrooke, in Mary Margaret’s apartment. Mary Margaret was working on her needlework when there was a knock on the door. She answered to find Emma in the hallway who had come to pay back the bail money.

Sighing, Snow shook her head, “I wish Mary Margaret wouldn’t take it. I bailed my daughter out of jail, I don’t want to be paid back.”

“There, you’re Mary Margaret, not Snow White,” David reminded her fondly.

Everyone was glad to listen to Emma Swan and Mary Margaret Blanchard discuss Henry over a cup of hot chocolate as it was a nice change from the heartless act the Evil Queen committed to her own father.

Mary Margaret revealed that ever since Emma arrived at Storybrooke, she’s had the oddest feeling like they’d met before.

“Of course we did,” Snow beamed.

Emma revealed that she’s leaving town as if she stays, Henry would keep getting hurt.

Glad at the success of her scheme, Regina smirked, grateful for the moment as witnessing her father’s death for the second time struck a terrible chord with her.

Mary Margaret, however, disagreed: “What happens if you go? I think the very fact that you want to leave is why you have to stay. You care about him. Who will protect Henry if you won’t?”

“I will!” Regina was seething, “I am his mother!”

Neal produced a sound that was somewhere between a scoff and a snort, “Some mother. You already proved you don’t care about hurting Henry as long as you get what you want.”

“I tire of listening to you,” Regina snapped before turning her glare onto Snow, “Even as Mary Margaret, and you still foil my plans.”

Proudly, Snow said, “And I’ll keep doing it as long as you continue to harm the people I love.”

At Archie Hopper’s office, Henry was sitting in silence during his therapy session, clearly distraught. Archie attempted to make Henry open up by asking if he believed he was Jiminy Cricket because of his good luck charm umbrella.

Beaming, Geppetto smiled at his oldest friend, “You still have it.”

“Of course I do,” Jiminy replied happily.

Henry said he doesn’t think he’s anyone anymore.

“Happy now?!” David and Neal snapped at Regina in unison, before looking at each other, surprised.

‘Who is this Neal Cassidy…?’ David wondered.

Regina, however, didn’t look too happy. Staring at her son’s woebegone expression, she felt absolutely horrible.

Suddenly, Emma barged into the room, waving away Archie’s attempt to explain how Regina forced him to frame her, as her entire focus was on Henry. He didn’t want to talk to her, but Emma stubbornly insisted, brandishing the torn pages of the storybook in her hand. Emma explained that she didn’t think Henry was crazy, but that the Curse was.

“But you told my mom-”

“What she needed to hear. What I do know… is that if the Curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen… into thinking that we are nonbelievers. ‘Cause that way, she’s not on to us. Is that what Operation Cobra was all about? Throwing her off the trail?”

Echoing Henry, Neal cried out, “Brilliant!”

“Good thinking, Emma!” Jiminy squealed.

While furious that Henry and Emma were back in each other’s lives, Regina couldn’t begrudge her son his happiness at that moment. The current expression he donned on-screen was a far cry from the misery he radiated mere minutes ago.

“You’d make a wonderful mother, Emma,” Snow complimented cheerfully.

“Yes, if you ever get pregnant again,” Regina drawled, daggers in her eyes as they bore into Emma. “But Henry is my son.”

Emma scoffed, “We’ll see about that.”

“Excuse me, is that a challenge, Ms. Swan? Because you agreed on a closed adoption—”

Interrupting what looked to be a repeat of a previous disagreement, Tiger Lily said, “How about when we choose to take a break, the two of you argue about your desire to be the child’s mother. I am in no mood for another round of quarrelling between the two of you.”

“Oh, how I’ve missed your sunny disposition, Lils,” Killian chuckled, a winsome grin on his face.

Fuming, Tiger Lily leaned over Tinker Bell (who sat between them) to snarl at Killian, “I’ve told you a hundred times not to call me that, Hook!”

“Perhaps one hundred and one will be the ticket,” Killian smirked, unaffected by her black mood.

An indecipherable expression on his face, Rumplestiltskin looked between the two, curious as to how they knew each other. There were not many people he didn’t know, and even if he never interacted with an individual, he still knew of them and their existence, and perhaps what would become of them. All but for her, the apathetic but beautiful woman the pirate called “Lils.”

Emma proceeded to toss the pages into the fireplace, declaring that she read them and that he’s right: “they are dangerous.” When Henry exclaimed he knew she was there to help him, Emma agreed, saying that not even a Curse was going to stop that.

A hearty round of applause ensued, to which Emma blushed and averted her gaze.

“Bravo!” Geppetto cheered.

Regina was not amused.

Back in The Enchanted Forest, in the sparse woods the Evil Queen attempted to cast the Dark Curse the first time, she removed her father’s heart from a small chest and threw it onto the blaze of fire. The Curse was successfully enacted as a huge cloud of green and black smoke surged from the fire.

“Congratulations,” Robin said dryly.

Regina sneered in response.

In another part of the forest, the Evil Queen stooped to leave a black rose on a gravestone. “I love you, Daddy.” The scene shifted to reveal the name engraved on the headstone: Henry, Beloved Father.

“You named your son after the father you murdered,” Arthur stated, the mere thought unpalatable.

Defensive, Regina squared her shoulders and stared at the handsome king with dislike, “What of it?”

Clearing his throat – not knowing how he should be feeling over the fact that the Evil Queen named her son (his son!) after her father (who she killed!) – Neal pointed out, “It’s creepy.”

“You love your father. Whose name is Henry. Yet you kill him. You have a son. Who you claim to love. And you called him Henry,” Kristoff ticked each point on his fingers before shrugging. “Sounds like a bad omen. Like your son could meet the same fate.”

Unadulterated fury coursed through Regina. “I would never harm my son!” she hissed.

“I’m sure you said the same thing about your father, once upon a time,” Aurora pointed out, her sweet and soft voice turned cold and hard as she addressed the Evil Queen.

Clearing her throat, Snow demanded for silence, “Let’s just continue watching, shall we…”

The scene transitioned back to Storybrooke where Emma and Henry were happily leaving Dr. Hopper’s office building, before it focused on the exterior of Town Hall: Regina was still tending to her apple tree when Mr. Gold joined her.

Neal sat ramrod straight, curious to know more about his father’s cursed counterpart: Mr. Gold, the owner of Storybrooke, as opposed to the insane, power-hungry, intimidating, inhumane and monstrous Dark One his Papa became in The Enchanted Forest during the centuries of his absence.

Simultaneous to his appearance on-screen, Rumplestiltskin morphed back into a man. He, too, was curious to see his first interaction with Regina now that the Curse had lost ahold of his mind – not that anyone, but Rumplestiltskin himself, knew of his ingenious fallback once Emma came to Storybrooke.

Mr. Gold instigated a cordial conversation by commenting on the mess, claiming he was in the neighborhood: “Thought I’d pop by. Lovely to see you in such high spirits.”

Laughing gaily, Maleficent said, “It’s wonderful to see that, even cursed, you still treat Regina the same.”

“I should’ve dialed down the attitude, inserted more respect into you,” Regina sneered at the imp.

Clucking his tongue, Rumplestiltskin wagged his finger, “Ah, ah, ah, how can I be a man of power, if I fear the Mayor? We did have a deal, remember.”

“You manipulative imp,” she hissed. “How is it, that you always manage to trick me?!”

Rumplestiltskin modestly said, “It’s a talent of mine. Comes natural to me, dearie.”

Regina informed him that she recently rid the town of an “unwanted nuisance.” Mr. Gold, however, was only too quick to disappoint her as he plucked an apple from the tree: “Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that. I’ve just seen her strolling down the main street with your boy. Thick as thieves, they looked.”

Scowling at Rumplestiltskin, almost identical to the scowl her future-self was pinning Mr. Gold with, Regina said, “Can you look anymore happier.”

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “Can’t help it. I just love happy reunions.”

“I’m sure you do,” she sneered sarcastically.

He then informed Regina that if she had a problem, she should have come to him – for a price, of course.

“Hey!” David snapped, glaring at Rumplestiltskin.

Belle shrewdly stared at her lover, “Would you have helped Regina get rid of Emma if she had come to you?”

“The future’s young. I just might,” Regina said with relish, to Neal, Snow and David’s fury.

Emma, however, rolled her eyes, “Bring it on. Like I said, your attempts are only going to push me to stay.”

Ignoring the Charming debate in the background, Rumplestiltskin hummed in response to his Belle, “Perhaps.”

‘Not,’ he continued. No, he wouldn’t have helped Regina; he’d have pretended to. Or done a half-assed job; after all, he needed Emma to break the Curse, and how could she do that, if she wasn’t in Storybrooke? But nobody needed to know that just yet.

Regina chuckled, uninterested, “I’m not in the business of making deals with you anymore.”

“To which deal are you referring?” Mr. Gold inquired politely.

Maleficent exhaled loudly, “Regina, dear, how would ‘Mr. Gold’ know of the deal you are referring to, when he doesn’t have his memories of The Enchanted Forest?”

Glowering between Rumplestiltskin and Mr. Gold, Regina snarled, “That’s not the deal I was talking about, and Rumple here knows it!”

Rumplestiltskin chuckled as he deftly spun his cane in his hand.

“Then what…?” Snow trailed off.

“I’m sure my cursed-self will mention it,” Rumplestiltskin inclined his head toward the screen, and sure enough—

“Oh, right, yeah. The boy I procured for you. Henry,” he smirked. “Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? How ever did you pick it?”

Glaring suspiciously at her first love, Zelena snarled, “…” She looked up at the ceiling and screamed a curse. Oh she could tell… it was so bloody obvious, that Rumplestiltskin had recovered his memories and that he was no longer Mr. Gold. How couldn’t anyone else see it!?

“Uh, are you okay?” August asked hesitantly, bright eyes staring at her warily.

“Peachy,” she shrieked.

Suspicion flooded Regina’s features as she demanded to know if Mr. Gold orchestrated Emma’s arrival to town, asking if he “wanted all this to happen” and that his “finding Henry wasn’t an accident.”

“You’re reaching, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin simpered.

Simultaneously, Regina said, “Am I?” and Zelena snapped, “Is she?”

Horrified once more, Zelena kicked the air; why were she and Regina suddenly thinking alike.

Hesitantly, August asked, yet again, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“No I am not alright! Is that what you wanted to hear?!” Zelena screamed, her skin developing patches of acid green, and thus, making her resemble a white and green leopard.

Regina smirked, the sight the Wicked Witch made brightening her mood…just a tad.

Leaning into Neal and August, Robin asked, “Is it a side-effect for all witches to be crazy, or is just these two?”

When Regina asked who Emma Swan was, Mr. Gold said, “I would say you think you know exactly who she is.” He then excused himself and made to leave.

Belle and Emma shrewdly studied Rumplestiltskin, who looked so smug it should’ve been illegal. They, too, were beginning to suspect what Zelena had already figured out – that Mr. Gold remembered.

Regina blocked his path. “Tell me what you know about her,” she demanded.

“Why would Rumplestiltskin know anything about Emma,” David asked, confused.

Regina scowled. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But it seems suspicious. The biological mother of the child he gets me is able to enter Storybrooke, ends up being your daughter, the Savior.”

“Or it could be fate,” Rumplestiltskin added, his expression not giving anything away.

“I’m not gonna answer you, dear, so I suggest you excuse me.” When Regina didn’t move, Mr. Gold leaned a bit forward and clearly enunciated, “Please.” Stunned Regina watched as he walked away, taking a bite of the apple and tossing it over his shoulder.

Her expression as though carved from stone, Regina snarled, “You!...” She seemed to be at a loss for words. “How?”

“It was in our deal, dearie. How else?” he asked sarcastically, his brogue growing stronger and eerily reminding Neal of his Papa before he took on the Dark One’s power.

“Yes, but how did you remember?” Snow inquired, a deep vee engraved between her eyebrows.

Emma’s and Belle’s suspicions surged, Belle closer to the truth than Emma.

Not seeing the need to lie, Rumplestiltskin decided to embellish the truth just a little bit. “Magic,” he said succinctly.

Chapter Text

“Something’s not right,” Emma said suddenly.

Her observation prompted the screen, which had quickly transitioned from the starry night to a new scene starring The Enchanted Forest, to pause.

“What is?” Regina drawled, dark orbs admiring her burgundy acrylic nails as though indifferent to her surroundings… as though she hadn't just relived her father’s murder by her hands in front of an audience, her secret now out in the open to people other than Rumplestiltskin.

“How long have we been here? When I dropped Henry off at Storybrooke, it was after midnight. But I’m…” frowning, perplexed, Emma slowly said, “I’m not tired.”

Emma’s frown materialized on the faces of most of the room.

Not missing a beat, Aurora announced, “I’m not tired. I’ve slept for far too long already, I’m not in any hurry to go back to sleep.”

Maleficent smirked, eyes dancing merrily and she wiggled her fingers at Aurora and Phillip in a sarcastic salute. Mulan scowled at the sorceress, her hand automatically patting at the sword that never left its holster, despite its current uselessness. Regardless of the wards that apparently blunted their blades, its position on her person was a comfort, one she wasn’t in any hurry to relieve herself of anytime soon.

“You know, now that you’ve mentioned it…” Snow turned to meet David’s gaze, “I’m not sleepy either.”

A cacophony of agreement permeated the room and a few individuals stared warily at the ceiling.

Jerking his arm out as he readjusted the sleeve end of his suit jacket, the gold cufflink gleaming extravagantly in the firelight, Rumplestiltskin disclosed, “Sleep is unnecessary.” That got him everyone’s attention. “Because of the magic interweaved in this haven, no one within shall feel the need to sleep. Food and drinks, on the other hand, is a necessity, and accordingly, so is relieving yourselves,” he concluded with a wry note.

“And you know this how, Crocodile,” Killian asked suspiciously.

Eyes glancing heavenward, Rumplestiltskin rolled his shoulders, genuinely irritated by the pirate’s proximity, let alone his incessant need to monitor him, “I know this because, while I may be, ah, magicless, in this place, I have not lost my affinity for it. Magic is like… let’s say a limb, to me. A special limb, if you like. Just because I do not move it, does not mean I cannot sense it.”

Horrified, Neal stared at his father, lips parted slightly. The discovery that magic and his father were so entangled didn’t bring much comfort to him. If it had become an inherent part of Rumplestiltskin, it could explain why he let go of his hand at the portal… unless its inherency was a latent consequence of becoming the Dark One, and it hadn't manifested until years after he fell through the portal. Neal shook his head: ‘No; that’s stupid. Papa said it was an essential part of him, that he has an affinity for magic, not that he couldn’t survive without it.’ After all, people can survive without a limb… just look at Captain Hook for proof.

Intrigued, Maleficent stared at Rumplestiltskin in awe, “I didn’t know that.” She cocked her head, “How strange. I am unable to sense anything. Don’t get me wrong, the magic is delicious… so powerful I can feel its vibrations and hear its buzzing. …But to be able to communicate with magic, now that’s unheard of.”

Envy making a swift comeback, Zelena turned an ugly shade of green, “I can’t sense it either!”

Blue stared quizzically at the Dark One, an unfathomable expression on her beautiful face.

Sighing, Rumplestiltskin waved his hand to and fro in a childlike manner as he transformed back into his monstrous form. “Yes, yes, I’m very impressive,” he let out a loud giggle, “I know, I know. No need to flirt with me, Mal dear. You are my favorite sorceress after all.”

Zelena emitted a shriek of outrage while Maleficent rolled her eyes – and to those who knew her well, they didn’t miss the subtle hint of affection in those icy orbs.

A bell-like giggle escaping her, Belle beamed at her True Love, “I didn’t know that, Rumple. I do wish you shared that with me.”

He shrugged unapologetically. Belying his uncaring demeanor, however, Rumplestiltskin held her delicate hand within his scaly ones.

Once again, Arthur was staring at Rumplestiltskin with a certain hunger. He desperately wanted to make a deal with the Dark One; he needed to make Excalibur whole. Glancing at his wife from the corner of his eyes, Arthur began to plot of a way in which he could corner Rumplestiltskin, without an audience, and make that deal.

Abandoning her interest in her nails, Regina huffed and glared at the ceiling, “Well I could do with something to drink.”

“Rude, Regina!” Snow chastised her.

Glowering in retort, she snarled, “Who’s the step-mother here, Snow White!”

Despite the rudeness of the request, to everyone’s surprise, a tea trolley was gliding in their direction from down the long hallway, and steering it was… a pot?

And not just any pot, but a talking teapot… with a spout for a nose, and eyes and lips… she (it?) even had two rosy spots on either side of her (its?) cheeks, as though blushing at the undivided attention fixated on her.

“Hello, hello,” she had a soothing English accent and a motherly voice, “my name is Mrs. Potts—”

“Okay, who didn’t see that coming?” August couldn’t help but sarcastically murmur.

“I did,” Neal smirked, finding amusement in the enchanted teapot’s existence outside the television screen.

Emma sighed, “Same.” Shaking her head, she said to herself, “A talking teapot called Mrs. Potts; I don’t know why I’m so surprised.”

Those uncursed individuals, on the other hand, were confused.

“I don’t understand… how do you know, er,” Merida glanced at the teapot, visibly uncomfortable, “Mrs. Potts, was it?”

“It’s a Land Without Magic thing,” Neal sighed.

Nodding rapidly, Snow beamed at the pink and white teapot, “I know you from Mary Margaret’s memories of Beauty and the Beast.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled; he then glanced at Belle, who naturally, seemed confused, given that she didn’t come to Storybrooke with cursed memories, but no memories.

“How rude,” Mrs. Potts fumed, a single wisp of steam emerging from her spout. “I appreciate your enthusiasm but… young man,” she jumped in her spot to level August with her fiercest glare (so adorable it was on the enchanted teapot, it barely resembled one), “didn’t your mother teach you that it is most uncouth to interrupt your elders?”

Sheepishly scratching the nape of his neck, August said, “Uh, no actually. I, uh, don’t really have a mother.”

“Everyone has a mother!” Snow gasped, eyes welling with tears as she stared at August sadly.

But he merely shrugged, unbothered, “Not me. Only a, uh, father.”

“It is no excuse,” Mrs. Potts said crisply, though her tone had softened somewhat at August’s admission.

Having had enough, Regina scoffed loudly (and thank the lord for that, as Zelena was just about to smash that mouthy teapot into pieces), “Elders? You’re a thing. Literally. Your classification is an object.”

“Oh, that mouth of yours,” Rumplestiltskin giggled. “I always said it would get you into trouble, dearie.”

Hopping around to face Regina, Mrs. Potts’s tiny eyes squinted meanly at her. “And you must be the Evil Queen. Hmmph. I can see why my Master’s most worried about your chances at success in the Haven,” she commented snidely, eliciting much laughter, the ever-familiar giggle in the background, and a huff of indignation from Regina herself. “If I were you, dear, I wouldn’t insult the one responsible for feeding you.”

“She never had much sense,” Rumplestiltskin tittered.

Mrs. Potts smiled knowingly at the Dark One, the twinkling of her eyes revealing her fondness for him (much to everyone’s profound surprise and a certain pirate’s frustration). “Unlike you, Rumplestiltskin. Oh, I have missed you,” she hopped forward until she stood at the edge of the trolley, a large smile emblazoned on the teapot’s body. “How are you, my dear?”

“What?”

Vehemently surprised, Belle asked, “Rumple, you know…her?”

“Nyes,” he responded gaily and after emitting another loud giggle, he slowly transformed back into a man. “So who is your new master, Pottsy?”

Shooting him a sneaky smile, she sang, “Now that would be telling.”

No one dared interrupt them as everyone was fascinated by the exchange; of their familiarity; of the fondness emanating from the enchanted teapot; of the respect Rumplestiltskin treated her with… It was mindboggling.

“And here I thought the talking cricket was weird,” Emma muttered to herself as she massaged circles into her temples.

Straightening up (or as much as a bodiless teapot could), Mrs. Potts adopted her previously abandoned professional tone, “Now, as I was saying… food and drinks shall be served by me—” She narrowed her eyes at Zelena, the rosy circles on either side of her body that acted as her cheeks becoming inflamed and her lid jumping in indignation, “Never you mind how I’ll be doing it!”

“I was thinking it, you busybody!” Zelena snapped.

“When any of you are hungry, simply ask. Specificity would be nice,” Mrs. Potts continued after releasing Zelena from her dagger-like glare. “However, it is unnecessary. If you’d like something to eat, or drink, or both, ask. Troll, here,” she tapped the trolley twice with her spout, “will bring whatever you require, and don’t you fret,” she smiled kindly at Emma, “food from every land is available. I wouldn’t dare serve you, chimera, darling, oh no siree,” she chuckled at the amusing thought.

Eyes wide, Emma slowly said, “Chimera…” She looked around at the others, “Please tell me that’s not a thing.”

Nodding solemnly, Mulan said, “It’s an acquired taste.”

“Okay, gross,” Emma looked squeamish.

“I bid you adieu,” Mrs. Potts beamed, her eyes twinkling at everyone, until they landed on Regina and Zelena (they received a nasty glare). “And you, Rummy, dear, I’ll be sure to chat with you later.”

Maleficent snorted, “Rummy?”

“Rummy?” Neal echoed in disbelief; there really was a lot about his father he didn’t know… and most perplexing of all, was not everyone saw him as a heartless monster… as the Dark One.

Once Troll rolled Mrs. Potts away, vanishing down the hallway, it came back bearing several glasses, decanters, and a plethora of jugs filled with water, coffee, hot chocolate, orange juice, mango juice, apple juice, whiskey, beer, and even a bottle of rum for Killian which he grabbed gleefully, not wasting time to pour himself a generous amount.

Making herself comfortable with a glass of apple juice (no surprise there), Regina said, “Now that that strange event is out of the way, let’s get this over with.”

In The Enchanted Forest, there were horses walking down a scenic route, pulling along a carriage. Inside the carriage, Charming looked out the window. He attempted to strike a conversation with Princess Abigail, who was irritated by the route he had taken, claiming the Troll Road would've been quicker.

In perfect unison, David and Abigail said, “Ahh.”

Snow and Frederick glanced at their respective partner, they too, having realized how early in the past this scene was in. Snow had a sheepish smile on her face, knowing she’d be making her appearance any minute now.

Sighing, Abigail clasped Frederick’s hand tightly and addressed David, “I didn’t realize how unpleasant I’d become back then.”

“I understand,” David wore a kind, understanding smile while everyone looked on in confusion.

The carriage suddenly stopped; a tree was blocking their path. Charming left Abigail to investigate, quickly figuring out that as the tree had been cut down, it was an ambush. Immediately after his observation, a cloaked figure reached into the open carriage and swiped Charming’s jewelry pouch on the seat, Abigail’s scream alerting Charming to the thievery.

David and Red grinned at Snow, who had turned a profuse red, a palpable contrast to her ivory complexion.

“Is this before or after you and uh, Snow got married?” Emma asked curiously, wanting to know more about her parents’ past. In fact, she’d rather watch the past than the future, preferring to focus on her parents and their friends and enemies, than her actions and the pressure she was under regarding breaking the curse and, according to Henry, bringing back everyone’s happy endings. ‘Yeah, no pressure, kid.’

Snow’s voice had gone mildly squeaky because of her discomfiture (it was mostly embarrassment in front of Abigail – ‘does she know, how David and I met? That it was me who ambushed and robbed them?’ – David, Abigail and Frederick always had an easier, almost natural, relationship because of their past, and Snow never got a chance to remedy that due to the constant battles she found herself in the middle of, only to start obsessing over Regina’s vow of vengeance). Clearing her throat, Snow said, “Uh, actually, this is before we even met.”

“Not for long,” David stated, a crooked smile on his features.

Head cocked, Abigail’s eyes suddenly widened, “Oh? Ohh!”

Charming immediately mounted a horse and took chase after the thief until he finally managed to catch up and force the thief to the ground. “Show your face, you coward!”

It was David’s turn to look sheepish and Snow let out a giggle.

More looks of confusion were leveled at the married couple; except for Abigail who worked out the thief was Snow White during her bandit days, and Rumplestiltskin who obviously saw it coming long before it ever happened.

He flipped the thief over, and just as he was about to punch their face, he looked on in vehement surprise when the cloak’s hood lowered to reveal the face of a beautiful woman. “You’re…a girl,” he gasped.

“How gallant of you,” Regina sneered, her attention having returned to her burgundy nails; not the least bit interested in observing the love story of Snow and her shepherd.

The others, however, were more interested in the fact that Snow White apparently robbed her Prince Charming.

Laughing loudly, Red whirled around to face her friends, “Wait, so this is how you met?”

“Yes,” Snow didn’t feel so embarrassed anymore; she loved their story, and the tale of how they met was her favorite chapter. She then smiled apologetically at Abigail. “I’m sorry for…” she trailed off, a hand waving at the screen.

Brushing a hand into the air in a negligent manner, Abigail said, “Never you mind, Snow. I completely understand. This must’ve been your bandit days.”

“They were,” Snow glared accusingly at Regina, who still appeared uninterested.

Emma shook her head, “This so wasn’t in the storybooks.”

“You’ll find most fairytale characters’ stories don’t align with their real version’s,” August revealed with an air of knowing, prompting many curious eyes to focus on him.

Due to the knowledge gained by her cursed counterpart, Red knew he spoke the truth, “He’s…right.” In afterthought, she tilted her head, her eyes alight with curiosity, “Hey how’d you know anyway?”

August shrugged, preferring not to answer that… not like he could anyway.

Side-eyeing him, Neal tried to work out what August’s name was in The Enchanted Forest, but couldn’t point his finger on it. It was an internal debate he constantly practiced during the last decade, a game he’d often play when he had trouble sleeping at night… Thanks to August, he knew Emma was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming (and ten years later, he still had trouble imagining his delinquent ex-girlfriend, his first love, was a princess born to one of the most famous, prominent fairytale characters in existence), but he always came at a blank when he attempted to deduce August’s identity.

Returning to the subject at hand, Frederick said, “I always believed you had a more romantic first meet.”

Snow grinned, “We like to be unpredictable. Keep each other on our toes.”

“Woman,” Snow corrected him before grabbing a rock and hitting Charming in the face with it. As he rolled away from her in pain, Snow mounted her horse and fled.

Robin grinned, his observant eyes flickering to the scar on David’s chin, “So that’s how you got that scar.”

“Gosh, this explains so much,” Red laughed to herself.

Wrapping an arm around his slightly abashed wife, David touched his scarred chin and said, “A battle wound I wear proudly.”

“Battle?” Arthur inquired.

“For True Love,” David beamed; this prompted Snow to grab his face and plant a deep kiss on his lips.

Eyes rolling aggressively in their sockets, Regina craned her neck back so her face could stare upward at the ceiling, “Ughh, kill me now. What kind of torture is this?!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Always nice to see Twue Wove,” he stated in his shrill, high-pitched voice.

Neal winced at his father’s (in the guise of the Dark One) behavior, and, upon taking a quick glance at the room, he realized… nobody flinched or reacted. It was as if they had all grown used to Rumplestiltskin’s quirks and quiddities, his idiosyncrasies, the creepiness he exuded.

A bloody cut on his chin, Charming jumped to his feet and yelled after her retreating figure, “You can’t hide from me! Wherever you are, I will find you!”

“And that’s the Charming family motto,” Red released another laugh, her twinkling eyes flickering between Snow and David. “Really, this is how it started. Wow!”

Emma stared at Red, “Motto?”

“Oh, yeah,” Red nodded her head vigorously, eyes widening in slight exaggeration, “Snow and David keep saying that to one another.”

Grunting, Grumpy said, “If they’d stop losing each other, they wouldn’t need to keep finding each other.”

The couple responded with sheepish smiles.

Back in Storybrooke, Dr. Whale and Mary Margaret are sitting at a table together at Granny’s Diner.

“Is that-” David looked like he was about to blow a gasket, his eyes widening to a dangerous size as he turned his glare onto Victor, “Is this a date?”

He said “a date” as though it was a horrible curse; like it was a taboo that could get someone smited by the gods for saying it.

Sighing, Victor shrugged, unperturbed, “It appears so.”

David then whipped his head around to glare at Snow, who was worrying at her lips, “Snow?”

“This is finally getting good!” Regina looked absolutely gleeful, her nails no longer interesting, but the nauseating couple she yearned to crush.

Ignoring her vindictive step-mother, Snow grabbed both her husband’s hands, “Oh, David. I’m cursed. You think if I had my memories I’d look at anyone but you?”

“Still…” Huffing and puffing, David seemed at a loss for words. Unable to glare at his love for too long, he settled for throwing Victor the full power of his glare.

Victor rolled his eyes and sounding deeply irritated, snapped, “Stop throwing stones. How’d you like it if we judge you for what your cursed personality does?”

“Easy, you can’t. I am in a coma, remember?!”

Clearing her throat, Red said, “Didn’t we say that might not be so much of a permanent thing now that Emma’s in town?”

Victor tossed David a smug smirk, “Exactly. Besides, no offense, but Mary Margaret isn’t even my type. And when I say my, I mean me, Victor.”

Snow inclined her head in acceptance, a kind smile on her face, “None taken.”

Funnily enough, David looked affronted at Victor’s confession. “Why not? What’s wrong with her?” he demanded.

Laughter ensued.

Smacking a hand against his forehead, Grumpy snapped, “Do you want Dr. Whale to be attracted to your wife?!”

“Well, no…”

Shaking his head in exasperation, Victor revealed, “Mary Margaret is a pushover. She’s kind, and sweet and just… nice. I prefer an intellectual; someone with passion and a tough personality.”

“Then you’d love me,” Maleficent purred.

Uncomfortable, Victor shifted in his seat, subtly creating more space between them. “Oh, well, that’s uh, that’s uh good. Yes, good to know. I’ll keep that in mind for… later,” he stuttered, eyes anywhere but at the sorceress.

Disappointed, Regina snapped, “Is this it?!” If she could breathe fire, she would. “No fights? No accusations. Nothing!?” The long stretch of silence was her answer, and when David and Snow started kissing again, she threw her hands into the air and reached for the vodka, pouring a really generous amount into her apple juice.

Taking note of Emma’s deeply disturbed expression as she stared at her parents, Killian wordlessly passed her the rum bottle. Emma poured herself a glass, “Cheers.”

Seeming distracted, Dr. Whale inquired if Mary Margaret had said she wanted fifteen kids, to which she explained she meant her class who he’d be meeting the following day; Mary Margaret then began to ramble on about wanting kids someday, as well as True Love. Dr. Whale’s entire focus, however, was not on his date, but on Ruby who was cleaning up another table.

“Bad form, mate,” Killian tsked, licking a drop of rum that was about to drip down his lower lip. “Your eyes should be on your date, who, by the way, is a lovely lass.”

Having returned to his human form, Rumplestiltskin sneered, “Yes. Let’s all take romantic advice from a pirate. As if your eyes never wandered!”

His blue-gray eyes flashed, his face a mask of rage as he glared at the Crocodile, “When I’m out with a woman, she has my complete attention, as you well know.”

Before Rumplestiltskin could retort, his expression so terrifying his glare alone could have turned the person on the receiving end into stone, Victor interjected, his voice pointedly loud enough to break up what looked to be an argument, “I am sorry, Snow. Dr. Whale is an ass, as someone wished him to be.” He glared at Regina, who glared back. “Usually I am quite…charming when out on a date.”

Smiling, Snow waved him off, “It’s alright. All our cursed personalities leave much to be desired.”

“Yeah,” Red nodded, horrified. “I mean look at me, her! Has she no shame!”

“Besides,” Snow continued as if Red never interrupted, “I have my own Charming.”

Emma groaned, “And there they go. Kissing. Again.”

Her comment succeeded in distracting Killian from the glaring contest he was having with Rumplestiltskin. Smirking, he hit the rum bottle against her glass, “Cheers, lass.”

“Even your own daughter is growing annoyed by you two,” Zelena huffed, her nose wrinkled in disdain at Snow and David. “Can you stop doing that after every scene, for Oz’s sake!”

A flirtatious smile on her face, Maleficent asked Victor, “So, how charming are you, exactly?”

“Oh, for the love of—Maleficent!” Regina snapped, the irritating couple that was also the bane of her existence making her extremely cantankerous – and the alcohol wasn’t helping! “Can’t you see the good doctor is uncomfortable with your desperation.”

Glaring at her old friend, Maleficent sneered, “Oh, shut it, you. Just because you’re a dried-fish, doesn’t mean I am.”

“I am not a…” Aghast, Regina compressed her lips and glared at the sorceress.

Finally noticing where Dr. Whale’s attention was, a disappointed Mary Margaret ordered the check.

Sighing, Victor emphasized, “I truly am sorry.”

“Dr. Whale, really… or do you prefer uh, Victor, was it?” Snow inquired, uncertain.

Dipping his head curtly, Victor said, “Victor is fine. I don’t want to use anything Regina has given me!”

“Whatever,” Regina drawled.

Snow nodded, “Victor, then. You really don’t have to apologize for everything you do while cursed. I’m sure we’re all going to be crossing that bridge eventually.”

“I already have,” Graham announced glumly.

“And I,” Granny glared at Regina.

Abashed, Red determinedly avoided looking in Rumplestiltskin’s direction, “Same here.”

Mary Margaret was walking down the street after her failed date when she noticed Emma’s yellow Beetle parked nearby. Emma was looking through a newspaper when Mary Margaret knocked on her window. Emma was sleeping in her car until she finds a place, but the town didn’t have vacancies: “Is that normal?” Emma asked.

“With all the abnormalities you’ve seen in the short time you’ve been in Storybrooke, that’s what strikes you as not normal?” Jefferson snapped.

Confused by his hostility, Emma said, “Well, I mean, the me now notices everything that’s wrong with that place. But me her,” she pointed her chin at the screen, “doesn’t believe in the Curse. So obviously the no vacancy part is weird.”

“If you need a place, you should come to me,” Rumplestiltskin stated dryly, “I do, after all, own the town.”

David, Snow, Neal and Regina frowned at the thought of Emma going to Rumplestiltskin for help, all for very different reasons.

Emma frowned, “Yeah, but still, if there were any vacancies, they’d be listed. I don’t see why I should come to you for something the paper should provide.”

“Because, you idiot girl, Storybrooke is a cursed town,” Maleficent huffed; she may have spent those twenty-eight years stuck in her dragon form underground, but she still could understand the situation.

Clearing his throat, Rumplestiltskin kindly interjected, “What Maleficent means,” and here he gave her a pointed look that screamed, be nice, “is no one visits Storybrooke, dearie. Its citizens are cursed, doomed to repeat the same day every day for twenty-eight years. Any vacancies would remain that, vacant.”

Catching on, Belle continued, “And despite time unfreezing because of you, people are still cursed. They still stick to their roles.”

“Besides,” Regina sneered, “I would've made sure Sidney didn’t add a new feature to the Daily Mirror. You finding a place to live in is the last thing I need.”

“Oh,” Emma sighed, everything now making more sense.

Smirking at Regina, Rumplestiltskin turned back to Emma, “Which is why you should come to me.”

“For a price, of course,” Neal snapped, his warm brown eyes resembling steel.

Eyebrows arched at such hostility, Rumplestiltskin matter-of-factly said, “Yes. The price of rent, of course.”

Sheepish, Neal looked away, coughing. “Uh, right. Sorry,” he muttered.

“Hmm…” the Dark One’s curiosity had revived once more.

They began discussing Mary Margaret’s date with Dr. Whale – which was a disaster.

Upon hearing his cursed counterpart didn’t even pay, Victor buried his face in his hands. He, however, didn’t bother apologizing again.

Regina, on the other hand, cackled happily. She had slipped out of her heels and had folded her legs underneath her, making herself comfortable with her glass of apple juice-vodka in hand.

“Are you drunk?” Zelena sneered.

“Not yet,” she retorted. “Should I make you a Midori Sour, Greenie?”

Zelena rolled her eyes, “How original.”

“I thought so,” Regina smirked. “Keep your green ass out of my business.”

Head tilted, Maleficent slowly asked, “Are you sure you’ve never met before?”

“Trust me, her hideous green face is one I’d never forget,” Regina drawled, topping off her drink with more vodka and stirring it with her index finger. She then licked the liquid off her finger. Robin forced himself not to stare.

Scowling, Zelena snapped, “You wish you’d met me.”

“Said no one ever,” Regina retorted in amusement.

Robin found himself nodding unconsciously in agreement. He had met the Wicked Witch before, and it was an encounter he never wished to repeat; at least not willingly.

“How peculiar,” Maleficent murmured to herself; the two acted like… well, sisters, for lack of a better word. Her eyes suddenly narrowed on Rumplestiltskin, his astute brown eyes filled with so much knowledge as he stared between the quarreling witches, then at her, a sly smirk curving his lips. “Oh, Rumplestiltskin… what do you know,” she wondered to herself.

Cutting into their inane argument, Merida snapped, “Oi! You two done there!?”

“Well, guess if true love was easy, we’d all have it.”

Snow groaned at her cursed-self’s words, “You do have it.”

That had Regina cackling loudly all over again.

“I preferred you mean and sober,” Snow muttered.

She then offered Emma her spare room. Emma refused, saying she’s not the roommate type and preferred to be on her own.

“Oh,” Snow looked sad.

Even Neal felt unimaginable sorrow course through him; it was all his fault. He stopped himself from glaring at August; he held part of the blame, but the truth was… Neal didn’t want to get involved with his old world. With his father. He could’ve told August to go to hell and stuck with Emma, changed their lives, helped her understand her destiny, proved it to her. But he chose the coward’s way out … perhaps he wasn’t that different from his Papa. He was a coward, always running.

After the two bid each other goodnight, the scene transitioned to the next morning, at the hospital, where Mary Margaret’s class was hanging decorations. Henry was standing at John Doe’s bedside when she found him.

“There you are!” Snow squealed happily, “I can feel it, David. This is it. You’re going to wake up soon.”

Lifting her glass in the air, Regina drawled, “Joy.”

Robin looked amused, his eyes twinkling in her direction.

“I bet Henry will play a role in it,” David said proudly.

Suddenly, Regina’s good humor faded, “You really do know how to suck the fun out of everything, don’t you.”

“Yes, because it’s so fun to play with other people’s lives. We’re not dolls, lady,” Grumpy growled.

Regina rolled her eyes, “You’re certainly short enough to be one, dwarf.”

Mary Margaret explained why the patient was called “John Doe,” that she always puts flowers on his beside, and that he’s been in a coma for as long as she had been volunteering at the hospital.

“Which is twenty-eight years,” Snow huffed.

Henry peered curiously at Mary Margaret, “You sure you don’t know him?”

“He knows!” Snow’s disposition brightened. “Oh, David, you were right.”

As Regina raised her glass sarcastically into the air, the drink sloshed around a bit, a few drops escaping its confinement. “Hooray!”

Maleficent released a long exhale through her nostrils. “Alright, I think you’ve had a bit too much, Regina.” She attempted to take the drink from Regina, to no avail. Regina hissed at her, her glass at arm’s length, “I’m fine. Trust me, I’ve had stronger than this swill.”

The scene shifted to show Emma and Henry at the playground; Henry was telling Emma that he found her father.

“You smart, smart boy!” Snow cheered.

Red laughed, “Alright, Snow. Tone down the enthusiasm till he wakes up.”

“Yes, and for the sake of our mental health,” Zelena snarked.

Guinevere frowned at her, “You really are an unpleasant woman.”

“No, I’m wicked,” she snapped.

He pointed out the scar on John Doe’s chin and compared it to an illustration of Prince Charming from the book, insisting it was in the exact same place. “We have to tell Miss Blanchard we found her Prince Charming,” Henry insisted excitedly.

“Yes, tell me!” Snow had her hands clasped together as though in prayer.

Clearing her throat, Aurora slowly said, “But you wouldn’t know him.”

“He’s my True Love,” Snow refuted, her head obviously in the clouds. “I’m sure we’ll remember… maybe after a kiss,” she pondered aloud.

“That’s not how it works, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin revealed flamboyantly. “True Love’s Kiss can break any curse, that’s true. But the Dark Curse is different. Only Ms. Swan can break this Curse.”

David frowned, “But a kiss could break the Curse’s hold on me and Snow, couldn’t it?”

“Perhaps,” he said; and when the couple beamed with relief, he giggled, “not!”

“Rumplestiltskin!” Snow chastised him.

Sighing, Rumplestiltskin transitioned back into a man. He accepted a cup of tea from Belle with a small smile and a pat to her hand, before turning to address the couple, “You should know this, your majesties. After all, we have lived this before, remember.” He stared at them pointedly, waiting patiently for the horrid memory to come back to them. And when it finally did, they looked unhappy. “Yes. You must have true love to create a True Love’s Kiss. Currently, John Doe and Mary Margaret do not possess such a profound love.”

Regina started cackling again. “Oh, thank you for that, Rumple. Oh, the look on your faces,” she pointed at David and Snow, her laughter getting louder. “Ah, I may hate you, but you make for great comic relief.”

“Glad we can entertain you, Regina,” Snow snarled.

Grumpy scowled at the trajectory of his thoughts. ‘The Evil Queen is more tolerable when she’s drinking alcohol. I don’t like it!’

“She’s gone insane,” Emma remarked.

Killian smirked, leaning closer to Emma, “Ay, love. We’re all a little insane.”

Emma tried to reason with Henry, “Telling someone their… soulmate is in a coma is probably not helpful. Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse.”

Neal winced, his sad eyes fixated on Emma, who stubbornly refused to meet his gaze. He did that… he gave her hope and then took it away. And he felt like shit.

“That does make sense,” Snow said grudgingly. “Mary Margaret is already a hopeless romantic, if Henry was to come to me and tell me John Doe and her are meant to be, that we’re soulmates, she’d be heartbroken, especially if it doesn’t work.”

Robin’s eyebrows jumped on his forehead, “All these switching pronouns… it gets so confusing. I feel like I’m slowly going crazy by simply trying to understand what you’re saying.”

“Welcome to my world,” Jefferson said stiffly, a long-drawn-out sigh escaping him as he rubbed a fist against his forehead.

Staring at his friend, Rumplestiltskin patted his shoulder consolingly.

“The point is,” Snow emphasized, “it would be cruel to give Mary Margaret hope when there might not be any.”

David looked at his wife sadly, “I’m sorry you had to go through all that.”

Henry revealed his plan: To get Mary Margaret to read “their story” to John Doe, which will make him remember that he’s Prince Charming. Emma agreed, as long as Henry did it her way.

“Do I even have cursed memories?” David asked suddenly, intent eyes on Regina.

Cocking her head to the side, Regina spoke to herself as she stared at Troll, “Hmm, you know what? I think I’ll make myself a Midori Sour.”

“Hey!”

Jolted out of her musings, Regina squinted at David, “What?”

“Regina, you are inebriated,” Rumplestiltskin sighed, and only Neal, Belle, Maleficent and Zelena (to her disgust) detected the barely distinguishable note of fondness that seeped into his voice, despite all she had done to him and his beloved Belle.

Pinching her index finger and thumb together in measurement, Regina squinted through the miniscule opening, “Just a bit.”

Shaking his head, Rumplestiltskin addressed Troll the trolley. “Do you, by any chance, have something for that?”

Troll rolled over to Regina, a large glass filled with a vibrant green liquid tipping toward her.

“Hair of dog!” Regina cackled as she clapped her hands together and reached for the drink, “A Midori Sour. Thank you, kind trolley!”

“So you show kindness to an inanimate object, but you draw the line at people,” Grumpy scowled.

Another sigh escaped Rumplestiltskin. “Troll!” he chastised it and gave it a stern look.

Somehow, the tea trolley managed to droop sadly. A hole appeared on the lowest tray and from within it, appeared a vial of murky brown liquid. Nodding, Rumplestiltskin took it and after sniffing its content, nodded and handed it over to Regina. “Drink, dearie.”

Pouting, Regina knocked it back, the sobering potion taking effect almost immediately. She flung her arm over her eyes, “Oh, God. How embarrassing.”

“But amusing for us,” Robin smirked.

“Shut it, plebe!”

“And she’s back.”

Frowning, Zelena snapped, “What are you doing?!”

Eyes flickering to the drink that was a hairsbreadth from her lips, Regina snapped, “I’m drinking. What does it look like I’m doing?!”

“You just got sober,” she pointed out.

“Yes…” Regina said impatiently.

Cutting into the strangest experience he’s ever had with the Evil Queen, David repeated his question for the third time.

Rolling her eyes, Regina snapped, “I don’t know. You’re supposed to stay in a coma. With the Savior here,” she sneered accusingly at Emma, “things could change. But I always have a backup plan, so don’t get too hopeful.”

“Gee, thanks,” David said wryly.

In Mary Margaret's apartment, Emma was telling her about Henry’s latest theory on the Curse.

“He has a very active imagination, which is the point. I can’t talk him out of his beliefs, so we need to show him. Play along, do what he says and then maybe, just maybe—”

Mary Margaret completed Emma’s thoughts, “He’ll see that fairytales are just that. There’s no such thing as love at first sight or first kiss. He’ll see reality.”

“That’s pretty smart. Horribly sad, but smart,” Phillip commented.

Jiminy nodded vehemently in agreement, “Yes, yes it is. Objectively, from a psychiatrist’s standpoint, that would be the best way to get a child such as Henry to let go of such… fantastical theories and return to reality. Well done, Emma. If this doesn’t work, Henry will be disappointed, naturally, but it wouldn’t destroy his imagination or his spirit.”

“Whose side are you on?!” Grumpy shouted, annoyed.

All of dither, Jiminy stumbled through his words, “Well, of course, I don’t want Henry to give up or to stop believing in the Curse, and I do want Emma to believe as well, I’m merely explaining from my cursed counterpart’s point of view, well, as Dr. Hopper that is. It would be the best way to deal with Henry.”

Unknowingly quoting Mary Margaret, Snow nodded sadly, “It would get Henry to see the truth without hurting him.”

“Which is a mother’s first priority,” Neal snapped pointedly.

Regina sneered, “Keep talking, Cassidy, because you won’t for long.”

Emma proposed they meet Henry the next morning at Granny’s for breakfast where Mary Margaret will give a full report. The scene transitioned to the hospital and after sitting at John Doe’s bedside, she flipped to the correct page and started to read.

Toward the end of their story, John Doe, still unconscious, reached out and grabbed Mary Margaret's hand.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Snow clapped heartily while beaming at her husband.

Granny let out a holler and Grumpy punched his fist into the air (the manner quite violent).

“My grandson’s a genius!” David was grinning from ear-to-ear.

So potent was their exuberance, most of the room couldn’t help but smile with them, happy for the Charming couple.

Emma shook her head at herself, “This should teach me to stop doubting Henry, huh.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Neal consoled her. “It’s too much to ask you to believe in.”

Looking at him shrewdly, Emma pointed out, “But not for you.”

Neal shrugged awkwardly, the intense brown eyes of Rumplestiltskin’s piercing him like a hot branding iron.

Rolling her eyes, Regina said, “I don’t understand what all the excitement is about. It’s not like he’ll wake up as Prince Charming, and Mary Margaret is no Snow.”

“I have hope that it’ll all work out,” Snow insisted, her eyes like steel.

The scene then showed Mary Margaret and Dr. Whale enter John Doe’s room.

David scowled at Dr. Whale’s entrance; on some level he knew Victor wasn’t to blame and that there was no adultery involved; but on another level, he was so jealous, and he couldn’t just as easily brush it off. He crossed his fingers, hoping against all hope that when he awakens on-screen (because he will be waking up soon, just as predicted, thanks to Emma, his beautiful daughter) he’ll have his memories and be reunited with Snow… even if she remained as Mary Margaret until the Curse is broken – he didn’t care or mind, as long as they were together.

Mary Margaret was telling him that John Doe will be waking up as he grabbed her hand; however, Dr. Whale insisted that “everything’s steady” and that perhaps she was imagining things. When she left, he picked up his cellphone and called… Regina.

“Oh, no,” Victor groaned into his palms.

Grinning gleefully, Regina straightened herself in her armchair, “Oh, yes.”

Confused, Macintosh said, “I don’t understand… what need do you have to call her?”

A while back, those who were never brought to the Land Without Magic via Dark Curse inquired over the remarkable modes of communication, such as telephones and their smaller version, cellphones. Suffice to say, they were extremely intrigued and, much to Neal’s frustration, stubbornly believed it was the work of magic, rather than science and technology.

“I think I know…” Victor said ominously with a glare at Regina before he adopted a faraway expression, like he was trying to remember something. “It’s a cursed memory, it’s a bit… foggy.”

Dr. Whale proceeded to enlighten Regina on what occurred between Mary Margaret and John Doe.

“Why would you want to know if there was a change in my condition?!” David demanded, not liking the control the Evil Queen had over him while he was unconscious and vulnerable.

Smiling saccharinely, she retorted, “Take a wild guess.”

“You always are two steps ahead of them, aren't you,” Rumplestiltskin mused aloud, mild amusement lacing his words.

Regina glared daggers at him, “All but you, it would seem.”

“Don’t pout, dearie.”

He then admitted what he didn’t to Mary Margaret: That there was a slight fluctuation in brain activity.

“Whale!” most of the previously cursed individuals cried out, much like they did with Jiminy in the previous viewing.

“Is there anyone who isn’t in your pocket!?” Graham snapped at Regina.

Frowning at them, Snow said, “It’s Victor, and leave him be. He isn’t in control of his actions!”

“Thank you, your majesty—”

Softly interrupting Victor, Snow smiled, “It’s Snow.”

He nodded, his lips a tight line, “Snow, then. I understand where they are all coming from. I, myself, am furious. It is so… disconcerting to see yourself act in a manner that deeply contradicts your very nature. I am not perfect, I admit that. As Victor I’ve lied plenty, done deeds that shine me in a doubtful light… but what Dr. Whale is, that was never me.”

“You’ve manipulated and helped ruin lives,” Regina added with a sneer.

“That’s a touch too far, your majesty,” Victor retorted with a vicious sneer of his own, “and you know it.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “She’s always been prone to the dramatics.”

“Shut it, you imp!” Regina hissed.

Realization dawned on a couple faces.

“You… know each other from The Enchanted Forest,” Snow stated in a hush.

Glowering at her step-daughter, Regina said, “I fail to see how that’s any of your business.”

“Who are you back in our world?” David inquired curiously.

“…” Victor had snapped that he wasn’t a part of “their” world, but couldn’t.

Grumpy looked displeased, “I hate that damn dampener!”

Taking a small sip of her drink, Regina lightly remarked, “Anyway, I prefer you better as Dr. Whale.”

Emma glared at her. “These are people. You can’t just… toy with their lives. That’s disgusting. You’re disgusting. They aren't dolls for your entertainment—”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ms. Swan. They are mine to play with whenever I choose, that’s the brilliance of my Curse, that I, and only I, remain in control; that I move them across my chessboard however I see fit. Otherwise, what point is this Curse, hmm?” Regina delivered her speech in a gloating manner, sneering toward the end.

Grumpy scowled at her, his face turning so red, it looked like he was about to implode.

“Can we get her another drink?!” Granny yelled at the ceiling. “She was more tolerable drunk.”

Nothing happened.

“Well then,” Regina smirked, making herself comfortable. “Let’s proceed, shall we. I, for one, cannot wait to see what I have in store for poor Snow and her charming husband.”

“You’re evil!” Red snapped after she watched her friends console each other.

Shaking his head, Killian forced himself to stop staring at the Evil Queen with disgust. At this particular moment, he had never been more grateful for Cora than ever before. She protected him, advised him against being taken by the Dark Curse. If she hadn't, he’d have been a toy to the Evil Queen, manipulated and twisted and always waiting to be played with by her whenever she got bored. ‘Sick, sadistic witch.’

The scene changed to Mary Margaret's apartment; she sat on her bed, flipping through the storybook and as she landed on an illustration of Snow White, it zoomed into the Enchanted Forest.

Giddily, Snow gripped David’s arm, “More of our story!”

“How exciting,” Zelena feigned an excited shrill that faintly resembled Snow’s.

Snow White was gathering her things and stuffing them into a bag. Also, she put a necklace with a bottle around her neck. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she managed to walk a short distance when she was caught in a net. Prince Charming appeared from where he had been hiding, laughing.

“How romantic,” Emma said sarcastically.

It was so bizarre; that her parents hadn't met in a more romantic setting, like Disney falsely perpetuated. She just couldn’t believe her eyes. Deep inside, however, Emma felt a sense of belonging; despite her mother being a born princess, she became a bandit to survive. There was a definite… symmetry with her upbringing, with her life. Emma was a born princess, and at a certain point in her adolescence she turned to thievery to survive. Sharing commonalities with her mother helped heal one of the many fissures in her heart.

“Well, no, perhaps not this part,” Snow admitted, though her smile never diminished.

Red grinned, “But just as Snow stole his heart before, James captured hers here.”

Her attempt at humor prompted many groans, and Graham chuckled at her puns.

“Real smooth, Red,” David chuckled, shaking his head at her fondly.

“What?” she smirked. “It was too good an opportunity to pass.”

Emma frowned once more… there they went again, calling David “James.” Why? She looked around, but it appeared that it only bothered her. Perhaps the dampener was messing with their minds…? She stared suspiciously at the ceiling.

“I told you I’d find you. No matter what you do, I will always find you,” Charming said.

Unamused, Snow White glared at him through the net, “Is this the only way you can catch a woman? By entrapping her?”

Laughter ensued.

“Seriously, how did you two fall in love?!” Red gasped with laughter.

When Charming told her it was the only way to catch “thieving scum,” Snow White snarkily retorted, “Aren't you a real “Prince Charming”.”

“That’s how you got your nickname!?” Phillip chuckled.

The story of how they met had his and Aurora’s sound positively boring. Their respective parents wanted to join the kingdoms and at the lavish ceremony King Stefan and Queen Briar Rose held in honor of Princess Aurora’s birth, he was present, which was when Maleficent dramatically made her entrance and cursed her. Growing up, he took it upon himself to be her protector, and to their parents’ delight, their friendship blossomed into love, and just a day after he proposed to Aurora, she pricked her finger on a spinning wheel.

“You guys always do everything in style, huh,” Red grinned.

Snow White refused to acknowledge Charming had a name and demanded that he release her. Charming agreed, but only after she handed over the pouch of jewels she stole. But Snow White had already sold them. When Charming claimed a special ring that belonged to his mother, which he was meant to give to Abigail, Snow White laughed derisively, “The nag with the bad attitude? That’s what this is about?”

“Oh, I am so sorry!” Snow moaned, bright green eyes staring beseechingly at Abigail.

Sighing forlornly, Abigail waved her apology off, “I really was a nag back then. Annoyed by everything, constantly complaining, incredibly unhappy and letting everyone feel it. I don’t blame you for the horrible first impression I must have given.”

“She does grow on you. Eventually,” David teased.

Frederick gazed deeply into his wife’s eyes, “I am sorry, for how my absence changed you.”

Shaking her head, Abigail pressed a kiss to his lips, “Let’s not remember those dark times. We’re together now and happy with our whole future ahead of us, and that’s all that matters.”

“Until we leave this haven and we return to our cursed lives, that is,” Maleficent drawled, only too quick to stomp on their happiness and dispel all hope by reminding everyone of their reality.

Regina smirked smugly as everyone glared at her.

Snow White proceeded to mock his arranged marriage to Princess Abigail: “I know how this works. True love? It doesn’t exist.

“Oh, the irony,” August mumbled to himself.

“It’s all arranged marriages and business transactions. There’s no such thing as love at first sight or first kiss.

“You sure did a number on her, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin said.

Regina looked like the cat that caught the canary, so pleased was she, her smile threatened to split her face in half. “How the mighty have fallen,” she cackled.

“I can’t believe you, you, Snow White, of all people, had such thoughts,” Emma breathed out, shocked.

Snow sighed, “Yes, well, life really hadn't been kind to me at that time. Years as an outcast, being hunted by the Evil Queen, having everything I’ve ever known and loved snatched away from me… it can change a person. Make them bitter.”

“What happened?” Robin asked; anything to distract him from the disturbing expression of maniacal happiness etched all over Regina’s face.

Beaming at her husband, “Snow said, “I met Prince Charming, of course.”

In the end, Charming threatened her, unfolding a wanted poster for Snow White. If she didn’t return his jewels, he’d turn her over to the Queen’s forces: “And I have a feeling the Queen’s not as “charming” as I am.”

“Certainly not,” Granny grunted.

David looked appalled by his past behavior, “Knowing what I know now, I am so sorry for blackmailing you.”

“I’m not. What happened next, it only made my love for you grow. Our story, everything that happened, it made our love true. Never apologize for that,” Snow said.

“If only you turned her over to me, we could’ve skipped all this nasty business with the Dark Curse,” Regina taunted.

Snow turned her glare onto Regina, “Yes, because my crystal ball told me of the depths of evil you’d immerse yourself in years down the line.”

“Nice one,” Zelena cackled, her complexion having returned to its pleasant shade of English rose and thus, making her appear more human and approachable.

Back in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret joined Emma and Henry at Granny’s Diner.

“Really? You think I wouldn’t recognize my shirt,” Regina snarled. “You’re trying to take my son from me, and now my closet.”

Emma stared at her in disbelief, “Jeez, lady. It’s just a shirt. Get over yourself.”

“It’s the principle,” she hissed.

Emma’s advice to Henry not to get his hopes up were dashed, however, when Mary Margaret excitedly announced that John Doe woke up, explaining how he grabbed her hand. Henry wasted no time in ushering them to return to the hospital and while Mary Margaret assured Emma that she didn’t believe in the Curse, she did believe that they had a connection and that, in some way, she touched him.

“See!” Snow said gleefully. “No matter what you do, no matter how much you try, no matter what curse you cast, David and I will always have a connection.”

Regina swallowed back her growl as she forced a smile that looked quite painful, “Yes. But not the same ending. And as long as you’re ripped from your happy ending with your oh-so charming prince, that’s good enough for me.”

“You really are a bitter shrew,” Neal commented, disgust etched plainly on his face.

At the hospital, Sheriff Graham’s appearance brought Mary Margaret, Emma and Henry to a pause. He explained that John Doe was missing.

“I woke up!” David exclaimed.

Snow gushed, “Finally. Oh, David!”

“And another kiss,” Emma groaned into her drink. She held a hand out, wordlessly asking for more rum, and Killian poured her a generous amount without question.

Suddenly, Killian paused with the bottle halfway to his lips. “This is odd… I’m certain this bottle should be almost empty; and yet, it is still half-full.”

“It’s self-refilling, you drunken oaf!” Rumplestiltskin snapped, glaring at the pirate with deep disdain.

Killian glared, “Well excuse me for not having intimate knowledge of magic.”

“Intimidate knowledge of nothing but debauchery and adultery, apparently,” he retorted dryly.

In response, Killian, deep grooves of hatred lining his face, hurled the rum bottle at the Dark One with expert precision.

Shrieks and shouts permeated the room, echoing loudly in the enclosed space. Rumplestiltskin, however, didn’t even flinch or move an inch; he didn’t even try to defend himself, or duck to prevent the bottle from hitting him. Neal emitted a bellow of alarm, and made to get onto his feet and push his Papa out of the way. Belle threw her form around her True Love as though shielding him from the hurled projectile.

As predicted, it went right through Rumplestiltskin.

“What?”

“How?”                                                                

Amid everyone’s gasps of shock and inquiries of alarm, Maleficent drawled, “How anticlimactic.”

“Hook!” Neal turned to snarl at Killian who appeared disappointed that his attack on the Dark One had been thwarted. And by magic!

“My darling Belle,” Rumplestiltskin kissed her forehead and gently rearranged her back into her previous sitting position, though he ensured to keep their hands linked. “We are not able to harm each other in this place,” he reminded them, his expression apathetic and tone matter-of-fact. “You really are a brainless fool, Hook.”

Seething with rage, Killian swore. “You won’t be protected for long, Crocodile! Once we’re out of here, I will kill you.”

“Promises, promises,” he said indifferently.

Troll produced another bottle of rum. Killian glared at it, feeling like the room was mocking him. He turned his nose at it and instead, chose to drink from a can with the curious word “Pepsi” emblazoned on its neon blue body.

“Better luck next time,” Zelena addressed the pirate, whose eyebrows arched in intrigue at the prospect of a partner-in-crime that also wished to see Rumplestiltskin skinned and defeated. She winked at him and he smirked.

Regina approached them and Henry instantly accused her of having done something to him.

“I did nothing,” Regina snapped, her hurt eyes boring into the image of her son.

Emma scoffed, “And how would you know? That is the future.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to find your grubby hands all over it,” Grumpy snarled.

“Watch who you call ‘grubby,’ dwarf!” she hissed.

Graham yelled, “Why are you even there?!”

“I am the Mayor,” she retorted coolly.

“I’m here because I’m his emergency contact,” Regina told Emma.

Smirking, Regina jutted her head toward the screen, “That too.”

“How convenient,” Snow rolled her eyes.

David looked absolutely disgusted, “I don’t want you to be my emergency contact!”

Dr. Whale stated that Regina saved John Doe’s life after Regina explained how she came across him on the side of the road with no I.D. Then, Dr. Whale stressed that it was imperative to find John Doe. Regina grabbed Henry and forced him to leave with her in order to keep him away from Emma.

“Yes, that’s what’s important here. Keeping Henry away from his mother,” Neal scoffed sarcastically.

Regina glared, “I am his mother. How many times must I remind you of that?!”

“Hey, when you start acting like one, looking out for Henry’s best interests, then I’ll believe it,” he retorted.

“I don’t have to prove anything of the sort, especially not to you. You who I don’t even know why you care so much,” Regina snapped.

‘It was amazing,’ Emma thought, ‘how no one connected the dots yet of Neal’s relation to Henry. After all, Henry did take after him in the looks department.’ She stared at the ceiling, her suspicions recovered, ‘Maybe the dampener is doing more than just keeping us from talking…’

Once Regina and Henry left, the rest of the group headed to the security office; inside was Walter and Leroy.

“Hey, there’s Sleepy!” Grumpy exclaimed in relief.

Zelena rolled her eyes, “Oh, good, another leprechaun.”

“We’re dwarves, lady!” Grumpy growled, his face contorting angrily.

The Wicked Witch waved a hand, disinterested, “Whatever.”

Upon looking at the security tapes, Emma discovered they were looking at the wrong tape, to which Leroy accused Walter of having fallen asleep again.

“I’m the janitor and Sleepy’s the security guard?! In what world does that make sense?!” Grumpy snapped in disbelief.

Arthur gave them a scornful look, “Didn’t you make him a palace guard…”

“Well, that’s different. It was a position offered through friendship. This is a cursed life. Those are two completely different circumstances,” Grumpy insisted, with Snow and David nodding rapidly in the background, though they both appeared sheepish at their giant error in making Sleepy a guard.

Regina grinned, “I thought it would be amusing.”

“Of course you did,” Robin, for some reason, felt disappointed in her – the Evil Queen! “Having Sleepy in charge of the sick and helpless. Really amusing, your majesty.”

“Don’t know why you’re getting into a tizzy, she’s the Evil Queen, her doing acts of evil is expected,” Granny huffed, her mean eyes not leaving Regina’s form for a second.

“You selling me out!” Walter exclaimed.

Leroy snarled, “I ain’t getting fired for this.”

“So much for the famed brotherhood among dwarves,” Maleficent observed.

If looks could kill Regina would be six-feet-under as Grumpy glared daggers at her, “It’s the Curse.”

Inserting the correct security tape, it revealed that John Doe walked out by himself, and went through a door that led to the woods.

“Oh, David!” Snow clutched at him, worried and anxious.

David placed a comforting arm around her, “I’ll be fine, Snow.”

“You heard what Dr. Whale said. Because of the feeding tubes and the years you spent in a coma, it’s too dangerous for you. You shouldn’t have left the hospital,” Snow fretted.

Not worried in the least bit, David soothingly said, “Snow, I’ll be fine. Have faith.”

“Oh for the love of—!” Regina snapped. “You and your faith, and you,” she turned to Snow, “and your hope. You two really are sickening!”

The scene shifted to the Enchanted Forest where Prince Charming and Snow White are traveling through. Charming noticed the necklace around her neck and yanked it off. Snow revealed it’s a weapon, that the substance within is fairy dust.

Mirroring David’s inquiry on-screen, Kristoff asked, “Aren't fairies good? How can that fairy dust be considered a weapon?”

Choosing to respond to the first half of the question, Rumplestiltskin snarled, “Funny, I was always under the impression that fairies are manipulative, good-for-nothing gnats.”

“Wait,” Tiger Lily spoke abruptly; and the fact that this was the first she chose to initiate contact with the individuals in the room that went beyond preventing fights and hissing at them to be quiet, startled most of them. “You… you don’t like fairies?”

Eyebrows arched, Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Why so disappointed, dearie?”

Neal frowned at his father; why didn’t he like fairies. ‘Was it something to do with good versus evil?’ It made sense that the fairies would be opposed to the Dark One’s existence… ‘Yeah, that’s probably it.’

“Merely surprised,” Tiger Lily said indifferently, but her demeanor didn’t fool those who knew her best (Blue, Tinker Bell, and Killian), and Rumplestiltskin (who rarely ever missed a thing).

“I didn’t get your name,” Rumplestiltskin stated suddenly, amber eyes bleeding back to brown.

Tiger Lily affected unconcern, “That’s because I have yet to give it.”

Rumplestiltskin uttered a humming sound but maintained his silence, choosing to observe that oddity as well as Mr. Cassidy.

“When it comes from a good fairy,” Snow said. “This stuff? Is deadly. It transforms the most fearsome of adversaries into a form that’s easily squashed.”

Kristoff mumbled, “That answers my question.”

Once again, he was interrupted by Rumplestiltskin, who had lost all interest in Tiger Lily’s identity and was instead focused intently on Snow, his voice a scary whisper, “And where, Snow White, did you get that?”

There was, after all, one, and only one, dark fairy in all the realms: The Black Fairy.

Tiger Lily and Blue were also interested in Snow’s response.

For her part, Snow seemed bewildered by the Dark One’s sudden fixation on her and slight hostility, “Um, I don’t… some purveyor at the black market.”

“Well, well, well,” Regina laughed. “Pure, precious little Snow White, traversing through the darkest of roads, my, my. How the mighty have fallen indeed.”

Snow donned a terrifying glare, “I was out of options. You gave me no choice.”

“Never mind that,” Rumplestiltskin impatiently waved a hand between Snow and Regina, “did that purveyor say anything about the source of the fairy dust?”

Belle looked at her True Love in bewilderment, “Why are you so interested, Rumple?”

In a darker, but nevertheless, genuinely curious tone, Regina echoed, “Yes… why are you so interested, Rumple?”

“That’s my business.” So focused was Rumplestiltskin, his gaze and curiosity so intense, he didn’t notice who was asking the questions, and snapped at his beloved Belle (though she understood it was directed mostly at Regina; Belle always understood Rumplestiltskin’s moods and when to push… and this certainly wasn’t the time).

“Snow?” Blue asked softly.

And this was when everyone took notice that it wasn’t just Rumplestiltskin who had taken a keen interest in Snow White and the mysterious fairy dust she had been carrying around on her person, but Blue, and Tiger Lily (though they still didn’t know her name).

“Seriously, are we missing something here? What’s so important about a vial of dark fairy dust?” Red asked, undeniably curious.

Finally putting a rest to the trio’s growing impatience, Snow said, “No. Nothing. I just asked for a weapon that can protect me against magical attacks, and the man he, he gave me the vial. I asked the same as David and Kristoff, how fairy dust can be a weapon, and he revealed that the dust in the vial was produced by a dark fairy. That was it. I haggled a bit over the price, bought it, and left.”

“Not really the results you were wishing for, was it, darling,” Maleficent asked Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin leaned back in his seat, expression taut and gratefully accepted Belle’s proffered hand, “It’s no matter.”

Still, everyone stared at the Dark One, the Blue Fairy and the unnamed, intimidating woman in waxing curiosity.

Charming asked why she didn’t use it on him and deduced the “special someone” she’s saving it for as the Queen.

“So you do have a spine after all,” Regina smirked. “And here I thought you heroes were against murder.”

“You know I am,” Snow reminded her pointedly.

Recalling her almost-execution, Regina responded with a sneer.

Maleficent coldly gave Snow a measuring look. “The little snowflake is capable of more.”

“Oh?” Regina leaned forward, intrigued.

Snow scowled and tucked herself into David’s side. Only her close friends, Rumplestiltskin, and Emma discerned the guilt marring her expression.

“The charges on her posters are lies,” Snow revealed. “It didn’t stop her from sending her Huntsman to rip out my heart.”

Many inquiring gazes landed on Graham, knowing him to be the Huntsman due to the revelation made a while back.

“What happened?” Elsa asked.

Regina glared, “It didn’t take.”

Ignoring her, Snow referred to the screen, “David asks me the same thing.”

“Well, not everyone is a soulless royal. He took pity on me and let me go. I’ve been hiding in the forest ever since. Trying to amass enough fortune to leave this place. Escape to another realm. Somewhere isolated. Where I can never be hurt.”

“Poor Snow and her delicate sensibilities,” Regina sneered mockingly.

David smiled at Graham, who appeared slightly uncomfortable by Snow’s on-screen depiction of him. “Thank you. For not doing the Evil Queen’s bidding.”

“Yes, well, she made a grave error when she assumed I lacked compassion because of how I was raised,” Graham stated.

Regina wore an ugly smile, “Yes, well, it was not all a complete loss. I did get something in the end, didn’t I, Huntsman.”

“What is she talking about?” Snow demanded angrily, the concern in her eyes as she looked at Graham belying her tone.

Graham waved her off, “It’s nothing.”

A long, maniacal laugh escaped Regina. “Nothing. Oh, don’t be so modest, Huntsman.” Her gleeful eyes then turned to Snow, “He paid for his betrayal; for that show of compassion. And he paid for it dearly.”

“Graham—”

Softly, Graham interrupted Snow, “Really, forget it. I’m fine.” He didn’t want to burden Snow with the consequences of her escape; he preferred she remained happy, but he also didn’t want everyone to be aware of what letting Snow go cost him… he didn’t want his punishment, his torment, to be made public.

They argued for a while about the definition of loneliness, whether it was living in isolation or entering a loveless marriage; and when Charming asked what Snow did to incur that much wrath from the Evil Queen, Snow admitted that she ruined her life.

“At least you can admit it,” Regina snapped. “Now all that’s left is to pay for it with your life.”

“She’s not wholly to blame for what happened!” David yelled, sick and tired of Regina placing the blame of Daniel’s death at Snow’s feet. “And deep down, you know it.”

Regina glared. “What I know is …”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “What’s the matter, dearie, cat got your tongue?”

“You damn well know what happened, you irritating imp! I cannot say,” Regina turned her glare to the ceiling.

“I really want to know what happened between the two,” Robin murmured to Neal and August.

Arthur stared between the Evil Queen and the Dark One in a mixture of shock and surprise. “How can you allow her to speak to you in such a way?” he inquired.

A smirk on his face as Rumplestiltskin slowly transformed back to a man, he curtly revealed, “Her majesty has always been more bark than bite when it comes to me. Due to her fragile state, I allow her certain, ah…liberties to build up her fragile confidence since she cannot permanently do me harm.”

The darkest glare yet shrouded Regina’s face, creating an ugly mask. Unfortunately, she had no witty or threatening retort; because Rumplestiltskin was right. And she hated that!

Thirsty, Snow went to drink from a river and when Charming joined her side, she pushed him in and made a run for it. Snow didn’t get far before she found herself surrounded by the Evil Queen’s guards.

The circulation in her arm was cut due to David’s desperate grip on her. Easing his fingers slowly, Snow threw her arms around her husband, “I’m fine, David. You saved me, remember.”

“It’s when I realized you were more than a thief… that I started to develop feelings for you,” he confessed

Not privy to the couple’s silent discussion, Emma gasped, “Uh-oh.”

“Unfortunately, she made it out in one piece,” Regina grunted.

Anna nodded rapidly, “Yes, David’ll sure show them!”

“I did learn from the best,” David grinned.

“Who?” Phillip inquired.

“…” Frowning to himself, David said, “Can’t say.”

Grumpy glared at the four walls of the room before throwing another at the ceiling, “This dampener is really getting on my nerves!”

“Everything gets on your nerves,” Granny remarked with a fond eye roll.

Grunting, Grumpy side-eyed her, “What’s your point?”

The scene transitioned to Storybrooke, where Emma, Mary Margaret, and Graham were searching for John Doe in the woods. Graham was in his element, stating, “this is my world.” And when Mary Margaret asked Emma what he meant, as her job was to find people, Emma explained that the people she found usually ran to places like Vegas, and not the woods.

“Vegas?” Macintosh voiced slowly in his attempt to get the pronunciation correct. “What is this ‘Vegas?’”

Emma explained briefly, capturing the interests of David, Phillip, Merida, Arthur, Kristoff, Anna, and Macintosh.

“Sounds like a den of iniquity and hedonism,” Mulan stated with distaste and strong disapprobation.

Kristoff gasped, “Can you like, not, take the fun out of it…!”

“Do you always take everything so… seriously?” Anna asked.

Not hesitating or showing much emotion, Mulan replied, “Yes.”

Phillip laughed, “Don’t mind Mulan. She may be a warrior at heart but she’s also a real softie.”

“Phillip!” she chastised him half-heartedly.

Looking between the two, a frown slowly began to form on Aurora’s flawless forehead and she worried at her lower lip.

Emma continued to explain her reasons for becoming a bondsperson: her parents. However, when Mary Margaret asked if she found her parents, Henry showed up behind them, claiming that John Doe was looking for Mary Margaret.

“I love my grandson!” David exclaimed, his eyes fond.

Simultaneously, Regina rebuked the screen, “Henry! Must he constantly disobey me?!”

“Yes!” Granny, Red and Grumpy intoned.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, as a guard was about to drive a dagger through Snow White’s chest, Charming emerged from behind a tree and began to fight with another guard.

Cheers flooded the room.

Mulan nodded approvingly at David’s fighting stance, her observant eyes taking in every detail of the swordfight on-screen, and when his aim with the bow and arrow was true, impressively impaling the guard who had ridden off with Snow White, she couldn’t help but comment, “You have extraordinary marksmanship, you highness.”

“Aye!” Killian heartily voiced his agreement.

“Thanks.” David was a modest person, has been and always will be; however, when it came to his skills in defending those he loved, he always took pride in his actions and his success. “There isn’t any need for formalities; please call me David.”

This time, Emma wasn’t the only one to frown at David regarding his name – after all, he was known to almost everyone in the Enchanted Forest as Prince (and then King) James, not David.

“Wh—” Grumpy had been about to ask about the name change, when Red elbowed him hard.

“Shush!” she hissed, eyes on the screen. “I want to see what happens next.”

Turning his body to fully glare at her, Grumpy snapped, “We already know what happens! They fall in love, keep losing each other, and start a war before we get cursed and given personality transplants.”

Emma and Neal couldn’t help but release a chuckle or two at Grumpy’s summary.

“That sounds dead depressing, Grumpy, thanks for that,” Snow said sarcastically.

In awe over Charming saving her, Snow White seemed to be slightly dazed before he reminded her of his jewels and they continued onward. She then revealed to whom she had sold his jewels to: Trolls.

“Ugh, really… them,” Regina wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Anna, on the other hand, perked up, “You have trolls, too?”

Her reaction elicited many frowns and expressions of disgust and some of confusion.

“Why do I get the feeling your question is posed in a positive way?” Phillip remarked.

Her delight slowly changed to confusion, “Um, because it was.”

Kristoff adopted an affronted visage. “Yeah, what’s wrong with them?!” he demanded, for the first time losing his amiable and friendly demeanor.

“Anna,” Belle let out a tinkling laugh that never failed to remind Rumplestiltskin of bell chimes, “you’re talking about rock trolls. The Enchanted Forest’s trolls are very different to them.”

“Rock trolls?” was echoed in the room.

Rapidly nodding her head, Anna said, “Yes, rock trolls. They’re good and helpful...”

“And they're  family,” Kristoff added vehemently.

Amusement coloring her features, Regina scoffed, “I’m not even going to bother commenting on that.”

“You just did,” Merida smirked.

When Charming mistook trolls for dwarves,

“Hey!” Grumpy snapped, deeply offended.

David raised both hands in a peaceful gesture, “At the time, I never met any dwarves or trolls.”

Phillip suddenly frowned, and he cocked his head, “Then you must have led quite a sheltered life.”

Squirming uncomfortable, David chose not to respond.

Snow White gave him a warning: “Show a little respect. They’ll cut your hand off sooner than they’ll shake it.”

Nodding emphatically, Phillip added, “Yes, especially if they discover you’re a royal. You as well, Snow.” He appeared perplexed, “I’m frankly astounded they didn’t sense you were one. There’s a lot of bad blood between trolls and royals,” he clarified at the Arendelle and Camelot parties’ confused expressions.

In Storybrooke, Henry was stubbornly insisting that Mary Margaret woke him up and because she was the last person he saw, John Doe was trying to find her. Their argument was interrupted by Graham who had found John Doe’s bloody hospital bracelet.

“Oh my God, David!” Snow shrieked, and this time it was her who was cutting off the blood circulation in his hand.

He looked slightly perturbed, but nevertheless, continued to soothe his wife, “Have faith, Snow. I’m sure I’m fine.”

Emma was looking at Regina suspiciously, but other than a brief gleeful smirk at her parents’ suffering, she appeared more furious with Henry’s disobedience at the current time.

“It’s probably a scratch; there are a lot of thorns in those woods,” Graham comforted them, wearing a kind smile.

Victor nodded, “And with the state he’s probably in, I doubt he’s within his right mind to duck or dodge. He probably just trampled through without taking in his surroundings.”

At Victor’s helpful addition, the burgeoning grudge David felt toward him reduced in size… just a tad.

Back in the Enchanted Forest,

“No! I want to know what happened with David!” Snow cried out. She threw the ceiling a flinty stare, “Go back to Storybrooke.”

Nothing happened.

Regina laughed.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

Charming and Snow White approached a bridge and the latter sent the horses away as the trolls didn’t like them.

“What, why?” Kristoff frowned; Grand Pabbie sure didn’t mind them, and he adored Sven! Reindeers weren’t all that different from horses, in his opinion.

Snow shrugged, “They just don’t.”

Snow White proceeded to call the trolls by placing a pile of gold on the edge of the bridge. None of them seemed pleased that she had come back, nor were they happy that she brought Charming.

“Urgh, okay. I see it now.” Kristoff had a look of plain disgust etched all over his handsome features (as did Anna). “Yeah, they're nothing like rock trolls. Just, wow, wouldya look at them!”

Anna cocked her head, “They look so mean.”

“They are mean, sister,” Grumpy grunted.

Fascinated, Snow said, “I’d sure love to meet the rock trolls, though.”

“They’d be happy to have you,” Kristoff said.

Zelena scoffed, “Anything leprechaun-sized are not worthy of my attention.”

Angry grumbles and mumbles permeated the air, and a lot of cursing from Grumpy.

Eyes wide and eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline, August breathed out, “Wow, and she just said that. With a straight face… out loud.”

“I’m telling you, friend. That witch is crazy,” Robin grimaced.

When she revealed she wanted to make another trade, the trolls grew suspicious, their attention constantly returning to Charming. Despite the rocky start, the transaction appeared to be going smoothly, until Charming graciously thanked them.

Regina’s loud laugh echoed sinisterly in the cozy space, “This is just too precious. Politeness? To a troll!? You see, you heroic folk’s kindness will always be your undoing.”

“Better than a lonely life filled with bitterness and revenge,” Snow snapped back.

Scowling, she retorted, “At least I’ll be alive.”

“But you won’t be living. If all it would get you is a life filled with loneliness, is it really worth it all?” Snow insisted.

A struggle seemed to be happening within Regina until she finally hissed, her expression menacing, “You be quiet. My life ended the moment you did what you did!”

“Which we’d all really like to know,” Robin added to the ceiling.

“Shut it, thief!”

“He’s a royal!” exclaimed one of the trolls.

“Rock trolls are usually held in high esteem by the royals,” Anna added to the surprise of almost everyone.

Kristoff nodded emphatically, “Yes; also, the rock trolls love helping the royal family of Arendelle. It’s a relationship that goes back many generations.”

“How remarkable. Odd, though,” Phillip shook his head in disbelief, “I cannot imagine such an alliance occurring between the breed of trolls in the Enchanted Forest. It’s unheard of and truly unimaginable.

A fight broke out which led to the trolls discovering the wanted poster of Snow White. Charming attacked them when they make an attempt on Snow White and he encouraged her to run, claiming he’d be right behind her.

“Follow me!” Snow White yelled over her shoulder. “They don’t know the forest like I do.”

“How things change,” Graham smiled.

A laugh escaped Snow. “I know! Back then, I wouldn’t have been able to find my way to the other side of the bridge, let alone not trip over my feet every couple of steps.”

“What are you talking about?” Red asked curiously.

“Our first encounter,” Snow grinned.

Looking around, Snow White finally realized that Charming wasn’t behind her, but overwhelmed by the trolls. She went back for him, using the fairy dust to transform the trolls into bugs.

“Ah, that does bring back fond memories,” Rumplestiltskin remarked airily.

Unlike Rumplestiltskin, however, Neal flinched quite noticeably at the awful memories it brought, recalling one too many nightmares of his Papa using magic to turn people into bugs or slugs, and then crushing them.

“Although, if I were you, I would've crushed them,” Rumplestiltskin added, his shrill voice creating a more sinister and terrifying effect to his words.

“Rumple!” Belle lightly chastised him.

David looked aghast, “That would be murder.”

“Yes, and you’re beyond that,” Maleficent sneered sarcastically.

Unwilling to be silenced, David retorted, “Killing during times of war is different!”

Charming was in awe of Snow White for saving him; when he asked about the fairy dust she was saving, Snow White said, “I’ll think of something else.”

“And I did,” Snow added unnecessarily.

Regina gave her a tight smile, “Temporarily, dear. Don’t be fooled by this… quaint gathering, I still won.”

“Not for long,” Abigail said. “You forget, the Savior is in Storybrooke, and after everything we learn in this gathering, you’ll be taken down once and for all.”

“Because good always wins,” Zelena mocked.

Grumpy glared at her. “What’s your story, lady?!” he snapped.

“…” Sighing, Zelena screamed, “Bollocks!”

“Anyway, how could I let Prince Charming die?”

“I told you – I have a name. It’s James.”

Unable to take the curiosity any longer, Emma snapped, “Okay, seriously. What’s the deal? If your name is James, then why does Snow keep calling you David?”

“Yes,” Mulan frowned, “I recall you telling me to call you by the name ‘David’ as well.”

“As do I,” Phillip said.

David scratched the nape of his neck, “…”

“Really?” Grumpy growled, throwing both his hands in the air. “It’s just a name. We already know it is David… the spoiler has already happened!”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “That’s quite a tale. But not for you… not now.”

“Don’t tell me you know?!” Granny demanded in a huff.

Eyebrows arched, Rumplestiltskin’s brown eyes twinkled with amusement, “Why, of course I do. Does that come as a surprise to you?”

“Not really,” Arthur said, once again looking at Rumplestiltskin with profound hunger.

Twirling a braid around her finger, Anna cheerfully said, “David is …”

“Told you, dearie.”

Back in Storybrooke, the group arrived at the Toll Bridge and found John Doe lying in the water.

“Yes, why don’t you traumatize my son,” Regina snarked.

Emma glared in response, “I told him not to look.”

“Yes, and he clearly listened,” she continued sarcastically as Henry stubbornly peered around Emma on-screen.

Interrupting, Neal snapped, “Are you kidding me?! Henry’s disobedience isn’t a result of Emma, or her arrival at Storybrooke. It’s because of you and your parenting techniques. Stop blaming everything on Emma. As you constantly like to remind us, you are the one who raised him for ten years.”

“Well aren't you a real prince in shining armor,” Regina sneered, looking her nose down at him in sheer contempt.

Before anyone could respond, or even ask why Neal kept coming to Emma and even Henry’s defense (such as was the case with Rumplestiltskin, David and Snow), Grumpy, who had been doing an impressive job at holding his tongue, shouted, “Traumatize your son?! Lady, you’re the Evil Queen. Your son’s been traumatized enough.”

“Well said, Grumpy,” Blue said curtly.

Red nodded, “He does make an excellent point.”

“Why don’t all of you get new lines,” Regina sneered.

Frederick snorted, “We will when you do.”

Mary Margaret proceeded to perform CPR on John Doe and he started breathing, coughing out water.

Cheering ensued, the many faces alight with happiness grinning at one another.

“Now that was not CPR,” Abigail smirked.

Belle laughed, “Definitely not.”

“That, dear girl, is a kiss, and not a short one either,” Guinevere giggled; she was slowly starting to feel comfortable around these group of people… ‘Well,’ she reconsidered as she stared between Regina, Zelena and Maleficent… yes, and Rumplestiltskin, ‘some more than others.’

A change came over Arthur, his stern expression smoothening at the wonderful sound he hadn't heard in a very long time: his beloved Guinevere’s laugh. For the last couple of years, their relationship had been cold and fraught with tension, his obsession over making Excalibur whole making a strain in their marriage.

Snow grinned, “Yeah, well… I honestly have no explanation. It’s Mary Margaret's future. I guess she just… did what seemed natural.”

“Kissing is as natural as breathing to these two,” Red smirked.

Emma grimaced, “I’m starting to see that.”

In contrast to the bright expressions and cheerful atmosphere, Regina manifested anger and darkness, her scowl pronounced at David’s awakening. And for a moment, she feared the kiss would restore more than his consciousness. ‘It cannot be so easily broken… can it?’

Henry cheered in the background while Emma looked on in awe; it was short-lived when after Mary Margaret asked who he was, John Doe replied, “I don’t know.”

“No!” Snow cried out.

Sharing his wife’s dismay, David gripped her hand and squeezed, “It’s alright. This isn’t the end. I still have time to remember. It appears as though I don’t have any cursed memories. There’s still hope.”

“Yes, have faith,” Regina gloated, a malicious smile curling on her lips, all her previous worries melting away with David’s on-screen disclosure. ‘Of course the Dark Curse couldn’t be so easily broken.’

Graham shared David’s optimism. “Amnesia is a much better alternative than cursed memories,” he said.

“That’s…true,” Snow spoke slowly, the realization erasing some of her sadness.

Regina sneered, “I’m sure my future-self will remedy this…unfortunate situation.”

“Yes, ‘cause you’ve got nothing better to do than to play with people’s lives,” Emma snapped; she was really beginning to hate this woman… this soulless person who has custody of her son. …And since when did she start referring to Henry as her son?

The scene shifted to show the hospital where John Doe was taken to seek treatment. Graham, Emma, Mary Margaret, and Henry watched through the glass door as the doctors, including Dr. Whale, treated him when, all of a sudden, Kathryn bursts into the room to John Doe’s side.

“David! David, is that you?” she cried out.

“David?” Emma murmured, her confusion surging.

Her inquiry, however, was drowned out by the cacophony of alarmed shouts that shook the room at Abigail’s cursed counterpart’s appearance, it reaching a crescendo when she appeared to be there for David.

“What am I, she… I doing there?!” Abigail demanded stiffly, her hand immediately reaching out for Frederick’s.

Neal frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I have no cursed memory of James,” she revealed, the stiffness spreading to her posture as her words came out clipped.

A slow, evil smirk that bode well for nobody, started to curve Regina’s lips, the realization dawning on her with immediate clarity.

Rumplestiltskin appeared to have reached to the same conclusion as well. “Oh, well done, your majesty. Real devious; and quick on your part. You didn’t appear to have wasted any time now, did you.”

“What does that mean!” Snow yelled. Whirling around to meet Rumplestiltskin’s gaze, she desperately asked, “What do you mean?”

Brown eyes solemn and shimmering with subtle sadness (a quality only Belle detected), Rumplestiltskin said, “Alas, it appears our Evil Queen has remedied your Charming’s unfortunate situation and has hastened to give him a cursed life after all.”

“What?” Abigail and David shouted in unison.

Turning his attention back to the screen, Rumplestiltskin said, “Watch and see, dearies.”

“Yes, watch my wrath,” Regina smirked.

Zelena rolled her eyes, “Oh quit it with the dramatics, will you!” Despite how nauseous the couple made her, their sentimentalities and optimism grating on her nerves, Zelena was rooting for them to succeed, as their success meant Regina’s failure and, the cherry on top, her misery.

Dr. Whale asked that Kathryn wait outside as she couldn’t be inside while they treated John Doe. When Mary Margaret asked who Kathryn was, Regina approached them from behind and revealed with much relish, “His wife.”

“You really are a piece of work!” Frederick snapped, gritting his teeth in anger and squeezing Abigail’s hand as though to prevent himself from snapping Regina’s neck.

Barely noticing the pressure on her hand, the blood draining from her face, Abigail slowly repeated, “Wife?”

“I continue to surprise even myself,” Regina gloated. She smacked her lips and treated herself to another glass of apple juice, adding a splash… or two of vodka.

David would not let Regina win. “I still don’t have my cursed memories. Your plan will fail, Regina.”

“You don’t sound so sure, Charming,” she smirked. “And by the looks of it, neither does you precious wife. You’re looking a tad pale, Snow White.”

Grimacing, Snow shook her head and angrily met Regina’s malicious gaze, “You’re a bitter witch, Regina. And I feel so sorry for you.”

Her happiness draining, Regina hissed, “Keep your pity to yourself, princess. I won. And every time you fight back, so will I; and I’ll continue to win if it’s the last thing I do!”

“And in the process, drive Henry away,” Neal said. “Don’t forget, Henry knows the truth; he knows who you are; he’ll be able to see through all your attempts. Is winning really worth losing him?”

An ugly sneer contorting her beautiful face, Regina snarled, “Shut up, Cassidy!”

“Thank you, Neal,” Snow smiled.

Emma scowled. She didn’t want her parents to like him or get along with him. Though… on second thought, she was beginning to realize that, while she couldn’t see herself ever getting back with him or fully forgiving him, she was incapable of hating him.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Snow White and Prince Charming were walking through the forest, returning each other’s belongings – Snow White her gold and Prince Charming his pouch of jewels. He checked its contents and took out a ring with an emerald stone. When Charming reiterated her previous words, that it wasn’t her type, Snow White put it on.

Snow put her hand out in front of her, showcasing the ring and where it proudly sat on her finger, “I think it suits me just fine.”

“I know it suits you,” David corrected, a dopey smile on his face that Snow immediately kissed right off.

In response to Snow’s on-screen words, regarding his ‘fiancée’ loving the ring, Abigail admired her own wedding ring. “While your ring is gorgeous, Snow. I’m in love with my own…and the man who gave it to me,” she added lovingly, smiling at Frederick who mirrored Snow by kissing it off her face.

“You couples are extremely nauseating. Do you have to constantly display your love for all of us to see?” Zelena snapped with a huff.

Smiling kindly at the green witch, Belle said, “When you find your person, someone you truly love and who loves you back, you’ll understand. Such displays won’t bother you anymore.”

“I don’t need a pep talk, especially from you,” she sneered, her accent pronounced by her anger.

Blinking in surprise, Belle put a hand to her chest, “Excuse me. What’s that supposed to mean, ‘someone like me.’ What did I ever do to you!?”

“Zelena!” Rumplestiltskin rebuked her sharply, his brown orbs locked with Zelena’s green ones with terrifying intensity.

“Aha, so you do know each other,” Maleficent observed loudly. “I did wonder.”

“And you don’t miss a thing, do you, Maleficent,” Rumplestiltskin stated, his glare still piercing Zelena.

Eyes wide, Regina gasped, “What?”

Tugging on his sleeve, Belle softly said, “Rumple?”

“I’m not afraid of you, Dark One!” Zelena sneered, her chin held high; she then parted her lips, a devilish grin on her face, but nothing came out, “…”

Glaring daggers at the ceiling, she shrieked, “Really!? You can’t give me one thing…! Just one bloody win!”

“Your insanity is showing, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin said dryly.

Eyes narrowing maliciously on him as he slowly started to take on his Dark One form, she retorted, “As are your scales, snake!”

“Okay… what exactly is going on here?” Red asked, her eyes wide and intent, like everyone else’s had been, on the Dark One and the Wicked Witch.

Belle nodded in agreement, “I’d like to know as well.”

“Unfortunately, the dampener prevents that,” Maleficent was quick to point out.

Snow White feigned disinterest, that the ring didn’t suit her; as did Charming. It was quite clear, however, that the two were attracted to each other and had developed feelings during their adventure. They bid their goodbyes, Snow White insisting she preferred Charming over James, and parted ways.

“Awwhh,” Red pouted.

David chuckled, “Don’t worry, Red. As you well know, we weren’t separated for long.”

“Before you get separated again. And again. And again,” Grumpy remarked huffily.

Beaming, Snow reminded him, “But we find each other again. And again. And again.”

“Because I’ll always find you,” David said lovingly.

Dropping her head on his shoulder, Snow said, “And I you.”

“Don’t any of you get sick of them?” Regina addressed the couple’s friends while looking at said couple as though there was something particularly foul under her nose.

Granny sneered, “Not as sick as we are with you.”

“Bite me,” she drawled.

A wolfish grin on her face, Red purred, “Gladly.”

In Storybrooke, Kathryn had returned to John Doe’s room by his bedside; outside the room, Regina was explaining to Emma, Mary Margaret, and Henry John Doe’s identity.

“His name is David Nolan.

“Wait, what?!” Emma’s eyes were wide as she stared between Snow and David.

On the same wavelength, Grumpy turned to squarely meet the couple’s gazes. “Question! How’d you know his cursed name was David?!”

Graham frowned, his head dipping slightly in agreement. “Yes, Grumpy makes an excellent point. I never knew of his existence, let alone his name, and I’m Storybrooke’s Sheriff.”

“Snow?” Red looked at her best friend.

Opening and closing her mouth, when Snow couldn’t find the right words to say, she began to nibble on her bottom lip. “David?” she looked to him for help.

“…” David facepalmed.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, he cannot say,” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

Realizing a way to make things easier, Belle kindly asked, “What would you like us to call you, then… James or David?”

David and Snow beamed at her.

“David,” David sighed gratefully.

She inclined her head, “David then.”

“All this niceness is starting to give me a toothache,” Regina snarked.

Granny harrumphed, “Hopefully next time it’s a stabbing ache to the heart. Then maybe we can all be rid of you once and for all.”

“Lady, you’re closer to a heart attack than I am,” Regina smiled maliciously. “In fact, to the best of my recollection, your cursed-self did suffer one recently, didn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Granny grunted, “If by recently you mean twenty-eight years; and if by heart attack, you mean of the fake kind, as it never happened, no thanks to you.”

Robin stared at them, mouth agape, “That made absolutely no sense, whatsoever.”

“You start getting used to it when you’re cursed to live with two personalities in your head…unfortunately,” Jefferson mumbled the last part to himself.

“And that’s his wife, Kathryn.”

“I am not… was not his wife, you evil witch!” Abigail snarled. “My life as Kathryn Nolan was a single woman, too dependent on her peers and in maintaining a social life. But there was no man in my life and certainly no husband.”

Regina insouciantly shrugged a shoulder, “Plans change. I’m certain my future-self had to take drastic measures to keep Snow and her charming prince apart and miserable. And who better to have him married to than the person he was supposed to marry.”

“I don’t know why your evilness keeps surprising me,” Snow said sadly.

“I don’t either,” Regina grinned, her teeth on full display. “But you’ve always been an insipid, gullible fool.”

Snow shook her head, her demeanor still radiating utter sadness. “It’s not foolish to hold on to hope. Hope that you’d become the woman you once was.”

“No. It makes you a silly, idealistic little girl!” Regina retorted.

Kathryn joined the group, tears of happiness staining her face as she thanked them for finding David, and explained how she never knew he was in a coma for years.

“None of that happened!” Abigail hissed. “This is wrong. All wrong. Frederick?” she turned to her husband for comfort. Usually a strong, independent woman, Abigail only ever relied on or showed any form of weakness or vulnerability to one person: her husband, Frederick. Not even her own father saw her in such a state.

Frederick pulled her into his warming embrace and peppered kisses on the top of her head, “It’s alright, my love. It’ll all work out in the end.”

“Besides,” Belle, ever the optimist, spoke up, “this hasn’t happened yet. Things could change after we leave this haven.”

Regina looked at her skeptically, “The only change I foresee happening, is Ms. Swan choosing to leave Storybrooke.”

“Or you not being an evil bitch and letting everyone have their lives back,” Emma retorted.

She scoffed, “When pigs fly, perhaps.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Not to worry, dearies. The future is set either way.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Neal murmured.

“Depends on which version you find ominous, Mr. Cassidy.”

Of course Rumplestiltskin heard him.

Kathryn also revealed she never looked for him as she believed he had left for Boston when he walked out on her and that he’d been there all this time.

“I thought no such thing!” Abigail hissed, yet again. She didn’t know on whom to focus her glare – Regina, or Kathryn.

For her part, neither did Snow. She felt incredibly uncomfortable… that her husband had a wife – a cursed wife, but still a wife.

“And to think you made a big deal over my innocent date with Dr. Whale,” Snow laughed humorlessly.

“Snow…” David trailed off sadly, at a loss for words.

She waved him off, “Never mind. Don’t mind me; I’m having a pity party for myself here.”

Emma stared at her parents sadly; her resolve strengthening; and she glared at Regina… she will break that Curse.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, his amber eyes knowingly peering into Emma’s green ones, and she shuddered. He truly was an intimidating individual.

Scratching his head, Neal asked, “I thought nobody could leave Storybrooke.”

“That’s true,” Rumplestiltskin acknowledged, “but we cursed people don’t know that. And we’ve never had reason to leave Storybrooke. It’s not in the Curse’s nature to easily release a victim from its grasp.”

Frowning, Neal said, “But David—”

Interrupting him, certain of the trajectory of his thoughts, Rumplestiltskin explained, “Ah, ah. David Nolan was a hasty creation by the queen, here. She had to put something together in a short amount of time, a story good enough to fool Ms. Swan. A… messy job, if you ask me, with too many loose ends.”

“Well it’s a good thing no one asked you!” Regina snapped in offense.

“At least we keep her on her toes,” Snow sighed.

Red decided to remain positive, “A win for us good guys.”

Dr. Whale joined them, “It’s something of a miracle.”

“Not a miracle. True Love’s Kiss,” Snow beamed.

Regina scowled, “That wasn’t it. You have no memory of each other for it to be a kiss of true love.”

Eyebrow raised, she retorted, “Then how do you explain it?”

Hemming and hawing, Regina finally settled on, “Coincidence!”

Snorts echoed throughout the room.

 He then explained that while physically David was in good health, he was suffering from memory loss. He then explained that his stroll by the woods was, “delirious and his first instinct was to go find something.”

“Yes. My real wife,” David snapped at the screen, pulling a distraught Snow back into his arms.

Zelena huffed. “Is this going to be a habit with you three,” her glaze flickered from David, to Snow, then Abigail, “correcting every bloody thing your cursed counterparts say?”

“Yes,” they snapped, glaring daggers at her.

Hands up, she scoffed, “Don’t look at me like that. It’s her you’re really mad at.” She jabbed a thumb in Regina’s direction.

Kathryn returned to David’s bedside, and Regina demanded that Henry leave with her. Returning to get his backpack, Henry whispered to Mary Margaret, “Don’t believe them. You’re the one he was looking for.”

“Such a sweetheart,” Snow cooed.

David pecked her temple, “He’s right, though. You’re who I was looking for.”

“Something tells me the next scenes of Kathryn and David Nolan are going to be aggravating,” Abigail addressed David, a commiserating smile on her face.

“That’s putting it lightly,” David huffed.

Frederick snorted humorlessly, “It’s not going to be a walk in the park for us either,” he flicked his finger between himself and Snow.

“Tell me about it,” Snow groaned.

Regina smiled sweetly, “Well then, that’s something you four can bond over. Isn’t that nice?”

“What’s nice is if you jump over the Toll Bridge and give us a rest,” Grumpy growled.

Nodding vehemently, Zelena cheered, “I’m with the leprechaun!”

“I’m a dwarf you green bi—”

“Grumpy!” Snow yelled.

“He was going to the Troll Bridge. It’s like the end of the story,” Henry insisted.

“How is the ten-year-old the smartest person in the room?” Red addressed the room at large.

Smiling in a self-deprecating fashion, Graham said, “I believe you mean, the smartest person in Storybrooke.”

At the entrance of the hospital, Emma stopped Regina. “I’m sorry, but Mrs. Nolan? Kind of feels like her story could be a load of crap. All this time, there’s a John Doe lying around in a coma and nobody puts it in the news, nobody goes looking. Something’s not right here.”

“Hah, I believe I hit it right on the nail. You didn’t manage to fool Ms. Swan after all,” Rumplestiltskin donned a self-satisfied smirk that had Regina itching to rip it off with her bare hands. “A botched-up job, indeed, dearie.”

Killian groaned and reached for the rum bottle, “It is times like these when I want to drink myself under the table. I agree with the Crocodile, of all people!”

“You flatter me, Hook,” Rumplestiltskin stated with an air of impassivity.

Abigail stared imploringly at Emma in a way that made the Savior incredibly uncomfortable. “I do hope you correct this horrible injustice,” she pleaded, hands clasped together as though in prayer.

“I didn’t know being married to me was so much of an injustice, Abigail,” David joked half-heartedly.

Snow laughed and swatted him playfully.

Rolling her eyes, Abigail said, “I am fond of you, Jam… ah, David. But I love my husband. It doesn’t feel right.”

Sighing, David glumly agreed, “No, it doesn’t.”

“Oh, boo-hoo!” Regina snapped.

Regina made her excuses, claiming the town was bigger than it looked before she gave the credit to Emma; apparently, the tape Emma found inspired Regina to dig deeper and look at past tapes, which is how she found out David had been talking in his sleep, calling out for Kathryn.

“You lying, good for nothing bitch!” David shouted, half-standing on his feet as Snow attempted to drag him back to the couch; though her efforts seemed half-hearted at best since she, too, donned an expression of alarming fury.

Grumpy looked affronted, “How come he can say it and I can’t?”

Smacking him at the back of his head, Granny said, “It’s the Evil Queen, Grumpy!”

“Right,” he grunted his agreement, slightly mollified.

“I may have no memories of these twenty-eight years in that coma, but I know, I know it in my heart and deep in my soul, that I never called out for a Kathryn,” David sneered, the fury emanating from him so profound it was almost suffocating.

Regina shrugged a shoulder, feigning unconcern, though Rumplestiltskin saw right through her, and he giggled. The Evil Queen was getting worried; naturally, being stuck in a room surrounded by enemies and a couple of past friends she ticked off terribly… it didn’t spell anything but trouble for her.

“My future-self should check out those alleged tapes,” Emma said.

Frederick and Abigail nodded in fervent agreement.

“Let’s just… watch, David. We’ll deal with her later. After the viewings are over,” Snow appeased him.

Still inhaling and exhaling fiercely while glaring at Regina, David took his seat and slowly, turned his attention to the screen.

“Were it not for you two, they would have lived their lives completely alone. That’s why I’m willing to forgive your incessant rudeness. Because all this has reminded me of something oh-so very important. How grateful I am to have Henry. Because not having someone? Well, that’s the worst curse imaginable,” Regina told Emma.

“Ouch,” Emma winced, resolutely keeping her eyes on the screen.

Neal, however, wasn’t having it, “Don’t get too used to it, lady. Sooner or later, you’ll be alone again. Because Henry sees right through you; he wants Emma, not you. Otherwise, why hop on a bus to Boston? He wants to get rid of you. He wants to free everyone from your Curse. He doesn’t want to be the son of the Evil Queen.”

Eyes wide and mouth parted, Regina was rendered speechless. Just for a moment. She opened and closed her first, but no ball of fire manifested within. “You will pay for everything, Mr. Cassidy. Mark my words, I’ll—”

“Yadda yadda yadda, if it’s the last thing you do. Yeah, we get it. You’re a broken record, play something else, Evil Queen,” Neal retorted insouciantly.

While Regina fumed in the background, a litany of curses emanating from her, Emma willingly met his gaze. “Thank you,” she mouthed, a small smile playing on her lips.

David shrugged, “Neal makes an excellent point. Seriously,” he looked at Neal, “you took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Someone had to shut her up. I guess I got there before you could,” he replied good-naturedly.

The scene shifted to Mary Margaret's apartment. Emma was on the other side.

“Sorry to bother you so late. Is that spare room still available?”

Snow squealed; it was like the sky opened up and the rain stopped, allowing the first rays of sun to shine upon them.

“Emma’s moving in with me, David!” she cheered, doing a funny jig.

David smiled fondly, “I can see that. I just wish I was there with you.”

“Soon. Soon, my love,” Snow kissed him.

A victorious grin on Killian’s devilishly handsome face, he turned to Regina, “At least something good came from you in the end.”

“Oh?” Regina sneered, feigning disinterest as she returned to examining her burgundy nails.

“Yes. Your little speech at the end encouraged Emma to move in with her mother,” Killian looked positively gleeful. “You single-handedly orchestrated this touching mother-daughter reunion… Snow White and her daughter, the Savior, under one roof.”

And Killian savored the look of realization and outrage that took over Regina’s face.

“Right you are, Killian!” Snow beamed at Regina, it appearing a touch mocking, “Thank you, Regina. Truly.”

She gritted her teeth. “Why. You. Little…” Regina trailed off, completely devoid of words.

Rumplestiltskin groaned and buried his face in the palms of his hands. He then reached over for the bottle of bourbon, “And now I’ve been driven to drink, for agreeing with the good-for-nothing pirate.”

Chapter Text

Absentmindedly looking on as the imp and the pirate drank their annoyance away, Regina found herself thinking of her predicament…and its precariousness. The truth of the matter was she had no allies; she was in a room surrounded by enemies, a green hag who hated her for reasons she couldn’t surmise, the only friend she could ever recall having, and her mentor. Unfortunately, Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent could no longer be considered allies.

And deep down inside, despite her excuses and justifications, Regina knew she had nobody but herself to blame…

Rumplestiltskin was furious with her for the part she played in abducting his precious maid; not that he knew the full story behind Belle’s disappearance (which was about one of the only helpful thing she could say about the dampener), simply that she hadn't been dead all along like Regina gleefully informed him that day decades ago at his Dark Castle. And if Rumplestiltskin was to ever discover the truth… she shivered… it didn’t bode well for Regina. Currently, all Rumplestiltskin knew for certitude was that she had lied about Belle’s fate and had known of her whereabouts the entire time; and perhaps, as she wouldn’t put it past his ingenious mind to deduce, that she orchestrated whatever had befallen Belle. This erected a wall between them, Rumplestiltskin biding his time until the truth came out before exacting his punishment.

On the other hand, she needlessly punished Maleficent, and that created a profound frisson of ice and fury on the sorceress’s part. Too high on power and on carrying out her vengeance, Regina trapped Maleficent in her dragon form and kept her locked in the basement at Storybrooke. Why? The simplest answer was because she could. And by that time, not caring and spreading misery had become intoxicating; it helped her forget the chronic ache that resided within her since the loss of Daniel. Maleficent had made it perfectly clear that she wouldn’t be Regina’s ally in enacting the Dark Curse; therefore, instead of keeping her by her side, her friend and confidant in a town of cursed individuals, she entrapped her and locked her up, as punishment for daring to go against her… because the disappointment was crushing, and she couldn’t have sentimentalities ruining her plans for vengeance right when she was at the finishing line.

All in all, Regina wanted a break – or at least a short respite from the constant glares and insults and threats. Contrary to popular belief, and despite the indifferent front she portrayed (easily brushing off the negative commentary directed at her like water off a duck’s back), their words stung and fending them off was truly exhausting. She just wanted to sit back and watch without having to defend herself for her past evil deeds and future plans.

‘Was that too much to ask for?’ she thought exasperatedly.

The scene opened in the Enchanted Forest where three women dressed in over the top formal gowns were getting into a carriage. Left behind, dressed in rags, and sweeping the pavement outside, was Cinderella.

Gasping happily, Snow cried out, “It’s Ella!”

Recalling the scene with a different perspective… the stepmother, the stepsisters, the carriage, dressed in ball gowns… “As in Cinderella?” Emma’s statement came out sounding like a question and she shook her head… ‘Of course Cinderella existed in fairytale land, too.’

“Let me guess,” Emma continued, her voice weary, “her story is different from the storybooks.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Mmm, quite!”

David glared at the Dark One; he had a feeling he knew exactly what they’d be witnessing… the deal between Rumplestiltskin and Ella, and the disappearance of his friend, Thomas, who had been missing since Ella reneged on her deal with Rumplestiltskin.

Not on the same wavelength as her husband, her mind set on something else in particular, something more pressing, Snow asked, “Has anyone seen Ella in Storybrooke? Because I can’t recall seeing her or interacting with her.”

The cursed denizens of Storybrooke put on their thinking face as they attempted to place her in the cursed town. Suddenly, Red snapped her fingers, her eyes meeting Granny’s, “I think she’s a maid at the B&B, right?”

“Hmm. Yes, I believe so…” Granny pondered out loud. “Though I didn’t interact with her on that damn day we were cursed to repeat.” And here she glared at Regina, who swallowed back a sigh of exasperation.

Snow looked at her stepmother in disgust, “You just had to make her a maid again. What did Ella ever do to you?!”

In lieu of responding with her usual sneer or snarkiness, Regina leaned forward and poured herself a cup of espresso, lips pursed shut and visage palpably disinterested.

Suddenly, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appeared before her, dressed in a sparkling shade of gold.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

On the other hand, Blue and Nova glared at the Dark One; once Ella (the poor, gullible child) came clean about her deal with Rumplestiltskin, she informed them of Iridessa’s fate. They knew the fairy godmother was dead, but they remained unaware of the how and why, until Ella. And now, they’d be watching the death of their fairy-sister.

For his part, Neal was confused by the two fairies’ and his Papa’s reactions. Something told him the former two were glaring at Rumplestiltskin for something other than the usual disdain at the Dark One’s presence; and his Papa… no, Rumplestiltskin!... he looked absolutely gleeful.

She assured Cinderella that she would be attending the ball and of her identity: Cinderella’s godmother.

“Why would her own fairy godmother call her by the cruel nickname her stepsisters gave her?” Emma asked, her tone judgmental.

Offended on Iridessa’s behalf, Blue defended sniffily, “It’s the name she identified with at the time.”

Emma was aghast, “That doesn’t make it right!”

Rumplestiltskin gave Emma a look of increasing respect. Of course, he continued to call her ‘Cinderella,’ but he never pretended to be good unlike the swarm of gnats.

When Cinderella insisted her stepmother forbade her from going to the ball, Iridessa brandished her wand. As she was explaining to Cinderella the power of the wand, she suddenly exploded and Rumplestiltskin appeared from behind, bent over and claimed the fallen wand.

At Iridessa’s sudden death, many exclamations of shock reverberated in the room, although none louder than Neal, who was taken aback by his father’s appearance and the violence he portrayed against the kind fairy.

“Whoa!” Kristoff uttered his surprise, eyes wide and flickering between the Rumplestiltskin on-screen and the one off-screen.

In fact, most of the room was staring at Rumplestiltskin with new eyes; up until this point, Rumplestiltskin had yet to portray the evilness associated with the Dark One. He was quirky, omniscient, impressive, sinister, manipulative, and odd. In the past, he was a captive of Snow White’s and Prince Charming’s; in Storybrooke, he didn’t have his magic as Mr. Gold, but power and intimidation – which until now, was completely harmless; and in the haven, he was on his best behavior, more approachable due to Belle’s proximity. They forgot, or had yet to see, the full capabilities of Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One.

Emma could now see why her parents imprisoned Rumplestiltskin; within this room, she admittedly found herself liking the man – believing his infamy and notoriety were an over-exaggeration as he portrayed himself differently, even with the constant transformations between his human form and beast form. Despite his penchant for making deals, one of which helped the Evil Queen cast her Curse; and despite him being the creator of the Dark Curse… Emma felt he was a kind soul, as contrasting as that may sound. He wasn’t much of a fan of the Evil Queen’s and he showed many instances of kindness and tolerance. But this…this showed Rumplestiltskin’s true colors. He was simply behaving in this room, without his magic, and in the presence of the woman he loved.

‘What else is he capable of…?’ Emma grimaced; she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

The only person who didn’t react was Killian. He was intimate with the Dark One’s cruelty, for he had lost a hand and his love to the Crocodile.

“You stopped Cinderella from going to the ball?!” Neal exclaimed, staring at his Papa with wide, disbelieving eyes. Moments ago, Rumplestiltskin did imply that Cinderella’s story differed from the storybooks; but he didn’t imagine his father prevented her happy ending from taking place.

Eyebrows jumping to his stringy hairline, Rumplestiltskin’s high-pitched voice seemed louder, “Now who said that?”

“Rumple…” Belle trailed off sadly, sighing to herself. Naturally, she knew Rumplestiltskin performed many cruel and merciless acts as the Dark One, and that even after she entered his life, he never stopped… not completely. But she always believed there was a method to his cruelty… that he wasn’t a monster. And nothing would change her mind on that issue; she loved Rumplestiltskin, despite his propensity for murder and mayhem and manipulation, she loved the man and the beast.

Tiger Lily stared at Rumplestiltskin in horror; a fairy-sister murdered by her old, beloved charge who was now the Dark One and who, apparently, harbored great hatred of, and a deep grudge toward, her kind. Why? What happened to that poor baby she abandoned centuries ago…?

‘If I stayed… would he have turned out differently?’ she thought.

Blue, Nova and Tinker Bell shed a few tears for their fallen sister. While Tinker Bell had been banished, she nevertheless loved all her sisters. Her only issue was with Blue, the sanctimonious, judgmental Head Fairy.

And when Rumplestiltskin revealed to Ella that his purpose was stealing the wand, Blue couldn’t keep her mouth shut a moment longer, “You could have incapacitated her, Dark One! If all you required was her wand, there are many ways of taking it. You didn’t have to kill Iridessa!”

“Have to?” Rumplestiltskin sneered, barring his mossy teeth to the wretched fairy, “I don’t have to do anything. I take what I want, Reul Ghorm, when I want, how! I want. I wanted that wand, the gnat had it. I wanted her dead, and I killed her.”

Neal stared at his father in a mixture of horror and disgust.

“You… you’re a monster,” Anna shrieked, clutching onto her pigtails.

A shrewd look on her face, Belle slowly said, “No, he’s not—”

“Belle! How can you keep defending him?!” Grumpy stared at her, disappointed. “He just killed a fairy. A fairy, Belle!” As he spoke, he spared Nova a quick side-glance, the tears cascading down her sweet face feeling like a particular violent squeeze to his heart.

Regina had a happy smile on her face; for once, her wish was answered. For once, something was going her way. Finally, the break she needed! Apparently, it was Rumplestiltskin’s turn to be judged, criticized, and attacked by the roomful of irritating heroes and do-gooders.

“And what are you smiling about?!” Zelena sneered.

“Mind your own business, Greenie!” she snapped.

Rumplestiltskin uttered a scoff, his hand sweeping the air in a disdainful manner, “If I had it my way, I would exterminate those gnats from all the realms.”

More gasps infiltrated the room.

Blue, however, donned an expression of dawning realization. She looked away and pursed her lips.

“Why?” Tiger Lily asked.

Head cocked, Rumplestiltskin slowly transformed back into a man, and said, “Because they are a blight on every realm.”

“You… Who can hate fairies? I mean, they’re fairies!” Kristoff spluttered.

Leaning forward, Rumplestiltskin snarled through gritted teeth, “Me.”

“What did the fairies ever do to you?” Maleficent laughed, wholly unbothered by his deep aversion to the fairy-kind.

Batting a hand at her, he snapped, “Never you mind.”

Cinderella was disappointed as her Fairy Godmother had been trying to help her. When Rumplestiltskin asked if she knew what the wand was, she replied, “Pure magic.”

Blue nodded vehemently and Rumplestiltskin sneered.

“Pure evil,” Rumplestiltskin reworded. “Trust me, I’ve done you a favor. All magic comes with a price. Go on back to your life and thank your lucky stars you’ve still got something to go back to.”

“I hate it when you reiterate that,” Regina huffed, her pinky sticking out as she gulped down her espresso.

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “That’s because you have yet to stop paying for all the magic you did.”

Snow, on the other hand, had fixated on one thing, still unable to believe someone actually hated fairies. “Really, Rumplestiltskin, ‘pure evil?’ That’s a tad extreme, don’t you think?”

“No,” he said succinctly. “Fairy magic, like all magic, comes with a price. I,” and here, Rumplestiltskin placed a hand against his chest, “never hid that. Which is why I trade in the form of deals. This way, payment is upfront and there is awareness of the cost. Fairies never seem to explain the fine print, preferring to let everyone else deal with the consequences of the magic which was cast.”

He seemed incapable of saying “fairies” without making it sound like the most horrible invective to have ever graced the realms.

Indignant, Blue puffed out her chest, “That is not true, liar!”

“I am many things, Reul Ghorm, but a liar I am not,” he smirked, gold teeth sparkling ominously.

Frowning, David said, “I don’t understand…”

“Shocking,” Regina drawled as she poured herself a refill.

His attention back to the screen, Rumplestiltskin sighed, “Watch and see. In time, everything will be explained.”

Some pouted while others appeared frustrated as their curiosity waxed.

Cinderella tried to stop Rumplestiltskin from leaving, pleading that she’d do anything to escape the life she has and that she could handle the price of magic.

“Oh, you stupid, stupid girl,” Granny tutted, her head shaking in disapproval.

“Well, if I do, and you can indeed shoulder the uh… consequences, then you’ll owe me a favor.”

Maleficent hummed, “Yes, Rumplestiltskin, I see what you mean.”

“See what?” Anna demanded, unwilling to let Rumplestiltskin off easily for killing the nice fairy godmother.

Scoffing, Zelena sneered, “That he warned the foolish chit there would be consequences to any magical interference in her life.”

“Unfortunately, no one ever takes my deals seriously… not until it’s time to pay,” Rumplestiltskin stated.

David scowled, “The payment you wanted wasn’t a fair one and you know it.”

“Do I, Charming… do I really?” Rumplestiltskin smirked, a knowing quality in his eyes that prompted David to keep the rest of his thoughts to himself.

Cinderella promised him whatever he wanted, even after Rumplestiltskin mentioned the price would be “something precious.”

“You and your loopholes,” Snow sighed, mostly to herself, though everyone heard.

“I care nothing for riches. I’ll give you anything you want. Just get me out of here,” Cinderella pleaded.

Rumplestiltskin smiled widely, “Now we’re talking.”

“That stupid girl deserves everything that’s coming to her,” Zelena scoffed.

Snow gave her a disapproving glare, “Ella didn’t know the price; it’s not her fault.”

“I beg to differ,” Rumplestiltskin interjected softly before anyone else could. “Watch.”

Everyone turned to the screen in time to see Rumplestiltskin magically summon a contract and Ella sign it, accepting the deal without question or hesitation.

Grumpy smacked his forehead. “She didn’t read the contract.”

“I believe the terms of our deal, which included the price, were all explicitly stated in the contract,” Rumplestiltskin explained, his tone matter-of-fact as he rid himself of the empty tumbler of bourbon and accepted a cup of tea from Belle.

Weakly, Red insisted, “It was a long document. You can’t expect anyone to read through all that!”

“I most definitely would!” Maleficent snapped, nettled.

Clearing his throat, Phillip, an apologetic expression on his face, stated, “As would I. It was an important part of the royal lessons my father insisted I attend. Never sign a contract without reading the fine print; if you are uncertain over something, then it is imperative you let someone else look over it.”

Mulan nodded brusquely, “My father, Fa Zhou, imparted the same lesson to me.”

“And my Da,” Merida added.

A shrewd glint in her eyes, Snow said, “Every time we made a deal, you never asked me to sign a contract.”

Grumbles of agreement from those who made deals with Rumplestiltskin echoed in the room.

“Ah, yes, but,” Rumplestiltskin appeared to be enjoying himself, a crooked smirk pulling at his lips, “What I wanted from Cinderella, she didn’t have yet. So I sealed the deal differently.”

Those who were aware of the price glared at Rumplestiltskin.

“I don’t want to know,” Neal murmured to himself.

August patted his shoulder sympathetically; he recalled Princess Ella’s story from Jiminy when he one day discovered the Dark One was imprisoned in the mines; as the cricket attempted to soothe his fears, he explained the circumstances of how they managed to catch Rumplestiltskin, and of Ella’s crucial role in it.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” he told Neal. After all, Princess Ella paid dearly for breaking that deal with Rumplestiltskin.

Smirking, Rumplestiltskin said, “The poor girl was desperate… and I always know how to recognize a desperate soul.”

After Cinderella signed the contract, Rumplestiltskin waved the wand and her rags transformed into a ball gown, her hair was lifted into a glamorous hairdo, and her feet were encased in glass slippers.

“Every story needs a memorable detail,” Rumplestiltskin said in reference to the slippers.

Neal couldn’t believe it; it was astonishing! ... That his father, the Dark One, Rumplestiltskin, played the role of Cinderella’s fairy godmother. Juxtaposing reality with the storybooks yielded mind-boggling results. All those times he watched the movie in the group homes he was dumped in, he never imagined, never in a million years, that the kind, bumbling blue fairy was in reality, his Papa… the Dark One.

No matter how many times he repeated it in his head, he couldn’t believe it.

“Wow did Disney screw the pooch on this story,” Emma stated in disbelief as she stared at Rumplestiltskin, trying and failing, to imagine him in the place of the quirky blue fairy from the movies. Although, she could imagine him saying: “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo!” so at least there was that.

In Storybrooke, Henry and Emma were walking together down the street.

“Oh, thank God!” Neal muttered under his breath, happy to watch Emma and his son, rather than his father’s Machiavellian schemes.

Simultaneously, Regina groaned, “No!” She, on the other hand, had been thrilled with the spotlight on Rumplestiltskin.

Emma had enough sneaking around from Regina; Henry called her brave, then asked about code names.

“Don’t you dare let him call you ‘mom.’ I am his mother,” Regina hissed. 

Grumpy scowled, “You don’t have to keep reminding us.”

Emma told him he could call her by her name.

Regina nodded sharply, “A wise choice.”

Once Henry boarded the school bus, Graham pulled up in front of her in his police car, the siren blaring.

“What now?” Snow groaned.

David threw Regina a baleful glare, “What are you having my daughter arrested for this time?!”

‘And there goes my peaceful hour. So much for catching a break!’ Regina thought before baring her teeth at the idiot shepherd, “How would I know. That’s in the future. We’re in the present. You do the math.”

After thanking Emma for her help with finding David Nolan, Graham offered her a job as his deputy.

“WHAT?!” Regina yelled, her disbelieving eyes flickering from Graham on-screen, to the one off-screen. “How dare you!”

Emma’s “What?” was whispered, truly surprised by the offer; and at that moment, she could vividly imagine it… her living the rest of her life in Storybrooke, a Deputy, working alongside Graham, and surrounded by her family, their friends, and her son. It surprised her… how much she wanted that future!

She turned to Graham, a bright smile etched on her face, “Thank you. Really.”

“Yes, Graham, words cannot express how grateful we are to you,” David said, his words genuinely heartfelt.

Snow bobbed her head emphatically, tears of happiness sliding down her cheekbones. “You’ve always looked out for me. And now my daughter. I don’t know how to repay you for all the kindness you’ve shown me.”

“There’s nothing to repay, Snow. I don’t regret giving you a chance, my only regret is accepting the queen’s offer in the first place,” Graham informed her.

A sibilant hiss in her words, Regina said, “You will not offer her that position, Huntsman.”

“We’ll see about that, Regina,” Graham retorted bravely.

Eyes wide with disbelief, Regina snapped, “Have you lost your mind. It wasn’t a request, it’s an order!”

“He doesn’t take orders from you!” Red shouted, her eyes flashing yellow for a quick second.

Smirking sinisterly, Regina sat back in her armchair, “Are you sure about that? Graham?”

Swallowing, Graham looked away, his fists clenching and unclenching, the hollowness in his chest becoming more pronounced than ever before.

Emma, however, refused, claiming she already had a job.

“No. Emma, why?” Snow groaned.

David shook his head, “You had to be as stubborn as your mother.”

Snow smacked him across the chest, “Hey!”

Perceptive, Graham addressed Emma, “How about now? If I were to offer you that job again, what would your answer be?”

“Yes,” Emma smiled sheepishly.

“Are you all deaf?!” Regina roared as she got to her feet. “You, Ms. Swan, will not be getting that job. And you, Huntsman, I will deal with you later. If you defy me again in the new future, I’ll make sure it’ll be the last time.”

Red jumped to her feet, matching Regina stride for stride until their snarling faces were inches apart, “Threaten Graham again, and you’ll have me to deal with, witch. And trust me, you do not want to deal with an angry me.”

“Ooh, I like you,” Zelena grinned.

“Red!” Graham forcibly dragged her away from Regina, sitting her down between himself and Granny. “I appreciate your efforts, but you don’t need to protect me; I can deal with her myself.”

An exaggerated laugh escaped Regina. “You? Oh, please, Graham. You’ve always been spineless with me—”

“Enough,” Rumplestiltskin, surprisingly, interjected in a cold and steely tone. “Your incessant threats tire me, dearie. Give it a rest, please.”

To her surmounting horror, she felt the urge to obey. Horrified, she spluttered, “How…but, wha—There’s not supposed to be magic here—”

Interrupting her once again, Rumplestiltskin grinned, wagging his finger as one would to a naughty toddler. “Ah, but you forget, Regina. The haven is a powerful place, filled with magic and almost… sentient. It appears, your majesty, the room has grown weary of your threats as well, and has granted me this ability,” he elucidated to most of the room’s glee.

Talking over Regina’s indistinguishable spluttering, Emma shook her head at the enigmatic man, “I don’t get you, Rumplestiltskin. You kill, manipulate, hate, you’re obviously not a good person.”

“Was there something you wanted from me, dearie?” Rumplestiltskin appeared amused and not the least bit insulted by her vivid vocabulary.

“You don’t feel evil,” she concluded. “I mean, you’re capable of kindness and of being a decent human being. More than once, I’ve seen you commiserate with some of us. How can you be this terrifying monster everyone fears?”

Rumplestiltskin giggled as he morphed back into his impish form, “Why ruin the surprise, dearie.”

And while Belle smiled at Emma, realizing she might be having another ally in the fight for Rumplestiltskin’s soul (Emma having also noticed the good in the Dark One… that he wasn’t needlessly cruel or strictly evil), Neal gaped at his ex-girlfriend in surprise at the insight into his father’s convoluted character.

The scene shifted to Granny’s Diner. Emma was reading a newspaper and was approached by Regina as Red set a cup of cocoa on the table. Regina revealed she knew of her walk with Henry and that she knows everything.

“I’m starting to get immune to your threats, Regina,” Emma sighed. “They’re lacking any punches.”

Sneering at the blonde, Regina said, “Well, hopefully my future-self does something to dispel you of that careless notion.”

“Was that supposed to be a threat?” Grumpy said to Red and Granny in a stage-whisper.

Regina sat opposite to Emma on the table, “Because you no longer worry me, Ms. Swan. You see I did a little digging into who you are, and what I found out was quite soothing. It all comes down to the number seven.”

“Seven?” Emma asked.

With relish, Regina clarified, “It’s the number of addresses you’ve had in the past decade. Your longest stint anywhere was two years. Really, what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?”

Neal, who had been lifting a glass of water to his lips, dropped it in surprise. The crash distracted everyone and shards of glass scattered everywhere. Not that Neal noticed as he was too busy staring at Emma in awe, his mouth agape. Reddening at his scrutiny, Emma quickly looked away, wishing that the armchair’s cushion would suck her in and cursing Regina’s future-self in her head for letting that secret out.

“What the hell?” Red shrieked in alarm.

Belle had a hand held to her chest, “You scared me.”

An elbow digging into his ribs snapped Neal from his daze, and he turned to see August staring pointedly at him. Clearing his throat, Neal made a poor attempt at a smile, “Oh, right. Uh, I’m sorry, I’ll—” However, before he could start rooting around for napkins to clean up his mess, he found the spot where the puddle of water and the broken shards were to be spotless, as though nothing had happened.

“Magic, Mr. Cassidy. Or did you forget?” Rumplestiltskin stated, a knowing glint in his eyes. While everyone had been busy glaring daggers at Regina, or jumping in fright for the alarm Neal caused, Rumplestiltskin had been observing the perpetrator, as well as the object of his distraction – or, to be precise, the cause of the accident. ‘It appears, Emma’s long stint in Tallahassee is somehow related to our mysterious Neal Cassidy. I wonder…’ Rumplestiltskin already suspected Ms. Swan and Mr. Cassidy had a past; just as the interactions between him and the equally mysterious Mr. Booth indicated they had one as well. Unfortunately, the dampener was preventing him from connecting the dots and getting the full picture.

“Can we please not discuss my past living conditions and get back to watching?” Emma said loudly.

Emma pointed out she moved in with Mary Margaret.

“You don’t need to prove anything to that woman,” Abigail said, sending Regina a scathing look.

Regina wasn’t convinced Emma was done with her transient lifestyle, claiming, “In order for something to grow, Ms. Swan, it needs roots, and you don’t have any.”

Worrying at her lower lip, Belle said, “I must say, Regina does make a good point.”

“What?”

Grumpy stared at her in disbelief, “Rumplestiltskin, fine, we get it. You love him. But now the Evil Queen!”

Belle uttered an amused huff, “I’m simply agreeing with her analogy. Nothing more.”

After delivering more barbed words, Regina left. Emma stood up to follow but instead, spilled cocoa all over herself. She went to the laundry room in the back and put her shirt in the dryer. There, she found Ashley Boyd fretting over the sheets, which had turned pink.

“Ella!” Snow smiled, relieved to see her friend well and… “Oh!” her eyes became wide at the sight of her friend’s very pregnant belly.

Arthur stared at Ashley Boyd, alarmed. “Do you mean to tell us, the lady has been pregnant for twenty-eight years?”

“And here I used to complain about the nine months I carried Henry,” Emma said jokingly as she stared at Ashley in a mixture of pity and awe.

Glaring at Regina, Anna snapped, “You couldn’t have waited for the poor lady to give birth before you cast your stupid Curse!”

Head shaking rapidly, Snow said, “No, no, no. It’s actually better this way. If Ella had given birth before the Dark Curse, she would've been separated from her child. At least this way, they’re still together.”

Elsa nodded slowly, “Yes, that makes much sense.”

“Still must have been one hell of a pregnancy,” Neal whistled.

Ashley revealed that no one believed she could raise her baby and Emma gave her a pep talk, building up her confidence in the process and ending with: “You want to change things you are going to have to go out there and change them yourself because there are no Fairy Godmothers in this world.”

“Oh, the irony,” Emma mumbled to herself.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

“Well done, Emma!” Snow beamed proudly at her daughter.

Red nodded her agreement, “Yeah, I’m positive you got through to her.”

The scene transitioned to nighttime; Mr. Gold changed the sign from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’ and locked the door behind him as he left. Once he’d gone, Ashley appeared and broke inside by smashing a brick through the door’s window pane. As she approached a painting on the wall, which revealed a safe behind it, Mr. Gold turned up behind her.

“I do have security measures installed,” Rumplestiltskin said, shifting back to his human form.

Emma stared at him in realization, “Of course… your deal must have followed Ella to Storybrooke.”

“Naturally. You’ll find deals with me are not so easily broken,” he revealed.

Coughing back a scoff, Neal clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. ‘But deals with me are easily broken?’

Intrigued, Maleficent leaned forward in her seat, “What exactly was the price, Rumplestiltskin?”

He simply smirked in response.

Ashley yelled that she was changing her life before spraying him with mace. As Mr. Gold fell to the ground, he hit his head against the corner of a table and lost consciousness.

“Oh my God. Ella!” Snow cried out, shocked at her unexpectedly violent act.

Red, on the other hand, cheered, “Yeah, Ella. You go girl!”

Sheepish, Emma shrugged, “Oops…”

Zelena cackled, merrily clapping her hands together.

Thankfully, due to the hubbub, no one but August and Robin heard Neal’s sharp intake of breath, his warm brown eyes fixated on the unconscious form of Mr. Gold and hating himself for still caring about his Papa.

“Are you alright, Neal?” Robin asked gently.

Neal nodded, “Yeah, um, fine.”

Oddly enough, Rumplestiltskin didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Ashley Boyd’s action against his future-self, which prompted many inquiring looks and some of dread (the fact that he wasn’t upset was suspicious…).

“You’re not mad,” Killian drawled, sharp eyes observing his reaction.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “Oh, I’m merely fascinated with the fact that already Ms. Swan is starting to change things.” He turned to smirk at a suddenly fuming Regina, who moments ago, had been laughing at his misfortune and injury. “Don’t you find that interesting, dearie?”

“Why you imp!” she snarled.

She then removed a key from his pocket and opened the safe.

The scene changed to show Regina’s house. She was applying makeup in a mirror and telling Henry that she doesn’t enjoy the Saturday city council meetings before reminding him of the rules.

“Yes on homework, no on TV and stay inside?” Neal parroted with a chuckle; he stared at Regina in disbelief, “He’s a ten-year-old. You’re leaving him home alone. You really think he’s gonna follow your rules the moment you walk out that door?”

Straightening her back and jutting her chin, Regina said, “Of course he will.”

Even Emma had a hard time holding back a sarcastic utterance.

At Mary Margaret's apartment, Emma was unpacking her belongings that recently arrived.

“You didn’t get everything with you from Boston?” Snow inquired, frowning at the scene when Mary Margaret asked the same thing.

Emma scratched the nape of her neck and echoed her future-self, “I’m not really sentimental.”

“Clearly,” Maleficent drawled.

“It makes it easier for her to continue with her transient lifestyle,” Regina sneered. She wanted a break, true… but these people made it so hard to keep quiet, especially Emma Swan, the Savior who was meant to break her Curse, the same woman who was trying to steal her son.

There was a knock on the door: Mr. Gold was there to see Emma.

“What do you want from Emma?” Neal and David asked in unison.

An eyebrow lifted at their reaction and Rumplestiltskin neutrally said, “Oh, I think I can hazard a guess as to what Mr. Gold wants from Ms. Swan.”

Scowling at him, Zelena thought, ‘Mr. Gold my arse. He’s definitely awake!’

“If he wants to see me, he can. I don’t need any protecting, especially from Mr. Gold,” Emma snapped; she was an independent person and didn’t need her newly-discovered father and especially not her ex-boyfriend to fight her battles.

Grunting, Grumpy pointed out, “Maybe not from Mr. Gold. But definitely Rumplestiltskin.”

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, amused by their fear and wariness.

“Then it’s a good thing it’s Mr. Gold who has come to see me and not Rumplestiltskin,” Emma’s tone clearly put an end to the discussion.

Clearing her throat, Snow said, “Anyway, if anything happens, I’m there with Emma.”

Entering the apartment, Mr. Gold informed Emma he needed her help with finding someone and Mary Margaret quickly excused herself, “You know what? I am going to jump in the bath.” And she left them alone.

“Or not,” Snow huffed, staring incredulously at Mary Margaret. “Jump in the bath! Really?”

That sweetened her mood just a tad and Regina laughed.

“It’s alright, I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for twenty-eight years,” Emma reminded them.

But David and Snow barely heard her, too wrapped up in their intense conversation, unintelligible whispers escaping the tight bubble the couple created. Suddenly, Snow snapped her neck to glare at Regina, “You wanted to make me meek and obedient to you, fine. Did you have to make her behave that way toward everyone!?”

Leaning toward Neal and August, Robin, a boyish grin on his face, said, “I’m beginning to understand these switching pronouns.”

Scratching at his temple, Neal said, “I’m still trying to get the hang of it. But I’m getting there.”

August shrugged, “It’s easy enough to follow if you listen close enough. Sometimes they forget themselves and refer to their cursed counterparts as ‘I’ and sometimes they refer to them as a different person.”

“Yeah, well… not all of us are aspiring writers,” Neal rolled his eyes, “wiseass.”

“So!” Granny uttered in a booming voice, successfully directing the attention onto her. She squinted her eyes at Rumplestiltskin, who appeared bored, spinning his cane round in his hand until the multiple discussions occurring around him reached completion. “You’re hiring Emma to find Ashley, are you?”

Eyes glaring heavenward, Rumplestiltskin said, “If you already know the answer, then why bother asking.”

“I’m not going to…” Emma’s eyes widened in realization, “I’m probably going to take the job.”

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “And why shouldn’t you? Mr. Gold is a businessman who has come to you with a proposition. Your business is finding people. It makes sense, does it not? And you had recently turned down the Sheriff’s generous job offer as his deputy.”

“You sly fox,” Maleficent smirked.

“There is nothing nefarious about Mr. Gold’s proposition,” Rumplestiltskin insisted, though a grin ghosted his lips.

Mr. Gold showed Emma a photo of Ashley Boyd and told her she had taken something valuable of his.

Leaning forward, Aurora asked in a hushed voice, “What did she steal?”

“Quite valuable. Really, Rumplestiltskin!” David snapped, eyes piercing him with disgust.

“You don’t think it’s valuable?” Rumplestiltskin feigned confusion, but only Belle, Neal, and Maleficent noted the glint of mischief mixed with cunningness lurking behind those brown orbs.

Spluttering, David said, “Of course I do, but our meanings behind its value are very different.”

“And you know that, how, Charming?” he retorted, his voice never deviating from its calm tone.

Robin sighed loudly, “Look, if you two are going to continue to talk in riddles, save it for after we discover what Ella, or Ashley, took.”

“Well said, Robin,” Belle smiled.

When Emma asked why he didn’t call the police, Mr. Gold replied, “Because, uh… she’s a confused young woman. She’s pregnant, alone, and scared. I don’t want to ruin this young girl’s life, but I just want my property returned.”

“Property!” Snow shrieked.

David snapped, “You see, it’s comments like that, the wording you use, that makes me certain of our difference in meaning.”

Red, who had been informed of Rumplestiltskin’s price by Snow and David back in the Enchanted Forest, and who had connected the dots on the arrangement between Ashley and Mr. Gold, shrewdly asked, “Do you go to Emma because you know Graham won’t help you?”

Cocking an eyebrow, Rumplestiltskin let out a dark chuckle. “Won’t help me? Why, Ms. Lucas, the Sheriff would be obliged to arrest Ashley Boyd if I were to file a complaint. Not only did she break into the pawnshop and assault my cursed-self, she’s reneging on a contract. And as you know, a breach of contract in this new land is breaking the law, the punishment would be much different. So, no…” he tightly clenched the golden head of his cane, teeth bared in a sinister smile, “I would go to Ms. Swan because I wouldn’t want to see the poor girl behind bars, let alone give birth to her baby there.”

Taken aback, Red, Snow and David blinked at Rumplestiltskin in shock, not having expected his answer.

‘He wasn’t lying…’ Emma could instantly tell, and she bit the inside of her cheek and averted her eyes; she could sense Neal’s eyes boring into her and she didn’t want to meet his gaze. He was the reason she gave birth to Henry in prison; he may not have known she was pregnant at the time, but it wasn’t an excuse. He never should have framed her in the first place. ‘Was his love for me fake? Was it just a long con…?’ She grimaced, unsure if she wanted to know the answer to either question.

“How benevolent,” Killian sneered. “You may have shed your skin; you may be Mr. Gold there; but you’ll always be the Dark One: evil, manipulative, cruel, a monster. You’ll never change.”

Rumplestiltskin sneered, the rage bubbling inside prompting him to revert back to his Dark One form, “Flattery will get you nowhere, pirate.”

Mr. Gold refused to tell her what Ashley stole, indicating her profession allowed for discretion. He told Emma that he saw her the previous night and showed her the gash on his forehead.

“She was quite wound up, rambling on and on about changing her life. I have no idea what got into her.

“I wonder,” Snow beamed proudly at Emma.

Smirking over at a fuming Regina, Rumplestiltskin released a loud giggle before saying, “Quite a vivid fingerprint left behind by our Savior, wouldn’t you say so, dearie.”

“Shut your trap, you damn imp!” Regina snarled, glaring daggers at him. “I don’t know why you’re so happy, Rumplestiltskin. Emma Swan being the Savior doesn’t bode well for either of us.”

Rumplestiltskin uttered a shrilly humming sound, choosing not to answer. ‘Doesn’t bode well for you, dearie. I’ve been waiting for her all this time, after all.’

“You really are an idiot, I don’t know what she saw in you,” Zelena snarled.

Surprised and sufficiently distracted from Rumplestiltskin and Emma, Regina asked, “She who?”

Only Rumplestiltskin knew the “she” Zelena referred to was Cora.

“It’s so weird,” Emma murmured, and Killian leaned closer to better hear her. Looking over at the pirate, the lost look in her beautiful green eyes prompted his breath to stutter. “I mean it’s one thing, to be told you’re the Savior, and another to actually see the effect I have, the changes I’m making, all without even noticing it.”

Inhaling deeply, Killian, not trusting himself to assemble an eloquent sentence, merely grunted, “Aye.”

“Ms. Swan, please just help me find her. My only other choice is the police, and I don’t think anyone wants to see that baby born in jail, now do they.”

“Emma wouldn’t allow it,” Neal stated strongly.

Snow smiled, “Of course she wouldn’t.”

Her green gaze boring into Rumplestiltskin, Emma vaguely asked, “Do you know? You, or your cursed-counterpart.”

Confused, Rumplestiltskin tilted his head, amber eyes glowing eerily, “Know what, dearie?”

“…” Emma huffed and shook her head, “Never mind.”

Taking pity on her, Rumplestiltskin said, “I can’t speak for my cursed-self’s future actions, but as it appears, Mr. Gold isn’t much different from me. Magic is not the only source of power; to me, knowledge plays a crucial part in amassing it. I don’t know if that was helpful…” he trailed off with a giggle.

“Surprisingly… it was.” Rumplestiltskin, in a roundabout way, let Emma know that, most probably, Mr. Gold knew Henry was born in jail.

Neal reached that conclusion before Emma; after all, despite the centuries apart, he knew his father. In Mary Margaret's apartment, he was sort of manipulating her… tugging at her heartstrings, garnering her empathy to get her to retrieve whatever Ella, or Ashley Boyd, had stolen from him. Although… that man wasn’t his Papa, he wasn’t Rumplestiltskin, but his cursed persona, Mr. Gold.

Despite her current hatred of Rumplestiltskin, Zelena couldn’t help but marvel at his ingenious methods, at that beautiful brain she so coveted. Watching him at work was titillating.

Once Emma agreed to find Ashley, Henry walked in.

“Henry!” Regina chastised the screen. She then glared at Emma, “He never had a problem obeying me before you disrupted our lives!”

Emma scoffed. “Excuse me. I didn’t disrupt anything; Henry came to me. Keep telling yourself otherwise, Madam Mayor,” she sneered, “Henry wants me in his life.”

“I wonder what that says about you…” Merida commented in her usual strong brogue.

Usually, Neal would have inserted a biting comment regarding Henry disobeying Regina to seek out Emma. But the sight of his father and Henry in the same room distracted him. He watched as his father… Mr. Gold… gave Henry (his grandson!) a genuine smile, and spoke to him softly and with kindness. Maybe it was due to his childhood, or his father’s actions upon becoming the Dark One, freeing the children from the Ogre War, but… Rumplestiltskin always had a soft spot for children; which was why he didn’t believe the twisted fairytale (and its many variants) of Rumplestiltskin regarding babies.

After Mr. Gold left, Henry mentioned he was still trying to figure out his true identity.

“That’s surprising,” Mulan stated in her usual emotionless delivery. “I would think that was quite obvious. The absolute power he wields, the deal he made—”

“Ah yes, you are forgetting my cursed counterpart never really had reason to interact with young Henry; his information on me must be vague,” Rumplestiltskin revealed.

Neal felt relieved at that; good with children or not, Mr. Gold or Rumplestiltskin, it didn’t matter… He didn’t want his son anywhere near the Dark One. ‘Now if I can only get him away from the Evil Queen…’ he grimaced.

Emma blew Henry off, saying she had a job to do. The scene transitioned to show Emma and Henry walking down the street; Henry wanted to help, but Emma wouldn’t hear of it.

“The pregnant maid is dangerous? Henry asked skeptically.

“She assaulted Mr. Gold,” Emma retorted.

Killian burst into uproarious laughter, slapping his hand against his leather-clad thigh in gleeful amusement. “Ah, the infamous Dark One bested by a pregnant teenager, and who, by the looks of it, is really far into her pregnancy.”

“Yes, yes laugh it up, pirate. She caught me off-guard, or would you rather I harm the pregnant girl?” Rumplestiltskin feigned excitement at the idea which, as predicted, garnered him looks of disgust and horror, most of the people in the room regarding him judgmental eyes.

Belle gasped, “Rumple!” She knew he was joking, but it was an ill attempt at humor.

“If you are so easy to catch off-guard; if it is so easy to make you bleed,” a blood-thirsty expression took over Killian’s handsome visage, “I wonder how easy it will be to skin myself a crocodile.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Many have tried. All have failed.”

“None of them were as tenacious as me,” Killian informed him with much relish. “I found a way to stay alive this long… your days are numbered, Crocodile.”

Lips pursed, Rumplestiltskin patted Belle’s hand, which was shaking at the pirate’s threat, and hummed, “We’ll see about that, Hook.”

The casual threats shook Neal to the core, the hatred portrayed by Captain Hook, that his father and the pirate were genuine nemeses. Without magic, would Rumplestiltskin survive if Hook were to catch up to him? He shivered at the thought… From the moment his Papa became the Dark One, Neal wanted things to go back to how they were before, going so far as to acquire a magic bean so that they could relocate to a land without magic. Would his father, the coward, have survived long without his magic? Would he have lost his father instead? Was it a fair trade… lose Papa and his magic, or keep his Papa and have magic continue to be a part of their lives.

Unlike his Belle, Rumplestiltskin wasn’t concerned by the pirate’s threats. He knew he’d one day be reunited with his son; the Seer said so. If he were to die after that reunion, then so be it. However, until that day came, he knew with absolute certainty, that he had nothing to worry about.

“What’s the story between you two?” David asked, undeniably curious.

Giving the ceiling a quick glance, Killian shrugged, “I doubt I’d be able to say.”

Despite her constant rejections, Henry refused to part from Emma, claiming he’s trying to spend time with her.

“He never wants to spend time with me,” Regina growled to herself.

Zelena heard her. Mocking her, she put a hand over her chest, “What a shock.”

“Zip it, Greenie!”

In the Enchanted Forest, Cinderella was no longer wearing rags, but an extravagantly rich gown. She stood on the balcony at the King’s Palace, Prince Thomas by her side, as they watched the fireworks. When asked what was wrong, Cinderella revealed that from afar, she would watch the fireworks growing up, knowing something special had happened at the palace, and that now, they’re for her, for their wedding.

Regina scoffed, “It never ceases to amaze me, the sanctimonious righteousness you hero-types portray when really, you’re no better than we villains.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Snow demanded angrily.

“It means, your maid friend over there used magic to trick the prince into falling in love with her,” Regina retorted, taking relish in the various expressions of offense and indignation that traveled throughout the room upon her comment.

Shaking his head, David strongly disagreed, “Thomas is my friend. Every time he spoke of Ella, he did so with genuine love. His love was no enchantment.”

“Perhaps…” Maleficent added, comprehending Regina’s gist and incapable of refusing the chance to ruffle a couple of sanctimonious feathers. “I believe what darling Regina means,” she purred, “is would the prince have looked twice at poor Cinderella, had she been sweeping the lawn, dressed in rags and covered in dirt.”

“Doubtful!” Rumplestiltskin shrieked in between giggles.

Snow refused to see their point of view. “It’s not like that. She used magic so that she could attend the ball. That was all. The love between Thomas and Ella happened naturally; it was fate.”

“Fate schmate, blegh,” Rumplestiltskin sneered. “It was magic. Magic paved the way for the prince and the maid. Without it, Prince Thomas would have a different bride.” And he knew that for a fact.

Gleeful, Regina bobbed her head, “Yes… so really, tell me, heroes, if Cinderella entered the ball dressed in rags, would the prince have looked at her with anything other than disdain for the dirt she was bringing into his palace?”

“You’re taking this out of context,” Aurora argued.

Needing to defend his friend, David snapped, “Besides, Thomas would have provided her shelter!”

“You heroes truly are stubborn,” Rumplestiltskin giggled. He gazed at Belle with his lizard-like eyes, “Would you care to explain, darling?”

But Belle shook her head rapidly, not wanting to be a part of this argument.

“Shame,” Rumplestiltskin tittered.

Slowly, Jiminy explained, flinching every now and then as though he expected Grumpy or anyone else to yell at him mid-lecture, “I believe the point they are trying to make is… magic is taken for granted. That it is defined by the wielder; even if for the same purpose. If, for instance, the Evil Queen were to use magic to change her appearance, she’d be accused of something terrible, her intentions vile; while, in this instance, Princess Ella used magic similarly, yet we accept it because her appearance resulted in love and marriage.”

“The cricket isn’t useless after all,” Zelena smirked.

Grumpy tossed his hands into the air, “Oh for the love of— Jiminy! Sometimes I really wonder whose side you’re on.”

“I’m a conscious,” he insisted emphatically. “I can’t pick sides.”

“You’re annoying is what you are,” Grumpy growled.

Jiminy’s explanation had the desired effects Regina intended; most of the people in the room were squirming uncomfortably, devoid of any words, and some even wore guilt like a heavy blanket.

They entered the ballroom, where everyone (including Snow White and Prince Charming) were waiting to celebrate their marriage.

Snow and David smiled at the scene; at the beaming smiles on their faces as they danced and laughed and surrounded themselves with friends. No running, no fighting, no war; and most importantly, no Regina or Dark Curses.

“I miss this,” Snow burrowed herself into David’s side.

This was the first time Emma saw her parents happy, unburdened by threats by the Evil Queen or the looming Dark Curse. Every time she witnessed their past, they were anxious, worried, plotting, running, or fighting for their lives. But here, they were happy; dancing, laughing… it could’ve been their happy ending.

The dancers kept changing partners, and Snow White exclaimed how proud she was and that she was an inspiration for the way in which she changed her life.

“Yes through magic,” Regina inserted gleefully.

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “You’re welcome, by the way. I never got that thank you. You believe that?” he looked around mockingly.

“You expected differently from these heroes,” Maleficent sneered, the word ‘heroes’ spat out with profound hate.

Almost everyone glared back in affront.

Tittering like a child, his shrilly voice permeating the room and seeping sinisterly in their bones, Rumplestiltskin wagged his finger at Maleficent, “Now don’t be like that. I’ve received quite a collection of gratitude from some who have made deals with me. Why, Snow White and Charming here expressed their gratitude once or twice throughout our years together, didn’t you?”

The aforementioned couple averted their gaze, their discomfort growing.

Arthur stared, the want gnawing at him; he needed to make a deal with Rumplestiltskin. He needed the kind of success Ella achieved. Once Excalibur has been made whole, he could focus on being the king Camelot needed, and the husband Guinevere needed.

Suddenly, Cinderella found herself dancing with Rumplestiltskin who also expressed how proud of her he was.

“You were there?!” David demanded.

“We didn’t see you,” Snow gasped.

Rumplestiltskin stared at them like they were fools. “Well of course you didn’t. I didn’t want you to. Magic, dearies. Magic.”

Cinderella didn’t act as desperate as she did during their first meeting, treating him with hostility as she briskly demanded his price.

“Tut-tut,” Rumplestiltskin tsked, feigning hurt. “How we are treated once our help is no longer required.”

Playing along, an amused glint in her eyes, Maleficent drawled, “Yes. Why before, Cinderella was so eager to see you, so desperate for your help. For magic. And now, once she got everything she wanted, such…hostility.”

“Heroes,” Regina scoffed, her attention drifting to her nails. “Once they no longer have any use for you, they kick you to the curb—”

Not liking the horrible color they were being painted in, Snow harshly interrupted, “Since when have we ever gone to you for help!?”

“I assumed we were talking about Rumplestiltskin, here,” Regina cocked her head, eyes gleaming. “I lost count of the amount of times he helped you throughout your miserable life. Imagine my surprise when I discovered you had crammed him in some dungeon.”

Smirking, Rumplestiltskin twitched his arms in a flamboyant manner, “Bygones, dearie. All bygones.”

Whenever someone mentioned the deals made with Rumplestiltskin, Neal felt a rush of envy and sadness and self-deprecation course through him. So enthusiastic was his father to help complete strangers, to give and receive to his greedy heart’s content; yet… he couldn’t fulfill the deal he made with his own son. That’s when the rage surged and he had to clench his fist and look away.

Snow didn’t think she could feel any more uncomfortable; and by the looks of it, neither did David. These viewings were really starting to change their perspectives; was shining heroes and villains in a different light. Instead of white and black, things were painted in different shades of grays.

She asked what he wanted, “What’s your price, my jewels? The ring?”

“What would I need from that?” Rumplestiltskin scoffed.

Zelena sneered, “My thoughts exactly. This maid really is a foolish girl.”

“Can you stop talking about Ella like that!” Snow snapped, unhappy with the conclusions that were being made about her friend. “Ella was quite… innocent before she married Thomas. She didn’t know much about magic, and she most certainly had no idea about the Dark One, or his deals.”

Guinevere sniffed haughtily, “It appears she learned the hard way.”

“No, no, dear, keep your baubles. What I want is something you don’t yet possess, but something I know is coming.” Rumplestiltskin leaned closer to Cinderella and before leaving with a flourish, revealed, “Your firstborn.”

“Her baby,” Neal whispered, staring at Rumplestiltskin as though his nightmares had come to life.

Shocked, Belle said, her voice louder than Neal’s had been, “Her baby?”

The only ones who didn’t appear surprised by the revelation of the mysterious price were Snow, David, Grumpy, Red, Granny, Blue, Jiminy, Geppetto and August, all of whom donned expressions of outrage as they glared at a serene-looking Rumplestiltskin. Almost everyone else reacted with various utterances of surprise, shock and horror. Zelena, Regina, and Maleficent, on the other hand, appeared impassive.

“That’s your ‘property?’” Killian sneered in disgust.

All of a sudden, Rumplestiltskin’s and David’s previous argument regarding ‘valuables’ made a lot more sense to Robin, who stared agape at the Dark One. He tried to put himself in Ella’s shoes, but couldn’t; there mere thought appalling. He couldn’t ever hand over his son, his Roland, to the Dark One, not for any of the riches in the world, nor to escape a miserable life. He’d rather go back to such a life than part with his son.

“You’re a monster,” Anna hissed.

Rolling his eyes, Rumplestiltskin’s high-pitched voice took on a menacing quality, “Dearie, you don’t need to repeat it every time I do something so immoral. I am the Dark One. What did you expect?”

“Rumplestiltskin!” Belle chastised him; but she couldn’t say any more. How could she defend her true love when his past actions kept proving her wrong at every turn? She decided to keep her thoughts to herself for, she couldn’t agree with him, nor could she agree with the majority of the room.

Horrified, Phillip demanded, “Why would you ask for her first-born?”

“Why would she agree to hand it over?” Rumplestiltskin retorted with a cackle.

“She didn’t!” Snow insisted angrily.

“Oh?” Rumplestiltskin cocked his head. “She did sign the contract which explicitly stated my price. It’s not my fault she didn’t bother to read it.”

Scoffing, Grumpy snarled, “By the time she finished reading it, the ball would've ended.”

“And that’s my fault?” Rumplestiltskin reacted sarcastically, thrusting a clawed hand against his chest. He then wrinkled his nose, “I think not!”

Gulping, Neal roughly said, “So it’s true… the stories about you taking babies in your deals. What would you want her baby for?!”

“Yes,” Mulan nodded. “What would the Dark One want with a baby?”

Too low for anyone but Snow to hear, David mumbled, “I think I know.” He was torn. On one hand, Rumplestiltskin didn’t do anything bad to the baby, his twin brother had been living proof of that; on the other hand, forcing a parent to part with their child… or them being desperate enough to give one up (as was the case with his parents, according to his mother) was a terrible thing. Thomas and Ella, however, clearly wanted their child, and Rumplestiltskin had tricked Ella into that deal.

Mischief written all over his face, Rumplestiltskin matter-of-factly revealed, “Well… they’re quite the delicacy.” Many blanched at his quip, which prompted him to giggle, “Kidding.” He then turned serious, “What I do with them is my business.”

“If you’d just told Ella the price of your magical aid, she’d never have accepted,” David stated, his eyes hard and jaw taut.

“Mmmmhhmmmh…” Rumplestiltskin uttered a muffled laugh before screeching, “Exactly! And Cinderella would never have married the prince. It would have been a tragic happily never after, don’t you think.”

“So you admit you tricked her,” Red snapped.

Rumplestiltskin parted his lips in an exaggerated display of shock, “That’s awfully harsh of you, Ms. Lucas. I chose to make the deal in writing with Cinderella. The price was mentioned in the contract. If she chose to sign it without knowing what exactly she was giving up, then that’s her problem, not mine.”

“Yet you admit,” Elsa began shrewdly, “that if you told Ella what you wanted in return for your help, she would have refused.”

Smirking, Regina said, “Would she? All of you are awfully confident that the maid would've chosen to remain in that dreary life of hers.”

“Ella’s a good person. I know what’s in her heart!” Snow argued heatedly.

Having maintained eye-contact with Rumplestiltskin, scrutinizing him, Elsa’s expression lit up with dawning realization, “You wanted that baby to be conceived, didn’t you. Didn’t you?”

“Clever girl,” Rumplestiltskin murmured as he slowly transformed back into a man; nevertheless, he still looked intimidating and sinister, especially with the new insight into his past.

Regina whipped around to face Rumplestiltskin, “Why? What’s so important about Cinderella’s baby?”

“I think I’m done answering questions,” he retorted, hard eyes flickering around the room as though daring them to test him.

Still in the Enchanted Forest, some time seemed to have passed; Cinderella was in her chambers, hastily packing her things when Thomas entered, having returned early from his hunt due to the bad weather. He realized she was going somewhere without him; finally, Cinderella revealed she was pregnant.

A smirk slowly crept around Rumplestiltskin’s lips.

Belle frowned at him, deep in thought as she echoed Regina’s unanswered question: ‘What was so important about Ella’s baby…?’

Thomas was thrilled, but he quickly realized his wife wasn’t. Cinderella disclosed the deal she made with Rumplestiltskin, admitting he tricked her: “He tricked me. I thought that he’d want our gold or jewels…” but that he wanted their baby.

Rumplestiltskin scoffed, “I spin straw into gold. What need would I have with their riches.”

“You did trick her though,” Red was adamant on this point and she wouldn’t let-up.

“I admit, yes, I did trick her,” he humored her, his deeply intense brown eyes searing into her (and Red refused to blush, somehow understanding what Ruby found appealing in the powerful older man), “however, had she been smart enough, not so desperate, she would have worked out for herself the price of my help. All she had to do was read.”

Emma echoed the words he had spoken not long ago, “But it’s like you said: you always know how to recognize a desperate soul.”

Grinning widely, showing off his gold tooth, Rumplestiltskin said, “Precisely.”

He wouldn’t have bartered with Cinderella anyway. His price had to be the child.  Admittedly, he tricked her; played on her desperation, ensured the contract was too long, it would put her off reading it thoroughly for fear of missing that ball. Rumplestiltskin needed that deal to succeed, he needed to trick her… he needed to trick Charming and Snow White into capturing him. And he needed that baby for one other important deal… one he had yet to strike, but was certain he’d be seeing its fruition in this viewing.

Cinderella’s baby truly was the cream of the crop; the stone that struck many birds at once; the final touch to his convoluted centuries-long plan that would get him to the same land as his son… that would get him one last step closer to finding him.

“I’m so sorry. And now I’m gonna lose it all, my…my life, you.”

“And what of the baby?” Maleficent sneered, staring at the maid-turned-princess in disdain.

Defensive of her friend, Snow exclaimed, “And of course the baby! She’s just flustered; the baby is still new to her.”

“I’m sure,” Rumplestiltskin drawled, clearly of the same opinion as Maleficent.

Thomas shook his head vehemently, “No. I don’t care what that imp said. Magic may have brought us together but it didn’t create this love.”

Rumplestiltskin stared heavenward as though paying for patience, “But I never said that. One of the limitations of magic, even of the most powerful kind, is creating love. One cannot forcibly fall in love. Lust, yes. Love, definitely not.”

“Then how could you have stripped Ella of the life she built if she refused to hand over her baby?” Guinevere asked curiously.

“She’d be stripped of something until our deal is fulfilled,” Rumplestiltskin stated nonchalantly.

David scowled, “So it was you!”

“Hah! I knew it,” Grumpy growled.

“I was otherwise detained. No it wasn’t me,” Rumplestiltskin snarled through gritted teeth. ‘At least not directly.’

“Then how—”

Speaking over David, Rumplestiltskin disclosed, “I said ‘she’d be stripped of,’ not that I would strip her of it. Magic always comes with a price. If you refuse to pay, you must bear the consequences.”

They discussed the matter some more, and Thomas came up with a solution: “Then the answer is simple. We make another deal.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Yes, yes. Do make another deal,” he clapped his hands together gleefully, amber eyes emerging once more.

“You truly are a sickening specimen, Dark One,” Killian sneered.

Unaffected, Rumplestiltskin steepled his hands and gave him a silly smile, “Sticks and stones, Hook.”

“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Snow whispered into his ear.

Pecking her cheek, David sighed, “I feel it too.” He observed Rumplestiltskin before shaking his head, “I feel like… everything I knew about him… or thought I knew about him, has been completely wrong. That there are more layers to him; that we… may have jumped to conclusions. I don’t think,” swallowing, he lowered his voice even more so that Snow had to lean closer to make out his words, “I don’t think we ever really bested him, Snow.”

“I hope that isn’t the case, David,” Snow said. “Because if so, we were never safe, and the only reason we or anyone else survived was due to his leniency.”

Back in Storybrooke, Emma (Henry by her side) was questioning Ruby about Ashley’s disappearance, starting with the identity of her boyfriend and then her family, which had Henry connecting the dots regarding Ashley’s true identity.

“Stepmother, stepsisters, a maid,” Neal chuckled. “Yeah, Ashley is easily Cinderella.”

Staring intensely at the screen, David demanded, “So you’ve seen Thomas? He’s okay?”

The previously cursed individuals looked at each other questioningly and shrugged.

“I haven’t seen him. But then again, I didn’t even see Ella and I stopped by Granny every day,” Snow reasoned.

Rolling her eyes, Regina slapped her thighs as she rearranged herself on the armchair, “The prince is fine. Stop whining.”

Ruby told Emma to try Ashley’s ex-boyfriend who lived with his father.

Outside the Herman residence, Emma knocked on the door, and Sean Herman answered.

Thrilled, David breathed out, “Thomas. So he is okay!”

“Why wouldn’t he be?” Anna asked.

Drowning out her inquiry, Regina snarled, “I said he was.”

“Yes, but I don’t trust a word that comes out of your mouth,” David retorted.

“Fine. Next time I’ll let you stew in anxiety,” she sneered darkly.

Throughout her husband and step-mother’s sniping, Snow stared sadly at the screen, “Ex?”

“The only happy ending is Regina’s,” Zelena sneered at Regina in disgust. “What did you expect?”

His father Mitchell got out of his car and approached them, preventing Sean from helping Emma and turning her away. Emma made out that he was the reason Sean broke up with Ashley because his son was too young to raise a child. When Sean attempted to convince his father into helping Ashley, Mitchell refused; and when Emma revealed that Ashley was running with the baby, Mitchell demanded that Sean go inside the house.

“King Michael is such a sweetheart; his cursed counterpart, however, is such an ass!” Snow turned to glare at Regina, “I bet you think you’re funny – turning a sweet, kind family man such as the King into this… arrogant, stuck-up, callous man!”

David shook his head sorrowfully, “King Michael adores Ella. He was thrilled when he learned she was pregnant with his grandchild. You’re a sick woman, Regina. Sick.”

“I’m sorry, did you forget the part where I cast my Curse to rid you all of your happy endings?” Regina said sarcastically.

“But Ella, Thomas and Michael did nothing to you,” Snow insisted.

Rolling his eyes, Killian said, “Love, you’re trying to engender compassion from the Evil Queen. ‘Tis a lost cause, I’m afraid.”

Regina threw her head back and laughed, “Someone would think you’re so moral, Hook. Don’t be ridiculous. You’re a villain just like us.”

“Yes, but I do have a code, unlike you,” he retorted sharply.

Once Sean was inside, Mitchell revealed he was the one to get her that deal; that Ashley agreed to give up the child and was being paid very well to do so.

David looked grim. “So the deal didn’t get broken by the Curse.”

“Like I said, Charming, deals with me aren't so easily broken,” Rumplestiltskin said.

“Not unless you break them, that is,” Neal commented snarkily.

Rumplestiltskin cocked a brow at him. “You speak as if we’ve dealt together before, but I don’t recall you at all. I never forget a face,” he spoke with a great deal of relish while his eyes studied him intently, making Neal feel terribly naked.

“We haven’t,” Neal lied.

Emma’s eyes widened and her mouth parted with a sharp intake of breath. ‘He’s lying!’ How? How did Neal know Rumplestiltskin? He couldn’t… for some reason, Emma couldn’t finish that sentence and she shook her head. She must have read him wrong. Of course he didn’t know anyone in this room. He may be a believer but that’s a far-cry from an inhabitant of fairytale land.

‘Besides,’ Emma thought, ‘if he was from another realm, I would've known; and who would he be anyway…’

Mitchell defended himself, claiming the baby would have a good home and that Ashley wasn’t responsible enough to be a mother.

“Watching it happen from a different standpoint, there’s nothing wrong with what Mitchell Herman did,” Emma stated.

Gasping, David and Snow cried, “Emma!”

“Oh don’t ‘Emma’ me in that disappointed tone. I wish there was someone like Mitchell Herman when I was a baby, who made sure I had a good family to take me in and a roof over my head. I would've been spared a lot of heartache, anger and loneliness.”

At the myriad looks of horror she found herself on the receiving end of, Emma put her hands up, and continued, “I get it, the circumstances are messed up. Ashley is Ella, a princess with a husband and a family who has money and means; she’s not some broke, single teenage-mom who’s in over her head because she got knocked up. But if that wasn’t the case, I don’t really see anything wrong with the deal. Ashley agreed to it and she was being paid for it. In fact, if there’s anyone I feel bad for, it’s the couple who were expecting a baby, who paid for the entire arrangement but won’t be getting anything in the end.”

Rumplestiltskin stared at Emma in awe, his lips twitching into a smile, “Well said, Ms. Swan.”

“If there even was a couple in the first place!” Red shot back.

“Oh, but there was, Ms. Lucas.”

At the many gasps of surprise, Rumplestiltskin succinctly said, “What use would I have for a baby?”

“That’s why you wanted Ella’s baby?” Neal asked, relieved.

Regina, however, wasn’t as easily fooled. “I’m not buying it. With other babies, fine. But this one… for some reason, Cinderella’s baby is a different matter. You have a different use for it.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” he trilled. “I’m not telling you.”

And just like that, all expressions of relief transformed into worry once more as the same question reverberated in almost everyone’s heads: ‘Just what did Rumplestiltskin want with Cinderella’s baby?!’

Emma finally found out what Mr. Gold’s “property” was: Ashley’s baby.

“Took me long enough,” Emma snorted.

As Emma and Henry were in the car driving down the road, Henry said, “You can’t make her double-cross Gold. No one’s ever broken a deal with him.”

Frowning, Mulan said, “I thought you said the boy hasn’t had any interactions with your cursed counterpart?”

“He hasn’t,” Rumplestiltskin, too, was frowning. “I’m afraid this is beyond my knowledge. I certainly wasn’t in the business of making deals while time was frozen… well,” he amended, smirking over at Regina, “except for the one I did with Madam Mayor.”

Fidgeting, Regina revealed, “I may have said some things… and Henry went through a stage where he’d listen in to my conversations.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Snow spoke up. “It’s an essential part of our cursed memories. Like a pre-installment. You don’t break deals with Mr. Gold.” She chuckled to herself, “Regina really didn’t change much about you, Rumplestiltskin, did she.”

Emma stopped by Granny’s Diner and demanded answers from Ruby, who refused to speak in front of “the Mayor’s son.” Once Henry left, Ruby admitted she was protecting Ashley, that she didn’t like it when people judged her.

Snow smiled, “I’m grateful she has you, Red.”

“Yeah, same here. Although I don’t really remember being friends with her,” Red frowned to herself.

“It’s because time started moving,” Maleficent drawled. “We were brought here from Storybrooke before time unfroze, so your cursed memories haven’t had the chance to grow yet.”

Ruby finally revealed that Ashley took her car thirty minutes ago, and that she was heading to Boston.

“She can’t leave Storybrooke! Oh, that foolish girl,” Granny gasped; turning to Red, “And you for helping her!”

Hands up defensively, Red snapped back, “Hey, I’m clueless about the Curse, just like you are. Don’t go blaming me for Ruby’s actions.”

Snow felt optimistic. “Everything is going to be fine. Emma will find her before anything bad happens.”

“I really wish I could bottle up your endless optimism,” Emma sighed.

As Emma was in her car, trying to catch up to Ashley, Henry emerged from the backseat.

“Henry Daniel Mills!” Regina shouted at the screen. “Wh- Why does he have to be so disobedient?”

Upon hearing Henry’s middle name, Snow’s eyes filled with sadness and she looked away, the guilt crushing her, eating her up from the inside.

“Bright side?” Robin piped up.

Regina uttered a dispirited sigh, “I dare you.”

“At least you’re not the only one he doesn’t listen to,” he stated.

Killian scoffed, “Then it just speaks to her failed parenting.” At the many glares he received, he put a hand up in peace, “He’s a smart, precocious lad. But you cannot deny he doesn’t have a problem with authority.”

“And here I thought the Evil Queen would be a strict parent,” Grumpy snorted.

Glaring at the dwarf, she sneered, “What, did you expect me to lock him up in the dungeons and torture him when he steps out of line. I may be the Evil Queen, but I’m also a mother.”

“Small mercies,” David murmured.

Henry insisted bad things happen to anyone that leaves Storybrooke; he then managed to talk Emma into letting him accompany her. Given no choice, Emma agreed.

“That’s all!” Regina glowered at the blonde.

Reacting with a glare of her own, Emma said, “I take Henry back home, I could lose Ashley and that can’t happen. My future-self has no choice.”

“You could forget about the irritating maid and take my son home!”

David sneered at her, “And I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s neither here nor there,” Regina sniffed haughtily. “My only concern is Henry. Not Ashley, or Cinderella or her baby.”

Lifting her hands overhead, Snow uttered a noise of exasperation, “I can’t even… You’re exhausting to deal with, Regina.”

In the Enchanted Forest, Charming, Grumpy, Thomas, and Cinderella were down in the Dwarves’ Mines, which is revealed as place that would be holding Rumplestiltskin.

Belle glared at the offending parties.

“He wanted to take Ella’s baby,” David defended himself.

“In a deal she agreed to!” Belle didn’t know why she was against them on this matter; if she were in Ella’s place, she would do anything to keep her child. Then again, she’d never have been in Ella’s shoes to begin with because if there’s one thing Belle knew, it was the importance of reading, and she never would have signed that contract, not until after a thorough read.

Staring at Belle as though she were a stranger, Grumpy demanded, “So you’re saying Ella should give the Dark One her baby?”

“No. Of course not,” Belle retorted in a shrilly voice. “What I am saying is that perhaps it’s easier for you all to believe Rumplestiltskin is the villain here, when really, he’s not wholly to blame. A deal is an agreement made by two parties. Yes, Rumplestiltskin tricked her, and yes, it wasn’t right. And yes, asking a mother to part with her child is a horrible  thing—”

Leaning into Victor’s side, Maleficent spoke in a whisper that carried, “Is this supposed to be her defending him? Because it doesn’t sound like much of a defense to me.”

“—But Rumplestiltskin held up his end of the bargain. In return, Ella is double-crossing him, and you’re keeping him imprisoned in a dark, dank, frankly uninhabitable space.”

Appeasing the woman, Snow somehow empathizing with her, she said, “Our only concern at the time was to help Ella and Thomas keep their child.”

“I understand,” Belle said sharply, “but you went about it all wrong.”

Back in the guise of a man, Rumplestiltskin smiled at his true love, “You are amazing, you know that.” He leaned forward and kissed her hair. “But you don’t need to worry about me… everything worked out in the end.”

‘Just as I wanted it to…’

“Rumplestiltskin is the most dangerous man in all the realms. He needs his own special prison, so we converted the mines to hold him,” Charming informed Cinderella and Thomas.

“How flattering,” Rumplestiltskin said dryly, “and after all we’ve been through. Dangerous, really, dearie.”

Curious, Neal asked, “Just how many times have you two interacted?”

“Oh, too many to count,” Rumplestiltskin replied airily. “Wouldn’t you say so, Charming.”

His face looking like it was set in stone, David snapped, “What do you want from me? An apology?”

“Oh, heavens no. Nothing like that.” Rumplestiltskin smirked, a mischievous note in his tone and in his warm orbs, “Merely recognition; a little appreciation; gratitude. Either or all, I’m not too picky.”

David looked lost and confused as he stared at his equally bewildered wife.

A dark chuckle escaping him, Rumplestiltskin waved them off, “Let it sink in. It’ll come to you, in due time.”

“His strength is also his weakness. His deals. He can’t resist making them, and we already know who he wants to deal with next: you,” Grumpy explained to Cinderella when she asked how entrapping Rumplestiltskin was possible.

Lips pursed and eyes narrowed, Rumplestiltskin sneered, “Now that is a wrong representation of me, dwarf. Trust me, if I have any weaknesses, it’s not deals. Deals are my trade, my business, my…hobby, if you must, but never my weakness.”

“If you say so,” Grumpy grunted.

“A weakness I’ll be sure to exploit,” Killian snarled, a much too knowing, irritating smug look in his eyes.

Rumplestiltskin stilled and while he looked the same on the outside, his appearance as nonchalant as ever, on the inside, he was worried. ‘Did Hook know of the dagger?’ But no… he shook his head; one thing he knew for certain about the pirate, was he would never want to become the next Dark One…

Charming proceeded to explain the plan: That Cinderella would inform Rumplestiltskin she was pregnant with twins and that she would like to propose a new deal, anything to get him to sign a new contract with a quill spelled by the Blue Fairy.

“All you must do is get him to sign the contract,” Charming insisted. “Ella, this man is a scourge. You will be doing the entire land a service.”

“Ouch.” Rumplestiltskin feigned sadness, a hand touching his chest, “If I had feelings, that’d definitely hurt.”

David cleared his throat in an uncomfortable manner and looked away once he realized Belle had focused her burning eyes on his person.

“A scourge?” Maleficent chuckled. “You heroes truly are an ungrateful lot.” She turned to Rumplestiltskin, “I don’t know why you choose to do business with these ingrates.”

“Funny how once you find need for him, you all come running to him, begging for his help,” Belle snapped, insulted on behalf of her true love; despite what he says, she knew he felt everything strongly. “If you rid the land of this scourge, what would you do the next time you need magical aid?”

“Blue—”

Rumplestiltskin emitted a shriek of displeasure, “Oh don’t talk to me about that arrogant gnat. The fairies do things differently; which you already know, otherwise none of you would come to me for help.” He smirked at their expressions and sneered in response to Blue’s glare. “Fairy magic comes with limitations, while I can do almost anything.”

“That’s nothing to boast about, Dark One,” Blue said curtly, eyes shining with dislike.

Pouting, Rumplestiltskin mocked her, “Oh, but why not? It looks good on my resume, don’t you think? Everyone else seems to think so.”

Regina covered a snort behind a cough while Belle smiled at his dark and ill-timed humor.

When Cinderella portrayed wariness about using magic, Thomas insisted if there was a price, that he’d be the one to pay it.

“And he did,” David murmured sadly. Although he was pleased to see nothing permanent ailed his friend as he, too, had been brought to Storybrooke with the Dark Curse.

Back in Storybrooke, Emma and Henry found Ruby’s car broken down just inches behind the border. Getting out of the car, they found Ashley on the ground, not too far from the car, yelling that her baby was coming.

“Triggered by the magic at the border, no doubt,” Maleficent hummed, her gaze seeking Rumplestiltskin or Regina for confirmation.

Scowling, Zelena sneered, “Why don’t you ask me? I’m a powerful witch, you know.”

“Yes, but you aren't familiar with the Dark Curse, are you?” the sorceress retorted scathingly.

“It would be nice to be included,” Zelena huffed, crossing her arms together.

Regina rolled her eyes, “Would you quit your whining, you irritating goblin!”

“Why you—”

“That’s enough!” Despite the calmness in which Rumplestiltskin spoke, the two witches immediately stopped talking. “Yes, Maleficent, that’s probably it. Although she was in her final month; it isn’t farfetched to assume the border gave her a small nudge.”

“Thank God for that, then,” Red cheered. “It protected Ella and her baby.”

Ashley was in the backseat of Emma’s car and Emma was giving her another pep talk; when Ashley assured her she was ready to be a mother to her baby, Emma disclosed she wasn’t ready.

“If you want to give this kid its best chance, it’s gonna be with someone who’s ready, so know what that means. Your whole life is gonna change, and once you decide that it’s yours, this running away can’t happen. You have to grow up, and you can’t ever leave. Understand?”

“Yes. I want my baby.”

“Well done, Emma!” Snow beamed, full of pride. “You’re reminding Ashley of who she really is: Ella. You’re giving her back her happy ending!”

Regina snorted, “One touching speech and you came up with all that? You’re reaching.”

“Is she, though?” Rumplestiltskin mused aloud.

Emitting a strangled sound, Regina pinned him with the full force of her glare, “No, really. Whose side are you on?! It’s your Curse! It’s your deal! I mean, really, Rumplestiltskin!”

“Yes, I must admit you are starting to confuse me,” Mulan stated.

“My side. My business,” Rumplestiltskin cackled.

Letting out a weary sigh, Robin asked, “Are you ever going to give us a straight answer?”

“It seemed straight enough to me,” he shrieked, amusement alight in his amber eyes.

“Irritating imp,” Zelena sneered.

The scene transitioned to the Enchanted Forest; Rumplestiltskin appeared behind a pregnant Cinderella, holding a small flask. Cinderella immediately got to the point, claiming she wanted to alter their bargain.

“That’s not what I do,” he retorted. However, when Cinderella lied about having twins, Rumplestiltskin appeared intrigued.

Neal looked sick; he was torn between wanting his father to be put away, and preventing his father from being imprisoned. Despite knowing how this scene ended, Neal didn’t want to see his Papa in such a state. ‘Why?! Why can’t I just stop caring!’

Tiger Lily suddenly sat up straight, her dark eyes rounder than usual. Noticing the change in her friend, Tinker Bell asked, “What? What is it?”

But she was waved away, Tiger Lily’s eyes flickering to land on Rumplestiltskin in burgeoning suspicion. No magic-wielder worth their salt, and especially not the Dark One, could be fooled by such a lie. Babies, especially ones born of love (true love or otherwise, it didn’t matter), had traces of magic in them; there was absolutely no way Rumplestiltskin believed Cinderella’s lie. Which means…

“Oh my!”

At her utterance, Rumplestiltskin’s amber eyes flicked toward her questioningly and then gleefully, a mischievous quirk to his lips as he slowly transformed back to a man. “Question, dearie?” he asked.

“You knew she was lying, didn’t you?” Tiger Lily stated, not bothering to beat around the bush.

David spluttered, “Of course he didn’t.” Suddenly uncertain, he turned to the Dark One and weakly asked, “Did you?”

He chuckled in response, “And why do you suppose that, Miss?”

It was Maleficent who caught on. “Because there is no way you, the Dark One, with all that power coursing through you, could be fooled by that chit. Babies have magical signatures. And you, Rumplestiltskin, would instantly be able to detect if there was one or two babies growing inside her womb.”

Gasping, Snow covered her mouth, “Is that true?”

“But then why…” Grumpy trailed off, confused.

Breaking into the argument, Zelena snarled, “Didn’t we already cover this last time? You all already suspected he wanted to be imprisoned when he didn’t ask to be freed in exchange for Regina’s threat. Instead, all he asked for was the Savior’s name.”

“That’s true,” Graham piped up.

“But why?” Robin demanded.

Smirking, Rumplestiltskin shrugged a shoulder and pointed upward with his other hand, “Can’t say, but you’re free to guess.”

Cinderella began to feed the Dark One a lie about their kingdom growing poor, that their crops were dying and they couldn’t support themselves or their people. She produced the contract: “In exchange for our other child, you will see to it that our land is once again fertile. I think it’s more than fair.”

“You’re so eager to sign,” Snow realized, her breath stuttering in shock as her wide eyes shifted to observe Rumplestiltskin in all his giggling glory.

Emma shook her head, “This is so disturbing to watch. Them thinking they’ve got you fooled, you letting them believe they’ve won. I don’t get it… who chooses captivity over freedom?”

“All this time you’ve had the Crocodile in your dungeons, locked up, defenseless. I could’ve killed him then,” Killian snarled in frustration.

Tsking, Rumplestiltskin wagged his finger at Killian, “Locked up, perhaps, but never defenseless.”

“Besides, that would be a dishonorable fight!” Belle snapped, staring at the pirate with heavy dislike, their last interaction at the forefront of her mind.

Tapping his hook, Killian sneered, “Yes, as opposed to fighting with a nigh-immortal monster who wields magic as a weapon. How is that fair?”

Shaking her head, Red said, “If I didn’t know this was all a trap for the Dark One, I’d have thought Ella was so cold. She’s a really good actress.”

“That she is,” Graham agreed readily.

Upon seeing the quill, Rumplestiltskin’s entire behavior changed as he admired it. In fact, he was practically gushing: “What a lovely quill. Wherever did you get it?”

Blue groaned into the palm of one hand, and shook her head. Looking up, she said, “You knew, didn’t you?”

“Did I know the quill contained squid ink? Of course I did. It reeked of your magic,” Rumplestiltskin relayed calmly, enjoying the expressions on everyone’s faces.

He loved it when (A) his plans came to fruition; and (B) he got one over on those insufferable heroes, especially the damn gnats.

“This spoils everything for me,” Grumpy growled, his face contorted with anger. “It doesn’t feel like a victory anymore. We didn’t imprison the Dark One; the Dark One let us imprison him. Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Rumplestiltskin said wryly.

When he informed Cinderella that the only way to stop him was through magic, she laughed him off. Suddenly, Rumplestiltskin’s behavior and voice turned dark and menacing, a warning lacing his words that chilled the bone, “Of course you’re not. Because as we all know, all magic comes with a price, and if you were to use it to say… imprison me, then your debt to me would only grow, and we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

Anna let out a sudden loud gasp that prompted everyone – barring Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent – to jump in alarm. “Your Sight! You saw this, didn’t you?” she exclaimed.

“I sensed their plot, dearie. They reeked of it; Cinderella with that single heartbeat pumping magic in her belly; the squid’s magic and Reul Ghorm’s stench. It was quite obvious,” Rumplestiltskin smirked, taking immense enjoyment in the reactions of Blue, Snow, David, and Grumpy in particular (although he always did have a soft spot for the Charmings). “But yeess, I suppose, one could say I saw it coming as well. Quite nifty.”

“I’ll say,” Arthur breathed out.

Sensing the urge, the need, the desire… the hunger King Arthur was sending in potent waves, he smirked and winked. “Something to ask, dearie?” he inquired smoothly.

“No. No he doesn’t!” Guinevere snapped. She turned to Arthur and hissed in his ear, “We’ll find another way, Arthur. But going to the Dark One, no. We’re not that desperate yet.”

Snapping at her, he dragged a hand roughly down his face, “You might not be, but I am.”

“Patience, my love. Please.” Thinking quickly, desperately, and ignoring the knowing gleam in Rumplestiltskin’s eyes as he observed them, she whispered, “How about this… we wait. Let us wait till the end of this gathering, and if say, the questions we seek haven’t been answered, we’ll… go to the Dark One.”

Slowly, Arthur dipped his head, the soft smile on his face making him look even more handsome, “Thank you, Gwen.”

Before Rumplestiltskin signed the contract, he checked if she was happy with this new arrangement.

“You were giving her an out, weren’t you?” Emma asked shrewdly. She felt like, the more she watched, the more she was beginning to understand the enigma that was Rumplestiltskin.

Rumplestiltskin shrugged, his amber eyes agleam as he feigned indifference, “I hear that pregnancy addles the brain and whatnot.”

“You’re a real softie underneath all that armor, aren't you,” Belle giggled, leaning into Rumplestiltskin and kissing him and halfway into it, he morphed back into a man.

When Cinderella assured him she was fine with it, Rumplestiltskin signed the contract with a flourish.

“You didn’t read the contract either!” Grumpy was only too eager to point out.

Rolling his eyes, Rumplestiltskin scathingly said, “Yes, because I already knew what I was signing up for.”

“Was that a pun?” Emma chuckled; unlike everyone else, she truly was finding amusement in the situation. She hated to say it or admit it out loud, but Rumplestiltskin really was growing on her… she couldn’t muster enough hate like David did or the others. After all, living the moments and watching them were two completely different things that evoked different perspectives and reactions.

“Perhaps,” he smirked. “Anyhow, I already knew everything in the contract was a lie. Why waste my time reading it.” He looked at Grumpy, “Again…sorry to disappoint, Mr. Dwarf.”

The effects were instantaneous; Rumplestiltskin was suspended in the air and a neon blue aura encompassed his entire form. Glaring at Cinderella, he sinisterly snarled, “No one breaks deals with me, dearie. No one! No matter where you are, no matter what land you find yourself in… I assure you I will have your baby.”

“Ominous much,” August murmured, feeling a shiver crawl up his spine.

Mulan shook her head, “I don’t understand. If you knew what they were planning, and you readily walked into their trap, why are you reacting with such…anger?”

Putting the weight of both his hands on his cane, Rumplestiltskin said, “I had to sell it, didn’t I? Couldn’t let them know I was exactly where I wanted to be, could I?”

More grumblings reverberated from the section where Snow, David and their allies sat, vehemently disturbed and genuinely upset that the Dark One tricked them.

“Yes, but your reaction seems a tad extreme, doncha think?” Merida inquired.

A sly smirk lifted his lips, “It was my way of ensuring, of preventing such a betrayal from happening again. And perhaps, serve as a warning to whosoever thinks of double-crossing me ever again.”

“You’ve always been one for the dramatics,” Regina commented with a quick eye-roll.

Rumplestiltskin breathed out a laugh, “Hark who’s talking, dearie.”

“I am not,” she insisted.

Definitely in agreement with Rumplestiltskin, Maleficent let out a couple puffs of cold laughter, “Really, Regina? The entrance you made at the Charmings’ wedding and the grand speech you made says more than enough.”

“I can’t believe you think that, Maleficent,” Regina looked offended, as she glared between her old friend and her mentor.

Leaning into Graham’s side, Red whispered, “And I can’t believe we’re witnessing the Dark One and Maleficent tease the Evil Queen.”

“Very surreal,” Graham murmured.

Clapping her hands together twice, Tiger Lily pointedly said, “When you’re done quibbling, then maybe we can get back to watching.” She had gotten much tenser upon the discovery of the level of hate Rumplestiltskin bore for the fairies… for her kind. To see the stark changes in that sweet little babe she failed… it broke her heart. She failed Rumplestiltskin, before and after his birth – she was officially the worst fairy godmother in history; the charge she failed (correction: abandoned) ended up becoming the Dark One. Enough said!

“Your temper’s become shorter, aye, Lils,” Killian observed with a smirk, to which he received a glare and a hiss in response.

In Storybrooke, Emma and Henry were in the hospital waiting room, waiting for the birth of Ashley’s baby. Henry made an observation: that unlike everyone else, she can leave Storybrooke. When Emma pointed out he left and found her in Boston, Henry said, “But I came back. I’m ten. I had no choice, but if anyone else tried to go, bad things would happen.”

“I’d say Ella finally giving birth to her baby is a good thing,” Snow amended.

Regina was listening intently to the conversation between her son and the Savior, deeply torn, and at a loss on how she should be feeling. Hurt was definitely one of the emotions – no doubt about that. “He shouldn’t have to come back because he’s ten. He should want to return home, to me,” she said huffily, ensuring the sorrow in her tone remained buried and obscure.

“Perhaps if you stop trying to destroy other people’s happiness, your majesty, then maybe your son would come back to you,” Robin stated, his expression impassive, but his intense blue eyes regarding her gently. “He already knows you’re the Evil Queen; if you’d show him otherwise…” he trailed off suggestively.

Not even bothering to mull his words over, Regina retorted, “He thinks he knows.”

“She’s hopeless,” Neal commented. “Don’t know why you’re even bothering.”

It was when Henry mentioned that, as the Savior, Emma can leave whenever she pleases, that the penny dropped for Jefferson. “He’s worried you’ll leave,” he informed Emma; as a parent who dearly loved his child, he fluently understood Henry’s prevarication. “He needs assurance from you that you’re not going to up and leave.”

“Oh,” Emma uttered.

“The poor dear,” Granny murmured.

Regina scowled, “He has me; I’m all he needs!”

“Says the broken record,” August whispered to Neal and Robin.

The doctor informed Emma that Ashley gave birth to a healthy girl and that the mother was doing fine.

The applause, hoots and hollers instantly died down when Mr. Gold subsequently announced himself, appearing behind Emma and Henry.

“What lovely news. Excellent work, Ms. Swan. Thank you for bringing me my merchandise.”

Belle threw him a long-suffering glance, “Oh, Rumple…”

“Merchandise?” David sounded absolutely disgusted.

“Property. Valuable. Now merchandise. Can’t a babe just be a babe with you? Or have you truly lost the last dredges of your humanity, Crocodile?” Killian snapped, indirectly referring to Baelfire which had Rumplestiltskin see red.

Rumplestiltskin clenched his cane in such a tight grip, the gold head actually groaned at the pressure. “I resent that implication, Hook. You know nothing. Nothing. So,” forcing calmness, he rearranged himself on the couch, making himself comfortable, “I suggest you keep comments regarding our… colorful past in the past, hmm?”

Killian snorted bitterly.

“What are you talking about?” Neal asked.

“And why does everyone have to speak in riddles?” Robin demanded impatiently.

In lieu of responding to either of them, Rumplestiltskin growled at the ceiling, his second utterance spoken with a sinisterly mocking note, “Continue, please.”

In the Enchanted Forest, Rumplestiltskin was placed in an armored carriage by Charming and Grumpy.

All eyes were on Rumplestiltskin, but no one dared to say a word. Belle preferred to do the silent talking for him as she threw the responsible parties a judgmental glare that scorched right through them. To Emma’s surprise, Neal didn’t look too happy with the Dark One’s treatment on-screen and she wondered why that was…

‘There’s something about Neal,’ she thought.

Cinderella and Thomas were discussing their victory and the latter revealed he’d like to name their daughter Alexandra, much to her amusement.

“I think it’s a lovely name,” Belle said, though she sounded like she had a head cold, her grip tightening around Rumplestiltskin’s. It was clear to everyone that Belle hadn't taken a liking to Princess Ella and Snow had to bite down on her lip to prevent herself from defending her friends. She had to keep reminding herself that Belle was forced to watch them double-cross and imprison her true love, which couldn’t be easy.

Suddenly, Cinderella felt something was wrong with the baby and Thomas went to the well in the woods to fetch her water.

“Is this your doing?” Anna asked, glaring daggers at the Dark One.

Frustrated, Belle snapped, “He’s currently powerless and in a cage, Anna. Exactly how do you propose he harmed Ella’s baby?”

“I- I’m sorry, Belle,” Anna stared down at her lap, eyes downcast.

Kristoff and Elsa stared at the usually soft-spoken bookworm with disapproving eyes.

Lifting their linked hands to his lips, Rumplestiltskin placed a soft kiss on her palm and tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. “Belle… it’s okay. I’m alright,” he assured her.

Rubbing her eye with her free hand, she emitted a long sigh and turned her apologetic gaze onto Anna. “Oh, Anna I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I just got so… so frustrated with everything that’s happened.”

Eyes regaining their sparkle, Anna gave her a tentative smile, “It’s okay. I get it. If I had to see Kristoff carted off like that, and listen to everyone tear him down, I’d probably bite their heads off.”

“Oh, goodie, we’re all friends again,” Zelena snarked.

The shot transitioned to Cinderella, who felt better and called out for Thomas. She walked to the well, but he was nowhere to be found.

Not wanting to risk Belle’s wrath, thankfully to those who weren’t there at the time, Ella marched over to Rumplestiltskin and demanded to know what he did.

“The idiocy of people sometimes,” Belle tsked loudly.

Rumplestiltskin chuckled and pulled her into his embrace, “My darling Belle. Don’t you ever change.”

David and Snow glared at the couple while Grumpy stared at Belle in disapprobation.

“All magic comes with a price,” Rumplestiltskin stated matter-of-factly.

After informing her he hadn't done anything, Rumplestiltskin finally responded to her demands regarding Thomas’s whereabouts: “I have no idea, dearie, but I did warn you. All magic comes at a price. It looks like someone has just paid.”

“Don’t listen to him, we’ll find Thomas,” Charming assured Cinderella.

But Rumplestiltskin wasn’t done. “No you won’t. Until that debt is paid, until that baby is mine, you’re never gonna see him again, in this world or the next, Cinderella. I will have that baby.”

“As I said: All magic comes with a price,” Rumplestiltskin reiterated softly, his brown gaze flickering past the room to settle on David and Snow. “Double-crossing me; imprisoning me; none of it matters until that debt is paid. I held my part, Cinderella didn’t. I didn’t do anything to her or the young prince. Magic did.”

Spluttering, Grumpy growled in disbelief, “Magic? Get real.”

“Magic, Mr. Dwarf, is sentient,” Rumplestiltskin warned him, a glint in his intense eyes. “I would advise you not to anger her.”

Curious, Belle leaned into him, eyes wide and sparkling with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. “Her?”

Dipping his head, he gave her a crooked grin, “Oh, yes. I’ve always believed magic was a lady. She is Lady Magic and she can be quite vindictive when she wishes to be.” He returned his gaze to the heroes, “So you see… to use magic, payment is needed. There is always a price. Cinderella swindled magic.”

“Who chooses the price?” Snow inquired.

“Why, those who shall do the casting, of course,” he responded promptly.

The accusing glares returned tenfold.

Grumpy looked vindicated; like all was right in the world again. “I knew it. Couldn’t you have chosen a different price?!”

His expression one of feigned politeness, Rumplestiltskin scoffed a laugh, “Now why would I do that? I perform magic that benefits one of the parties; they give me payment with whatever benefits me. And Cinderella’s baby has been benefiting me greatly.”

“Ho—”

Speaking over David, Rumplestiltskin continued, “But ask yourselves this… what price did you pay for Reul Ghorm’s magical assistance? Hmmm.”

“Price… we never paid a price,” Snow looked askance at Blue.

Pointing sternly at Snow, Rumplestiltskin smirked, “You didn’t. Neither did Charming. Prince Thomas, on the other hand, did vanish mysteriously, didn’t he? After he informed Cinderella that he’d pay whatever price.” At the horrified looks being shared, most of them directed accusingly at Blue who stared at him, appalled, Rumplestiltskin concluded with relish, “Perhaps, just perhaps, magic decided to hit one bird with two stones.”

“Is that why you dislike the fairies?” Tiger Lily demanded.

Uttering a disgusted snort, Rumplestiltskin waved a negligent hand in the air, “There’s more than one reason, dearie. Yet I ask again, why so interested. You seem quite…obsessed with my point of view, no?”

“Just curious,” she retorted impassively.

This time, it was Killian who observed her with heavy suspicion.

“This is a ludicrous notion, Dark One. To suggest that I had a hand in Prince Thomas’s disappearance. It’s an outrage!” Blue shrieked.

“Is it?” Rumplestiltskin said. “All I’m saying is he paid the price to the magic you cast. You pontificate about your goodness and my evil ways, Reul Ghorm, when I at least paint the entire picture. I let those who come to me know of the price they shall have to pay. You believe you’re good because you perform magical favors for free, when there’s always a catch, a price, a consequence. I, at least I don’t hide that fact, and if that makes me evil… so be it.”

An uncomfortably heavy silence permeated the room.

“Well said, Rumplestiltskin,” Maleficent grinned. “And this is why the only magical favors I do are for myself.”

Back in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold was getting a coffee from the vending machine when Emma defiantly approached him.

Neal stared at the screen in surmounting concern, the anxiety killing him. He was worried for his ex-girlfriend; for now, she had seen the true colors of the Dark One… despite his current Mr. Gold personality, he honestly didn’t seem much different to Neal.

Mr. Gold revealed he wasn’t upfront about his “merchandise” because Emma didn’t need to know. When Emma assumed it was because she wouldn’t take the case, he refuted her theory, claiming that he wanted her to see how hard Ashley’s life was as she could relate to her situation: “I mean if anyone could understand the reasons behind giving up a baby, I assumed it would be you.”

“Okay, that was a low blow,” Emma huffed.

Lifting an eyebrow, Rumplestiltskin asked, “Was I wrong?”

Emma defied him and Mr. Gold mentioned the agreement and that his agreements are always honored.

“Yeah, right,” Neal scoffed. It infuriated him, to hear his father explain the importance of deals when he broke the only deal Neal initiated that led to their separation; to watch the fury on Rumplestiltskin’s face at being double-crossed when he double-crossed him. Why did their deal not have the same importance as all the ones Rumplestiltskin made afterward?

When Emma continued to persist on Ashley taking her baby home, Mr. Gold revealed he liked her confidence. He then threatened to report Ashley to the police, to which Emma challenged him, saying no jury in the world would put a woman in jail for her attempt to keep her child, despite the laws she broke.

“…Not to mention what might come out about you in the process. Somehow I suspect there is more to you than a simple pawnbroker. You really want to start that fight?”

Sucking in a sharp intake of breath, Snow looked uncertain, “Emma, I admire your bravery, but you need to tread carefully when it comes to Gold… and Rumplestiltskin.”

“I’m not afraid of him,” Emma shrugged; she met Rumplestiltskin’s brown gaze, “No offense.”

“Oh, none taken, Ms. Swan. It’s actually quite…refreshing,” he smirked.

Furious, Regina glowered at the imp, “I always challenge you!”

“You always disrespectfully challenge me, dearie. There’s a difference. You make useless, albeit quite amusing, threats. Then have temper tantrums when things don’t go your way,” Rumplestiltskin retorted dryly.

Neal stared between Emma and Rumplestiltskin, gobsmacked… Mr. Gold’s next words surprising him even more.

“I like you, Ms. Swan,” Mr. Gold said with a small smile. “You’re not afraid of me, and that’s either cocky or presumptuous. Either way, I’d rather have you on my side.”

“Seriously!” Regina and Zelena screamed in unison.

Rumplestiltskin arched a brow at them, “Having the Savior as an ally. Oh, most definitely.”

“She’s too smart to be swayed by you, Dark One,” Killian sneered.

Emma frowned at the pirate; was he going to start speaking for her as well? David, Snow and Neal were more than enough. She didn’t need another overprotective busybody.

“Yes, but your cursed persona doesn’t know she’s the Savior,” Abigail pointed out.

Ensuring his expression didn’t give anything away, Rumplestiltskin inclined his head. He prided himself for his capability to think quick on his feet and came up with a more plausible truth. “True. But Mr. Gold understands which way the wind is blowing. Ms. Swan is making waves, and she’s not in Regina’s pocket. A blind person could see her usefulness.”

Frowning, Emma sarcastically said, “Gee, thanks…” She gave him a closer look, her frown deepening; she sensed he was telling the truth… but not the complete truth.

“So… Emma isn’t in any danger from you?” David asked hesitantly.

A breath of laughter escaped Rumplestiltskin as he delicately put a hand to his chest. “From me?” he repeated in disbelief. “Charming, you should be concerned about Madam Mayor, not me.”

“For once, the imp speaks sense,” Regina smirked.

“He can worry about both of you,” Killian snapped; he didn’t like the amicable relationship forming between Emma and the Crocodile. He could tell that the beautiful lass was slowly beginning to grow fond of him – ‘and here I thought she was too smart to fall for the Beast’s tricks.’ Then again, Belle was supposed to be a smart chit, and she went and fell in love with the Beast. ‘Who knew that the Dark One had a certain effect on the ladies,’ he inwardly scoffed in disgust.

Glaring at the pirate, Neal muttered, “I think she should be wary of you.”

“Seriously, mate… have I threatened you before?” Killian inquired, his anger replaced by curiosity.

Feeling like he was about to snap like a rubber band, Neal snapped, “Figure it out yourself!”

Mr. Gold, however, couldn’t tear up the contract like Emma suggested.

“That’s not what I do. You see, contracts, deals, well they're the very foundation of all civilized existence, so I put it to you now.

“Very eloquently put, Rumple,” Belle beamed, interlacing their fingers.

“If you want Ashley to have that baby, are you willing to make a deal with me?”

A smile slowly started to materialize on Rumplestiltskin’s human face, his eyes agleam with triumph.

“No!” Neal boomed.

Shaking their heads, David and Snow fretfully said, “Don’t do it!”

“I can make my own decisions,” Emma snapped, silencing the cacophony of disagreement. “Besides, my future-self cannot hear you.”

With bated breath everyone, most especially Rumplestiltskin, waited to hear Future-Emma’s response.

‘This was it…’ Rumplestiltskin thought. ‘The moment he had been waiting for…’

“What do you want?” Emma asked.

Thinking for a moment, Mr. Gold said, “Oh, I don’t know just yet. You’ll owe me a favor.”

Emma sized him up and nodded, “Deal.”

“Emma, why?” Neal groaned into his palm, not really expecting a reply.

She did anyway. “Mr. Gold isn’t going to hurt me or do anything untoward. Our interactions up till that moment made it very clear. If my making a deal means Ashley, or Ella, gets to keep her baby, it’s not much of a sacrifice.”

“And here I thought you were smart, love,” Killian sighed, unable to hide the distaste from his handsome face.

“This doesn’t make any sense!” David yelled, getting onto his feet and banging his fists against the wall. He didn’t want Emma beholden to that imp – Mr. Gold or not, he didn’t trust the evil man. He ignored the little voice in his head that whispered a list of all that Rumplestiltskin had done for him and Snow… and Emma, in a way. Whirling around to stare at Rumplestiltskin with wild, angry eyes, he demanded, “You fought so hard to keep Ella’s baby. Why give it up without putting up much of a fight?!”

Backing up her husband, Snow asked, “Why didn’t you just alter the deal yourself? Demand a different price from Ella.”

“At the time, I wanted the baby,” Rumplestiltskin feigned innocence.

“Of course!” Tiger Lily breathed, her round eyes searing Rumplestiltskin with knowing intensity. “You wanted … which means … it all makes sense!”

Giggling at the myriad of confused expressions, Rumplestiltskin, having shifted back into his beastly form, cackled, “What was that? I’m afraid you’re breaking up, dearie.”

At Tiger Lily’s bemused visage, Tinker Bell revealed, “The dampener. We only heard a couple random words.”

“You worked it out, didn’t you?” Mulan inquired curiously.

At the fairy’s nod, Zelena scoffed, “Join the club.”

“I would like to know,” Robin sighed.

“Then maybe you should use what few brain cells you’ve got left to try to work it out for yourself, idiot!” Zelena sneered, her patience drying out.

Guinevere threw her a supercilious look, “You really are a disagreeable individual.”

For some baffling reason, the barb Zelena flung at Robin Hood irked her; Regina felt like…defending the thief. Only she could treat him with rudeness and insult him, no one else. ‘Why in the world?!’

Tiger Lily stared at Rumplestiltskin in awe, “The way your mind works is truly remarkable.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Why thank you!”

Back in the Enchanted Forest, when Rumplestiltskin was formulating his long, convoluted plan to have the Curse enacted and finally find Baelfire, he had a vision of a poor maid, abused by her stepmother and stepsisters, and longing for any escape – her desperation delicious and extremely advantageous. He knew she would be an important figure in the future; that she had so much strength within her, if only she was no longer tethered to her oppressive stepmother. He saw many trajectories in Cinderella’s future, and with one small magical push, she’d become Princess Ella, friend to Snow White and Prince Charming, the king and queen on his chessboard. Advantageous, indeed.

And all he had to do was become a threat that couldn’t be ignored so that he could be imprisoned right where and when he wanted to be. Cinderella’s child was the key. Make the price so steep, they’d have to imprison him and then, when the time is right, alter the bargain to strike a deal with the Savior.

One small ribbon of fate out of multiple ribbons, all of which were tied to Cinderella’s future, and Rumplestiltskin’s brilliant mind decoded the best path and manipulated it to achieve the best possible results that would benefit him, that would achieve his goal: Finding Baelfire.

The scene shifted: Emma and Henry stopped by Ashley’s room. Ashley informed them she named the baby Alexandra.

“Of course she did,” Snow smiled happily.

Grinning widely, despite the simmering anger he had yet to let go of regarding the deal Emma made with Gold, David said, “It’s what Thomas wanted. I’m glad the Curse didn’t take that away.”

“That’s the Curse losing some of its hold on Ashley Boyd,” Rumplestiltskin stated indifferently.

Emma told her she took care of the contract she made with Mr. Gold and that the baby was hers; all she had to do was make a deal with Mr. Gold.

Killian scoffed, “You say it like it is normal. It’s a reason for concern, lass.”

But Emma remained unconcerned.

They then rushed out of the hospital as it’s almost 5:00 and Henry had to get home before Regina.

“Yes, encourage my son to lie to me, Ms. Swan. Support his insubordination,” Regina snapped at the blonde, her dark eyes brimming with rage.

Sighing, Emma squarely met her glare, “What would you have me do? Lock him in his room?”

“No. Send him back. Drop him off when he sneaks off until he gets the message,” she retorted heatedly. “Or better yet, tell him you don’t want to have a relationship with him!”

Emma emitted a humorless chuckle, “Yeah, lady. I’m not gonna do that.”

“Then leave Storybrooke!” Regina hissed.

Doing an ‘enough’ gesture with her hands, Emma said, “Okay, this conversation is over.”

In an unknown apartment, Regina was getting dressed while talking to someone in the bathroom about Henry expecting her home and that she would see them at the next council meeting. Before leaving, Regina mentioned they left their socks under the bed.

Red wrinkled her nose, “Ugh, eww. The Evil Queen doing the horizontal tango! I didn’t need to know that.”

Regina glared at the room, taking in the various expressions contorting almost everyone’s faces. “My private life is exactly that… private! So mind your own business,” she snarled; inwardly, she felt her heart sink… will their mysterious host who had brought them here together show who exactly she had been having sex with? Something told her that, while it would bring her some satisfaction, it won’t last long.

“Who’s desperate enough, or dumb enough, to have sex with the Evil Queen?” Grumpy demanded rhetorically.

Only Rumplestiltskin, Regina and Maleficent noticed the unhealthy pallor of Graham’s tanned complexion, his fists clenching and unclenching and a bead of sweat starting to cascade down his temple.

The scene changed to show Emma driving Henry home. Emma considered the code name “Pumpkin” in honor of Cinderella, but Henry tells her he has a better name in mind, one she wasn’t ready for yet.

“Savior,” many intoned.

Emma exhaled loudly, “Yeah, Henry’s right. I wouldn’t be ready for it yet. Hell, I’m still not ready for it.”

“You will. Give it time,” Snow smiled.

She then reminded him she’d see him tomorrow.

“Unfortunately,” Regina grumbled to herself; though admittedly, it was nice, seeing that great smile on her son’s face – nice, but bittersweet, as she wasn’t the one to put it there.

The scene showed Regina finding Henry in his bedroom, him having made it there right on time.

Other than rolling her eyes and appearing displeased, Regina chose not to comment.

At the hospital, Sean entered Ashley’s room and apologized for having left her, claiming he never should have. He assured her he’s back and pulled shoes for the baby out of a gift bag. Their scene ended with a kiss.

“You did it! You did it, Emma, you did it!” Snow cheered, hands smashing together loudly as she applauded her daughter.

Confused, and a little startled at Snow’s very great reaction, Emma asked, “Did what exactly?”

“You gave Thomas and Ella their happy ending!” she said.

“But,” a deep vee appeared between Emma’s eyebrows, “they don’t remember their lives in the Enchanted Forest; they still have no clue who they really are.”

Stepping in, Rumplestiltskin said in a silky voice, “Nevertheless, you brought the couple together. You made the family whole. They may still be cursed, but they achieved their happy ending. They are together, a family, again because of you.”

“You sound so thrilled,” Regina said snidely. “I wonder why that might be. You never got that baby, after all.”

“Oh, but I didn’t leave empty-handed either,” he smirked, prompting David, Killian, Neal, and Grumpy to shoot him dirty looks.

Emma shrugged, “That’s good. I did good then.”

“You did excellent,” Snow praised her.

Phillip chuckled, “It didn’t even look like hard work. All you did was talk to Prince Thomas and Princess Ella, and make a deal with uh… yeah.”

“She’s the Savior; her mere presence is all that’s required for the Curse to start to weaken,” Rumplestiltskin revealed.

The scene transitioned to a phone call between Emma and Graham. Emma’s calling to accept the deputy job and when she asked if Regina would be okay with it, he said: “I don’t care, it’s my department. I’ll see you Monday morning.”

“You don’t care!?” Regina seethed, her complexion reddening with rage and her eyes spitting fire.

Graham, however, was too pale, too shaky to react to this new and positive development, not that anyone but Red noticed as they were all exclaiming their joy and cheering on Emma.

“This is great! With Emma sticking around, the Curse will be broken in no time,” Abigail laughed as she snuggled into Frederick’s side.

David beamed at his daughter, “We’re so proud of you!”

Even Neal was all smiles, happy that Emma would not only be putting roots and fulfilling her destiny, but that she’d be around for Henry… for their son… his boy.

Rumplestiltskin giggled; he loved it when his plans slotted nicely into place.

“I’ll show you later,” Regina hissed at Graham.

Placing a comforting hand on Graham’s shoulder, Red frowned at the perspiration clinging to his shirt, “Hey… Hey, Graham, are you alright? You don’t look fine.”

“I-I’m fine,” he stuttered, hollow eyes staring sadly at the screen.

“Bu—”

Graham yanked himself from her soft hold and created space between them. “I said I’m fine, Red.” He felt disgusting, tainted… she shouldn’t touch him; he didn’t deserve her sympathy or her kindness.

The shot honed in on Graham, who was shirtless as he bent over and reached under the bed for his socks… the very same socks that Regina reminded him not to forget earlier.

“WHAT!!”

Chapter Text

The shock had yet to die down, despite the culmination of the cacophonies of exclamations at the unbelievable discovery.

From the moment the screen revealed the nauseating nightmare of a tryst installed in the life of his cursed-self, Graham had kept his eyes stubbornly (desperately!) averted and his head bowed, the accumulating wetness burning his vision as he stared with a single-minded focus at the ground. On the other hand, Regina donned an expression of smug superiority, her dark eyes alight with triumph, and she was practically brimming with satisfaction as she leaned back in her armchair.

Still unable to accept what she had seen, Red shifted around to face Graham. “Graham?” He refused to meet her gaze, and all Red could think to say was, “Why?”

“Why not?” Regina smirked.

It was as if the sound of Regina’s voice had snapped Graham back to life as he fiercely glowered at her. “I never wanted that. I’m not even attracted to you. You… you disgust me. Do you get that?!”

Gasping, Emma said, “You mean, Regina rap—”

“Finish that sentence, Ms. Swan, and I’ll make sure it’s the last one you ever say!” Regina sneered heatedly.

Jumping to his feet, David made to reach for his sword – but it wasn’t there. Stomping forward, he snarled, “Threaten my daughter again, witch!”

But Regina’s fixation was entirely on Graham, all feelings of satisfaction draining at Emma’s incomplete accusation – although it was heard loud and clear. “I may be a lot of things, but a rapist, I am not!” she hissed, her words sibilant.

Before Graham could retort, Red interjected, her expression and tone aggressive, “You forced him into having sex with you. Non-consensual sex is rape!”

Robin shook his head sadly, “And just when I think you could not get any worse, you go ahead and prove me wrong.”

“Storybrooke’s Sheriff Graham,” Regina emphasized, “and I always had consensual sex. The Huntsman, however, is a different story, and I never engaged in anything of the sort with him.”

Despite Regina’s logic, Snow still appeared horrified, “But you knew Graham wouldn’t want this. Yet you made his cursed-self your what? Your sex buddy?”

Emma cringed at Snow’s words. They may be the same age (‘and wasn’t that weird?’), but she was still her mother. Also, it was just… wrong, for Snow White to use words that aren't compatible with G-ratings and therefore, inappropriate for children. It was a surreal situation Emma was still getting used to.

“It was my happy ending!” Regina argued. “Sheriff Graham was more than happy with our trysts.”

“Only because you made him okay with it!” Red snarled.

Regina shrugged, “No harm done. After all, he would never wake up. So, he’d never find issue with it. I don’t see what all the dramatics are about.”

“I’m awake now,” Graham said in a low voice, beads of sweat sliding down the sides of his face as his eyes seared Regina with contempt.

“An unfortunate setback,” Regina negligently waved a hand, wholly unconcerned. “One that will be remedied once we’re out of this accursed room and back in Storybrooke,” she smiled gleefully, obviously impatient to return to her happy ending.

Rumplestiltskin giggled. He didn’t have any problem understanding exactly where her thoughts were at. “Oh, dearie. The fact you think everything will go back to the way it was once we’re done here is very…naïve.”

“Shut it, you imp!” Regina scowled. “Everyone will be asleep again, or did you forget?! Everyone except for me.”

A small smirk playing at her lips, Emma reminded her, “And me.”

“Or did you forget,” Rumplestiltskin added gleefully.

Sneering at the Savior, the expressions of pride and happiness from the previously cursed individuals in the room grating on her already too thin nerves, Regina snapped, “You’re not much of a threat, Ms. Swan. You can’t do anything. I’ll make sure of it.” And before David could interject yet again, she glared at him, “And yes, that was a threat!”

“Why you—”

Interrupting David, Emma said, “Give it your best shot, Madame Mayor. Whatever you’re planning, it won’t work.”

“Oh, we’ll see about that,” she retorted confidently.

While Emma and Regina were debating the changes that would occur once their time at the Haven was up, Red, Granny, and Snow were comforting Graham.

“You shouldn’t feel ashamed, Graham,” Snow said softly, placing a hand on top of his and gripping it tight when he made to retreat. “A lot of people, people not even in this room, have done or will be doing things they aren't proud of or that is out-of-character as long as the Curse is active.”

Granny nodded emphatically, “We were all shocked. ‘Course we were. But we know you wouldn’t be with that…that witch if you were in your right mind. And I mean that literally.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it,” Red strongly advised him, looping her arm through his. “Regina will get what’s coming to her, I promise you.  Anyway,” she grinned self-deprecatingly, “look at Ruby. My cursed-self propositioned Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin! And not just him. But none of that is my fault. I know that now. You know why? Because Regina wrote the script. It’s her fault. Not mine. And certainly not yours.”

Nodding rapidly, Graham swallowed a couple of times before saying (and sounding like a wounded wolf), “I feel so disgusted, though.”

“Anyone in the same room with the Evil Queen would,” Grumpy harrumphed from beside Granny.

Squeezing his hand one more time before rejoining her husband’s side, Snow said, “It will pass. Give it time. And when we’re awake…because I know Emma will break the Curse, you’ll be able to put everything with Regina behind you and have a wonderful life.”

Seeming doubtful, Graham nevertheless nodded. He didn’t see how he could have a life… not while his heart was in Regina’s possession; and he couldn’t ever see her giving it back to him willingly; his life literally in her hands. No one knew of his punishment… of his fate. For some reason, he wanted to keep it that way… at least for now.

“Now that you’re all done whining and crying,” Zelena sneered, “although I can’t blame the poor Huntsman for being forced to have you as a lover—”

Spitting and snarling, Regina made to hurl a couple insults Zelena’s way, but she was interrupted by Tiger Lily, who had had enough.

“Enough! Let’s return to these viewings, now.” She glared everyone into silence, her face turning thunderous when Killian parted his lips to speak. Smirking, he mimed silence and leaned into the armrest of his couch, closing most of the gap between him and Emma.

The scene opens in the Enchanted Forest where a crowed has gathered to watch a puppet show.

Almost immediately, Jiminy transformed back to his human form, the color draining from his face at having realized exactly whose past they were currently watching, and a mourning whine escaped him.

Geppetto frowned and, upon looking between Jiminy and the screen, comprehension dawned on him. Lines started to crowd his forehead as he frowned… Like Jiminy, he didn’t want to see this.

Only August noticed the changes in their behavior since he spent most of his time at the Haven starting at them.

A young boy weaves through the crowd, pick-pocketing them while their attention is fixated on the show.

Impressed, Robin exclaimed, “Now that is one talented thief.”

Aghast, Snow said, “That’s terrible. And at so young an age…”

“Well,” Robin backtracked, seemingly torn, “as long as it’s stealing from the rich to give to the poor, then the child’s actions are commendable.”

In a particularly aggressive tone, Geppetto snapped, “These people are not rich.”

Surprised by his tone and behavior, everyone looked at the carpenter in a sort of astonished silence, neither of them having ever heard the man raise his voice or display such anger. All except for Blue, Jiminy and August, the latter of whom witnessed his father yell at the Blue Fairy and Jiminy in regards to putting him through the wardrobe.

The scene transitions to after the puppet show. The puppeteers, Myrna and Martin are in the woods with the young pickpocket, their son. Having removed a cricket in a cage out of a bag, the boy excitedly reveals his love for crickets while his mother insists that crickets are “trouble” and “noisy bugs.”

“These people must not have met our Jiminy,” David chuckled.

Grumpy scoffed, “Noisy bug sure. But Jiminy’s anything but trouble.”

His friends’ defense of his person did nothing to alleviate the guilt and horror churning around in Jiminy’s belly and he resolutely kept his gaze averted from Geppetto’s.

The boy discloses his love for crickets stem from them being free. His parents retort that he is free:

“To do what we want.”

“To be who you are.”

“And you are who you are.”

Confused, Emma said, “How does that even make sense?”

“Yeah. They basically tell their son he’s free as long as he does what they want him to do,” Anna said.

Regina scoffed, “He’s a child. Children are supposed to obey their parents.”

“Oh but of course you’d find nothing wrong with them,” Neal huffed while shaking his head in disapproval.

Scowling heavily at the insufferable man, Regina snapped, “Did I say that? No. I merely pointed your attention to the fact that children cannot do whatever they want.”

“With parents like them, he should,” Emma was in obvious agreement with Neal.

Slightly offended, Robin said, “Hey now… there’s nothing wrong with having a thief for a parent.”

“You’re different, Robin,” Belle assured him, a soft smile on her rosy lips.

Regina sneered, “Not from where I’m sitting.”

“Then it’s a good thing no one asked you,” Snow retorted.

Arthur wore a frown as the conversation took place, his gaze slightly admiring at the slight insight to Robin Hood. After all, Arthur did grow up a poor stable boy, and for that reason, a part of him would always empathize with the poor – his people before he became Camelot’s King.

The boy tells his parents that he doesn’t want to steal anymore, that he wants to be good.

“Good is another word for weak,” Martin says.

Regina cackled as the heroes gasped in affront. Even Zelena and Maleficent were enjoying the various reactions the puppeteer’s words caused. Rumplestiltskin, as usual, giggled.

“Weakness is taking the easy way as opposed to the right one!” Belle insisted angrily. “To be good and to stay on the right path is strength not weakness.”

Snow nodded in vehement agreement, “Well said, Belle.”

“Hear, hear!” Grumpy and Granny chanted emphatically.

“Yes… which is why you people always lose,” Regina drawled.

Abigail sneered, “Your victory is only temporary, Regina. Never forget that.”

Matching the princess sneer for sneer, Regina retorted, “As long as you don’t forget that so is yours. There will always be a new villain, a new scheme, a new curse.”

“I hate it when I agree with her,” Zelena muttered under her breath as she glared at Regina with profound hatred.

Leaning over Regina, Maleficent mocked, “What was that, dear?”

“Mind your own business, you!” she sneered.

It is then revealed that the little boy is Jiminy when his father says, “You are who you are, and there’s no changing it, Jiminy.”

Gasps, exclamations of shock, and utterances of disbelief permeated the cozy room as, one by one, all heads (except for Rumplestiltskin’s, Geppetto’s and Blue’s) swiveled around to stare at Jiminy.

“What did—” Grumpy actually had to swallow back his shock as he turned around to stare at Jiminy, still in his human form and wearing an expression of self-loathing, “Did he just say Jiminy?!”

“You weren’t always a cricket?!” David demanded, unable to move past the feeling of shock.

Head bowed and voice low, Jiminy said, “No. Before I—before I was a cricket, I was a man… like you.”

“And how exactly did you become a cricket?” Macintosh inquired.

While half the room wasn’t familiar with the famous conscience, Jiminy Cricket – unlike the cursed denizens of Storybrooke – having seen him flicker back and forth between cricket and man elicited much confusion. Despite their confusion, like the fairies with their miniature sizes and winged forms, they merely believed Jiminy’s true form was that of a cricket and that the reason behind his back and forth transformations was a result of the interference with the Haven’s magic, such as was the case with Rumplestiltskin and Zelena.

“…” Jiminy shook his head, “I can’t say… although I’m pretty sure you’ll soon find out.”

Still stuck on one point, David breathed out, “I can’t believe you weren’t always a cricket.”

“Did it not give you pause, seeing the cricket as Dr. Archibald Hopper?” Rumplestiltskin asked in amusement.

Glaring at the Dark One, Grumpy scowled, “Let me guess… something else you knew. Is there anything you don’t know?”

“What happened to my Belle,” Rumplestiltskin growled through snarled teeth, his good humor being replaced by dark shadows as he glowered at Regina, who feigned nonchalance and looked away.

Disregarding the dark mood and Rumplestiltskin’s anger, David shrugged, eyes still focused on Jiminy, “I thought the Curse gave him a body. I mean, a land without magic cannot have a talking cricket, can it?”

“You imbecile,” Maleficent sneered, eyes rolling heavily in their sockets. “You said it yourself just now. A land without magic… meaning any and all magic would be leached out of its vessel. The magic which kept Jiminy a cricket would've been nullified. Another instance is Rumplestiltskin, as you can clearly see from his more…humanlike features.”

Grumpy appeared taken aback by the explanation and he once again addressed Jiminy, “Magic made you a cricket?!”

Simultaneously, David whirled around on Rumplestiltskin, “You mean to say you were actually human before you were the Dark One?”

“He’s still human!” Belle yelled, offended on behalf of her true love, despite what seemed to be a belying giggle.

Most of the attention had been drawn away from Jiminy and toward Rumplestiltskin, surprised by the new revelation Maleficent inadvertently disclosed.

Zelena buried her face in her palms, “Save me from these idiots.”

Profoundly amused, Rumplestiltskin drawled, “And here you sat, not too long ago, telling me how poor Cinderella wasn’t familiar with the Dark One. I’m afraid, dearies, you all have much to learn.”

Sighing, Graham said, “Let me guess, you won’t be able to illuminate us, will you?”

Impishly, Rumplestiltskin put a clawed finger to his lips and tapped it twice, “Let us see!” He looked up at the ceiling, “…” then grinned, “Sadly not.”

“Jiminy was a human before he became a cricket. Can we please proceed with this!” Geppetto snapped, breaking into their discussion. He wasn’t in much of a mood with the death of his parents looming closer on the horizon. He had forgiven Jiminy; nevertheless, they never discussed the topic of what happened to his parents, or Jiminy’s unwitting role in it. Unfortunately, there would be no avoiding it now.

Hesitantly, Snow asked, “Geppetto, are you okay?”

“Does he look okay?” Regina scoffed, “Moron.”

Tiger Lily loudly clapped her hands together, “Do I have to wrangle you like children?!”

“I think you mean animals, Lils,” Killian said playfully. “The term ‘wrangle’ is used for animals not children.”

Glaring daggers over Tinker Bell’s head (which had said fairy fidgeting awkwardly in her spot between them), Tiger Lily snapped, “Call me that one more time.”

Leaning closer to Merida, Guinevere whispered, “And here we believed it was only that green witch who was the unpleasant one.”

The redhead uttered an irritated agreement.

The scene transitions to Storybrooke: Henry is in Archie’s office having his session.

“You weren’t always a cricket,” Henry was saying.

“Even your grandson knows this,” Zelena drawled, taking much enjoyment out of Regina’s distaste at the mere mention of her son’s relation to Prince Charming.

David smiled sheepishly, “I don’t mind if Henry’s smarter than me.”

“Besides,” Snow defended her husband, “Henry has the storybook. I’m certain Jiminy’s story is in there.”

At the reminder of the storybook, Regina turned her glare from Zelena to Snow.

In a drawling voice, Maleficent said, “Darling, if you continue to frown like that, no amount of magic will be able to eliminate those horrid lines from your face.”

Archie asks why Henry believes he’s Jiminy Cricket.

“You’re a conscience,” Henry says. “You help people see right from wrong.”

Sighing desolately to himself, Jiminy announced, “Unfortunately, I wasn’t always like that.”

“Clearly,” Robin said in amusement as he thought of the young Jiminy and his deft skills at pick-pocketing.

When Archie asks if all the other crickets in Storybrooke are crickets as well, Henry reveals that there aren't any crickets in Storybrooke.

“He’s right!” Snow exclaimed, not having thought of it before now.

Red shook her head, “I don’t know how you thought Henry wouldn’t notice anything wrong with Storybrooke. He’s a smart kid. There’s nothing he hasn’t noticed.” If her voice was too aggressive, no one could blame her; nobody was a fan of the Evil Queen’s, and the discovery of Sheriff Graham’s trysts with Regina only made Red hate the witch even more.

Emma and Neal preened subtly, exceedingly proud that Henry was their son. Emma then glared at Neal: ‘At least something good came out of our sham of a relationship!’

Sarcastically, Regina snapped, “Right, Storybrooke doesn’t have any crickets. Call the authorities, the town’s cursed.”

“It’s just one of many observations Henry’s made,” Red retorted.

“So you think that’s proof that there’s a curse?” Archie says in response to Henry’s disclosure.

“Exactly my point!” Regina exclaimed smugly.

Henry admits he’s looking for more proof as what he has isn’t enough.

“You should focus on schoolwork, not this fantasy,” Regina commented, exasperated.

Snow glared at her, “It’s reality, not a fantasy, Regina.”

“Yes, but he doesn’t know that,” she hissed contemptuously.

Neal stared at her in disbelief, “What have you been watching, lady?!”

“So Henry, look. I asked you this once before and you said you’d think about it. Why do you think it is so important that this is real?”

“It… It just is,” Henry replies.

Jiminy nods, “Alright, well… Keep thinking about that answer Henry, ‘cause I think there’s something buried there.”

Staring between the screen and Jiminy in disbelief, Regina angrily demanded, “This is what I’m paying you for?! You’re supposed to crush these delusions, not coddle him!”

“He’s just a boy, what the hell, Regina. Crush his belief system… what is, what is wrong with you?!” Emma snapped, horrified.

Even Rumplestiltskin looked at Regina warily, his disapproval surging. While the boy was a crucial part in bringing the Savior to town (a remarkable result of fate and one he hadn't foreseen), a part of him hoped his adoption by Regina hadn't come to pass. Regina was clearly unfit to be a parent, and he shuddered to think of what would happen to the boy if Regina was to have her way.

Jiminy uttered a groan. “This is so wrong. It’s an invasion of Henry’s privacy. My therapy sessions shouldn’t be disclosed to all of you. Especially you, Regina.”

Sneering at him, Regina snarled, “Well it’s a good thing whoever brought us here thought otherwise, because once we’re back in Storybrooke, the first thing I’ll be doing is firing you. I’ll deal with Henry myself.”

“Yeah, I’m not gonna let you do that,” Emma said aggressively. “And don’t give me the ‘I’m his mother’ bullshit. You obviously don’t know how to act like one.”

Regina decided to keep her thoughts to herself, but internally, she vowed her retribution. Perhaps… firing the spineless cricket will be her second course of action. No, the first is reserved for Emma Swan… and how she’d be getting rid of her for good.

Noticing the spiteful and vindictive expression on her step-mother’s face (a look she knew only too well), Snow felt her concern for her daughter magnify. She strongly hoped that these viewings would change Regina for the better… otherwise, why include the Evil Queen in the gathering, if not to repent and redeem herself?

The scene changes to the Sheriff Department where Graham is discussing Emma’s new position as Deputy.

Like the sun emerging from a thick blanket of clouds, the room was bathed in a bright, cheerful glow at the reminder of Emma’s decision to remain in Storybrooke and be not only a part of her son’s life, but in prime position to end the Dark Curse once and for all and return to the cursed denizens the happy endings Regina had stolen.

Regina, on the other hand, didn’t share the majority’s perspective. She glared at Graham who adamantly ignored her presence. “This won’t happen next time around, Graham.”

“I’m certain it will,” he retorted bravely, his gaze still averted. After the reminder of their sexual activities, Graham couldn’t stomach the sight of the Evil Queen; even her voice grated on his already thin nerves.

“Can you stop repeating yourself?” August snapped, vehemently irritated. His shockingly electric blue eyes flickered to pin Regina in place, “It’s getting really annoying and tiring. If you can’t think of anything original to say, then don’t say anything at all.”

“Excuse me!” Regina gasped, torn between shock and anger. “Exactly who do you think you are!”

August shrugged, “Right now, I’m someone who is really annoyed by your penchant to incessantly repeat yourself. We all heard you the first time. Give it a rest.”

Laughter ensued at Regina’s expense; and Zelena stared at August like he plucked the sun from the sky and had it gift-wrapped specially for her.

Chuckling, Neal clapped August on the back in a camaraderie fashion, “Good one, August.”

After sharing a few quips about the uniform, Emma accepts the proffered badge, officially making herself a part of the community (according to Graham). However, the moment she clips the badge to her belt, a loud tremor shakes the office, followed by car alarms going off outside as all the telephones begin to ring.

“What in the world!” Emma gasped.

She wasn’t the only person surprised by the sudden event, a couple of individuals having jumped in their seats at the unexpected phenomenon.

Some kind of gleam in his brown eyes, Rumplestiltskin said, “It’s the Curse weakening. The moment Ms. Swan became a part of Storybrooke, the foundations of the Dark Curse became unstable.”

“Look at what you’ve done!” Regina hissed.

Snow parroted Regina with a beaming smile and a pep in her voice, “Yes, Emma. Look at what you’ve done! You’re changing things! This is great!”

Glaring at her step-daughter, Regina snarled, “That was not what I meant!”

“No one cares!” Grumpy growled.

Emma shook her head, slightly awed by what just transpired, “This is so surreal.”

“You’ll probably shake it off as an earthquake,” Neal said knowingly.

Defensively, Emma said, “Which is what it would be to any non-believer. My future-self doesn’t believe in the Curse. It’s not so farfetched to think nature was the cause of that tremor and not magic.”

“Touché,” August inclined his head. He couldn’t blame her… it was his fault, after all. His and only his. …Well, and Regina, of course. She’s the one who cursed them all in the first place; and if not for her, they’d all be happily living their lives in the Enchanted Forest with their respective parents.

In afterthought, August looked sadly at Neal… ‘Almost everybody.’

The scene shows a mine collapse and a crowd gathering around it. Regina gets out of her car and demands that everyone step back as Graham and Emma make their appearance. Regina immediately starts barking orders at Graham and Marco before she dismisses Emma.

Graham reveals that Emma is his new deputy.

“They say the mayor’s the last to know,” Regina says coolly, to which Graham explains that it’s in his budget.

Nudging Graham softly, Red said, “Look, your cursed-self is starting to stand up for himself. He’s not letting Regina push him around anymore.”

“That’s wonderful!” Snow trilled, sending Graham a smile.

In a monotone, Victor said, “Yes, now if only my cursed-self can find his way out of Regina’s pocket…”

“At least your future-self appears to be taking it well,” Robin grinned.

Pinning him with a black stare, Regina sardonically said, “Yes. It’s not like I can volley threats and demand that Sheriff Graham fire Ms. Swan in front of a crowd of witnesses now, can I.”

Neal scoffed, “So you are capable of keeping yourself in check. Good to know.”

“Yes. I am. When the situation calls for it,” Regina snarled, not rising to the bait. “But I assure you, all of you, my future-self will remedy this disaster.”

Unconcerned, Granny waved a hand in dismissal, “Yes, yes. If it’s the last thing you do. Of course.”

A couple people snickered while Regina’s glare grew more prominent.

Zelena appeared to be enjoying herself immensely. “Is this how Heaven feels like…” she trailed off with a humming sound.

“Would the Wicked Witch even be allowed into Heaven?” Neal asked August in a low voice, a wary eye focused on the villain whose green hue was quickly receding to reveal a beautiful woman underneath. She was the only villain who hadn't made an appearance in the viewings… which made her an anomaly. Rumplestiltskin, however, seemed to know her… and from the very few interactions they had in the Haven, there was clearly no love lost between them. It didn’t really set the best precedents… On the other hand, Zelena made it extremely obvious she hated Regina… did that make her good?

After all, one thing Neal did know was that the Land Without Magic got their origin stories all wrong; a fact that became glaringly clear when it was Rumplestiltskin who sent Cinderella to the ball, instead of her kindly, quirky Fairy Godmother. Another was that Snow White was a bandit… ‘I mean, who saw either of those coming?’

After ordering Emma to help with crowd control, Regina addresses the crowd, “People of Storybrooke, don’t be alarmed. We’ve always known this area was honeycombed with old mining tunnels, but fear not.

“You brought the mines with the Dark Curse!” Grumpy displayed a semblance of a smile, his voice containing a giddy hitch.

Nova smiled, “That’s nice.”

At the sound of her voice, whatever happiness Grumpy felt, disappeared, and he pointedly looked the opposite direction of where she sat. A small line appeared between Nova’s eyebrows, extremely saddened by his immediate reaction to her.

“I’m going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it to city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it.”

“PAVE IT!” Grumpy roared, getting to his feet, his face an alarming shade of crimson and consisting mostly of frown lines.

Snow and David jumped to their feet as well in an effort to stop Grumpy from introducing his fists to Regina’s face.

“Oh, I never hit a lady,” Grumpy snarled as he struggled to get out of his friends’ hold, “so it’s a good thing you’re not one… you evil witch!”

Recovering from her slight alarm, Regina dropped her hand from her chest. “Storybrooke is my town. I can do whatever I please with it. There’s honestly no use for that mine. With no dwarves, no fairies, no magic, and no fairy dust, what use is it?!” she asked in a mocking, rhetorical way.

Admiring his cufflinks, Rumplestiltskin said, “That’s always been your problem, dearie. Your impatience. Always so hasty. Why is that, I wonder… hmm?”

“What nonsense are you spewing this time, Rumple!?” she demanded.

Rumplestiltskin smirked and said nothing.

Suddenly, Neal got hit with a sense of foreboding and he gave his father a scrutinizing look. ‘What exactly are you planning, Papa?’

Just then, Henry appears with Archie, “Pave it? What if there’s something down there?”

Flinging a hand toward the screen, Grumpy hollered, “See! That one, that one understands. Exactly, thank you!” He turned to glare at Regina, “You cannot pave it.”

“Oh, I can and I will,” Regina gloated. “Just watch me.”

“Can’t you do one nice thing?” Robin asked, not really expecting an answer.

She looked down her nose at him, “To either one of you insufferable lot? Why in the world would I?!”

“How about common decency?” he suggested mildly.

Maleficent rolled her eyes, “Don’t waste your time, handsome.”

“Hark who’s talking!” Regina spat, inwardly fuming at the pet name the sorceress had given the thief. ‘Why would I care?’

For some inexplicable reason, Tinker Bell watched the entire conversation play out with mild fascination, a niggling in her head that she could not grasp or even try to comprehend. It seemed significant though… for whatever reason.

Henry asks what’s down in the mines, but Regina insists there’s nothing before picking up a piece of glass and pocketing it. Henry sees her and asks Emma about it.

Echoing her grandson, Snow demanded, “What was that?”

Scowling as Henry shared his suspicions to Emma’s future-self, she demanded to nobody in particular, “Does every single thing I do have to have some kind of ulterior motive?!”

“Yes!” half the room intoned.

Scoffing, Neal raised a brow, “Have you met you?”

And again, Snow pierced Regina with a solemn stare, “Regina, what. was. that?!”

“It was nothing,” Regina snapped irascibly. “Probably some shard of glass I moved out of the way so nobody could get hurt.”

There was a reverberation of disbelieving scoffs in the room.

“Right. Because you care about people other than yourself,” Merida remarked in sarcasm.

Throwing the redhead an ugly look, Regina haughtily said, “I care about Henry.”

“Anyone else?” Merida appeared to be in an unforgiving mood. The more she watched this Evil Queen, the more intolerable she found her.

“My father!”

Anna frowned, “Umm… didn’t you, you know, kill him?” She mimed plunging a hand forward and pulling it back with an exaggerated grimace on her face.

Growling, Regina snarled, “If I had my magic, you’d all be nothing but piles of ashes!”

“And here I was hoping you’d begin to change,” Snow said sadly.

Her eyes widened in disbelief and she arched an eyebrow in disdain, a cruel curl to her lips, “The only change is the level of hatred I possess for all of you. I didn’t think it possible, but it’s increased to alarming levels.”

Regina interrupts whatever Henry was about to tell Emma and sends him to the car. He doesn’t listen for long. He gets out of the car and beckons Archie and Emma over before he informs them of a new mission for Operation Cobra.

A small smile on his face, Jiminy said, “I’m in Operation Cobra…?”

“Why can’t he just for once listen to me when I ask him to do something,” Regina groaned.

Snow frowned as she tried to decode her jumbled cursed memories. “I faintly recall Henry always doing what he was told…” she trailed off.

“Yes,” Regina hissed, a look of utter loathing on her face as she answered Snow, “before you gave him that accursed storybook and he started believing I’m the Evil Queen!”

Kristoff looked bemused, “But you are the Evil Queen.”

“Henry didn’t have to know that!” she snarled, aggravated.

Henry is convinced there’s something in the mines that would prove his curse theory is real. He then asks Emma if she did anything different that might have caused the tremor, to which she automatically reaches for the badge.

“Smart lad,” Killian grinned.

Blue nodded, “Yes, he truly is a remarkable child.”

Shaking her head, Emma sighed, “I wish I would listen to him. If I wasn’t so…so cynical, I’d like to believe I’d be open to his theories, no matter how wild they appear to be.”

Gaze dropping, August uttered a groan. ‘Could I hate myself even more?’

“Yeah, if only you had, oh, I don’t know… a guardian angel, perhaps,” Neal stated, the sarcasm heavy on his tongue.

“Shut up!” August hissed out of the corner of his mouth.

Rumplestiltskin stared at the two young men in increasing curiosity. “Just how well do you two know each other?” he inquired.

“Oh, I’d say well enough,” Neal snarked, shooting August a glare.

Emma frowned, “What are you even talking about Neal?”

“…”

Realizing Henry hadn't listened to her, Regina interrupts them and takes Archie aside. She tells him that “we’re done with this” and demands that he gives Henry a new treatment as Henry is constantly suspicious of every single thing she does. When Archie claims he has an amazing imagination, she retorts that he let it run rampant.

Repeating his cursed-self’s words, Jiminy throws Regina a disapproving stare, “All children have amazing imaginations. Some more wilder than others. But a child’s imagination is important, it’s precious. Nothing good will come from ripping away the world Henry has constructed. As his mother, you should want what’s best for Henry, and not what’s best for you. I may not be a parent, but I’m certain that’s what being a parent is all about, isn’t it?”

“Well said,” Rumplestiltskin smirked.

Glaring balefully at the easier target, Regina snapped, “What would know about being a parent, imp!”

“Perhaps nothing; however, definitely more than you,” he retorted with mild calmness, although his eyes possessed a dangerous glint.

“We are parents, and we also agree with Jiminy,” David stated strongly.

Scoffing, Regina tossed a hand at his and Snow’s direction, “Yes, and you got all that from your minute of parenthood, hmm?”

“And whose fault was that!” Snow looked furious.

“Yours!” Regina hissed.

Snow firmly shook her head, “No. It’s time you stop throwing the blame around and take a hard long look at yourself in the mirror, Regina.”

Interrupting Archie, Regina says, “Sometimes I think you’ve forgotten. You work for me. You’re an employee, and I can fire you. This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down until you’re a tiny, shrunken little creature, and this,” she points to his umbrella, “will be the only roof over your damn head.”

“How dare you!” Red growled furiously.

Geppetto stared at Regina with loathing, “You are a despicable person, Evil Queen. To threaten somebody who’s only trying to help your son… and one you claim to love—”

“I won’t be dressed down by, or take parenting tips from, some pathetic, desperate old man who built himself a child out of wood,” Regina sneered, her expression contorting into an ugly look.

“Don’t you talk to him like that!” August shouted before anyone could come to the old carpenter’s defense. “He’s twice the parent you can ever hope to be! He wanted to be a father and he didn’t let anything stand in his way and he’s a--, I’m sure he made a great father! You’re a bitter witch, trying to make everyone feel as ugly as you are, as downtrodden as you are, wanting everyone to feel not your wrath, but your pain; because that’s all you’ll ever be, Evil Queen. A weak, defenseless little girl who, instead of owning up to her mistakes, instead of embracing love and inviting it into your life, you hide away like a coward, welcoming hate, and letting it grow and fester until all you are, until all you’ll ever be, is an ugly, lonely woman, with no one and nothing, a reflection of your cold black heart. You’ll never be loved; and if loving you means getting their heart ripped out and crushed for the sake of vengeance, then it looks to me like you don’t even know how to love.”

The room rang with silence; all frustrations and anger melted away upon August’s vehement castigation.

“Thank you, young man,” Geppetto said huskily, a wide smile taking form on his lips.

Spluttering, Regina found herself devoid of any words.

“Wow, that got her to shut up,” Grumpy nodded at August in approval. “Next time we need to shut her up, we’ll call on you.”

Still inhaling and exhaling roughly through his nostrils, the anger not having completely left him, August slowly deposited himself in his seat. He hadn't noticed that he abandoned his seat, having jumped to his feet in a fit of blind rage, unable to see anyone or anything but Regina, the cruel words she hurled at his father ringing loudly in his ear.

Stroking his lip in thought, Rumplestiltskin stared at August, then at Geppetto. He knew the answer… it was right in front of him. He just couldn’t grasp it. Like cupping water in your hands and not being able to hold onto it for long. He eyed the ceiling in mild irritation, certain it was the effects of the dampener that was nullifying his ingenious mind from performing its magic.

Leaning over to the edge of her seat, Zelena smiled coquettishly at August, “I like you, August Booth. You’ve officially gained my attention.”

“Something tells me that’s not a good thing, man,” Neal murmured, to which August winced as he forced a tentative smile on his face, nodding kindly at the Wicked Witch.

In a small voice, Archie asks, “What would you have me do?”

“You take that delusion out of my son’s head, and you crush it.”

“Mother of the year, that one,” Neal sneered as he glared daggers at Regina.

Shaking her head, amid the cacophonies of anger and disapproval, Emma said, “Keep talking, Madam Mayor. If anything, this is making me more determined to take Henry away from you. You clearly don’t care about his wellbeing or his happiness.”

“Do I have to repeat to you the meaning of closed adoption, Ms. Swan?!” Regina huffed, not letting the blonde’s threat affect her. “I would be more than happy to, if only to drill into your thick skull that Henry is my. son! And not yours. You already saw to that when you gave him up.”

Dislike written on every feature of her pretty face, Emma said, “Once your Curse is broken, you won’t be in any position to spout the conditions of closed adoptions to me. You’ll be arrested and imprisoned for everything you’ve done.”

“Arrested? Imprisoned?” Grumpy growled in surprise. “Try killed. Executed, sister.”

Aghast, Snow cried out, “Grumpy!”

“No, no he’s right, Snow. Look what happened the last time you let your compassion get in the way. Look at our daughter, Snow. She’s our age. She grew up without her parents, alone in a foreign land,” David said emphatically, not pulling back any punches.

Stubbornly not displaying the deep terror she felt, Regina mockingly sneered, “But of course. You heroes tend to use flowery words such as ‘execution,’ because gods forbid you do something as unforgivable as murder.”

“To be executed is not the same thing,” David insisted.

Regina released a bark of laughter, “Keep saying that, Charming. If it helps you sleep at night, by all means, I won’t tarnish your pathetic vocabulary.”

“Back to the subject at hand,” Elsa turned to Jiminy, her beautiful features colored with concern, “you’re not going to listen to that wicked woman, are you?”

“Hey!” Zelena shrieked, visibly offended and furious by Elsa’s use of the word ‘wicked.’ “I’m the wicked one. Don’t you ever… ever use that adjective on Regina, ever again. You hear me?”

Neal gaped at Zelena, astounded. “Wow. You’re uh, real territorial, huh…”

“One thing. Just one thing that’s mine, and you have to give it to her. She always has everything! …” The rest of Zelena’s whining was, thankfully, muted by their mysterious host.

All her fears and anger forgotten, Regina stared at the woman who, with every muted word that escaped her mouth, turned greener and greener, until every patch of skin was a violent, poisonous shade of green. “You’re crazy. You know that… What did I ever do, or take, from you?”

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Don’t be cruel, Regina. You’re asking the poor dear a question that she cannot answer.”

“Shut it, you stupid, stupid man!” Zelena snarled as she shook a fist at him.

Shaking his head in wonder, Jiminy (like almost everyone else) disregarded the two witches and gave Elsa a tentative smile, “I couldn’t say, I’m afraid. Regrettably, Archie is terrified of Regina and he takes her threats very seriously. So I’d probably end up doing her bidding.” He turned to Emma, David, and Snow with misery, “I’m so sorry. Really, I am.”

“It’s not your fault, Jiminy,” Snow smiled understandingly.

 David nodded vehemently, “If you were in your right mind, you’d tell that Evil Queen to shove it.”

“Oh, well, perhaps not those exact words, but something of the sort,” Jiminy blushed.

Geppetto laughed at his friend, feeling lighthearted for the first time since the puppeteers made their appearance.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Jiminy is no longer a child, but an adult. He and his parents have just arrived at a small market. His parents are commenting on the good year the people in the place have had due to their weight.

And with that, Geppetto’s mood turned once again turned sour. It looked so alien, to see the fury that blanketed his wizened face whenever Jiminy’s parents made an on-screen appearance, and every despicable, greedy word that came out of their mouths prompted his scowl to darken more and more.

“I can’t believe you were raised by these people,” David breathed out, head shaking in astonishment. “I mean… you’re you and they’re…not.”

“What wonderful use of your words, Charming,” Maleficent drawled hatefully. “Perhaps instead of wielding a sword at every corner, you might want to equip yourself with a dictionary. Maybe then you can start making sense and actually assemble eloquent sentences.”

Sarcastically, David said, “I do apologize for not meeting your standards, sorceress.”

“I don’t understand,” Aurora spoke suddenly, confused eyes swiveling back and forth between Maleficent and David. “You speak to him with such dislike, in such a tone you always reserved for my father, my mother, Phillip and myself.”

Maleficent haughtily raised her head, “I do not wish to speak of it. Mind your business, girl.”

“Don’t talk to Aurora like that!” Phillip warned, his handsome face twisting with malice at the mere sight of the sorceress.

Emitting a long-drawn-out sigh, the sorceress said, “When will you people learn… I say what I want whenever I want. I do what I please, whenever it pleases me. Nobody and nothing can stand in my way.”

“Except for a vindictive Evil Queen desperate and furious enough to cast the Dark Curse, of course,” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

Smiling saccharinely, Maleficent echoed, “Of course.”

They then discuss running the elf tonic scam, to which Jiminy pleads that they should just put on a show. He also points out that they make enough money on ticket sales, so they shouldn’t steal.

“What elf tonic scam?” Robin asked, undeniably curious.

Jiminy, however, couldn’t speak. He hemmed and hawed, his eyes curiously swiveling to a stoic Geppetto, who looked as though he’d been carved out of stone.

Taking pity on the two, Blue softly informed him, “I’m sure it’ll come up in due time.”

Confused looks were shared when Robin’s inquiry went unanswered, their attention finally drawn to not only Jiminy’s behavior (what was bothering him was quite obvious as his life before a cricket was miserable and his parents were absolutely horrible), but Geppetto’s as well.

“We don’t need to, but it’s nice. We steal from them and they steal from someone else,” Martin tells Jiminy. Myrna then explains it’s called an economy; and Martin adds that they’re a vital part of it.

Scoffing, Robin lost the last vestiges of interest in the family of pickpockets. “What rubbish. Are they serious?” he demanded.

Emitting a morose sigh, Jiminy glumly nodded, “Unfortunately, yes.”

“What’s wrong, bandit,” Regina smirked, “thinking of changing occupations?”

Robin gave her an unamused look, “No. I have nothing in common with these despicable creatures, thank you very much.”

When Jiminy informs his parents he wants to change and quit, they each start complaining about pain, and tell him to stay until they die.

“Yes, I quite see,” Rumplestiltskin hummed to himself. He could clearly see why Jiminy so impatiently and so desperately wished to be free of them. Anybody who had those two as parents would.

The scene transitions to later in the day. Rain is falling heavily as Jiminy sets up the wagon for the puppet show when a little boy runs up to him, gushing about puppets and how lucky he was to have such a great show.

Geppetto stiffened at his appearance; he had expected his younger-self to show up soon, but he didn’t expect the pang of sorrow and heavy disappointment he’d feel at the sight, for it meant that his parents’ death would definitely come up soon. And that… that he didn’t think he had the stomach to witness.

“It really wasn’t a great job,” Jiminy murmured.

Clearing his throat, Geppetto inclined his head, “I can understand why…now.”

The boy realizes Jiminy is unhappy with his job and Jiminy demands to know why he’s there.

“That was quite rude, Jiminy!” Snow scolded him half-heartedly.

Sheepishly, he ducked his head. “It was a time of absolute misery for me. I had just finished arguing with my parents about quitting the business for the… gosh, I can’t even remember how many times I brought up the topic,” he shook his head ruefully. “Doesn’t matter, they never let me leave. And then …” Sighing, he replaced ‘Geppetto’ with ‘the boy,’ and the dampener allowed him to continue, “the boy came up to me, so excited, so happy, like I had the best job in the world, when it was a never-ending nightmare… I was a tad rude, wasn’t I?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Snow trailed off with a smile.

Head shaking, Geppetto said, “Anyway, he wasn’t that rude. It’s understandable, my friend. Very understandable.”

Jiminy beamed for the first time since his past was narrated on-screen. He and Geppetto eventually patched things up; Jiminy spent almost Geppetto’s entire life trying to make amends and gain his forgiveness, and eventually he wasn’t simply Geppetto’s conscience, but his friend as well. Despite their rough start and Jiminy’s hand in his parents’ death, an unshakeable bond formed between them, and one could rarely be seen without the other being close by. Jiminy feared that, with the unearthing of the past, Geppetto would treat him with the anger and coldness he did at the beginning of their relationship. Thankfully, he dashed Jiminy’s fears with one simple sentence.

He tells Jiminy he came out there to listen to the crickets. Jiminy advises him to go home otherwise he’d catch a cold; the boy points out that Jiminy would as well, and gives him his umbrella to protect himself from the rain, as he doesn’t live too far.

“What a sweetheart!” Snow and Aurora gushed.

Geppetto felt his cheeks burning, a rosy red hue coloring them at the cooing sounds the women were making at his younger-self.

“A very generous soul,” Mulan remarked.

Granny curtly bobbed her head, “Raised properly by his parents, I’d say.”

Her comment prompted whatever good spirit Jiminy and Geppetto found from watching the endearing scene of the first time they met to plummet to a deep sense of dispiritedness.

A small, sorrowful smile pulled at Rumplestiltskin’s mouth as he watched young Geppetto hand a dejected Jiminy his umbrella. He couldn’t help but think of his son, of Baelfire, as it was exactly the sort of generosity he would bestow upon a perfect stranger. His Baelfire, always brave, always kind, always standing up for what he believed in. And he wondered… throughout all these centuries of separation (and more than once, he couldn’t help but wonder how his son managed to exist for so long before shaking it off as his son falling through the portal to, not just another land, but a different time), did Baelfire lose that spirit, his passion, his profound goodness?

In Storybrooke, the scene once again opens in Dr. Archie Hopper’s office. Marco enters and reminds Archie about lunch just as Henry arrives; Archie informs his friend of his session and asks for a rain check.

Smiling fondly at the two, Snow said, “It’s nice to see that you two retained your friendship.”

“Yes, something the Evil Queen forgot to take away,” Granny sneered pointedly.

Rolling her eyes, Regina stated, “Most of my focus was on Snow White and her oh-so charming husband. But the cricket lost his conscience and the woodcarver lost his puppet, so all in all, misery for all, don’t you think?” she smirked smugly.

“Shows what you know,” August scoffed under his breath for only Neal and Robin to hear, both of whom shot him identical looks of immense confusion.

Abigail threw her a look of utter disgust, “You’re such a wretched person, Regina.”

Henry reveals Marco is Geppetto and asks Archie if he’s recruiting him to Operation Cobra.

Jokingly, Graham said, “How come he never invited me into Operation Cobra.”

“At some level, Henry probably knows of your closeness to Regina,” Red shrugged. “He wouldn’t risk word getting back to her.”

Meanwhile, Emma had something else on her mind. “This is it, right?” At the questioning looks she received, Emma elucidated, “Jiminy… or sorry, Archie is going to do Regina’s bidding here, unless I’m mistaken.”

Dawning realization spread from visage to visage as they suddenly recalled Regina’s order that Archie “take the delusion out of Henry’s head and crush it.” Regina found herself speared with multiple glares of disapproval and disdain.

Scoffing, Regina said, “You’re all making a big deal out of nothing. Henry will be better for it. Once he stops thinking of me as the Evil Queen and that everyone in Storybrooke is cursed, he’ll be able to focus on more important things.”

“You mean you’ll be better for it,” Neal snarled. “Not Henry. You. Which goes to show what a crappy mother you are, lady. I may not have raised a child for ten years, but what I do know is a parent always…always puts their child first. Even at their own expense.”

Emma felt her eyes burn with the beginning formation of tears and she stared hard at the dancing fire in the fireplace, its undulating movements and its bright glare preventing the tears from flowing. She never thought this before… not even in her wildest dreams or vivid imaginations of ‘what-ifs,’ but one thing she was beginning to learn from being in the Haven, was that Neal Cassidy would've been an amazing father to Henry. Despite what he did to her, his betrayal, and his thievery, Neal would've been a better parent to Henry than Regina. And for the first time since delivering Henry at that prison, Emma regretted giving him up for adoption.

“Exactly, Mr. Cassidy, as you so kindly informed us, you aren't a father, so keep your tongue in check,” Regina snarled.

Robin shook his head, “But I am. And I can tell you, Neal is right. Your child always comes first. And their health isn’t the only important thing, but their happiness.”

At the reminder that Robin was a father, Regina slammed her mouth shut, a guarded expression taking over her. And for some frustrating reason, all Regina could think of at that moment was the location of his wife and why she wasn’t a part of the gathering. ‘Even the thief has somebody who loves him and to love back…’ she thought sadly.

He then informs Archie that he knows where to find proof, opening his backpack and revealing its contents. Archie quickly puts the pieces together: Henry wants to investigate the collapsed mine.

“Look at what you’ve done, Regina!” Snow was giving her a disappointed look.

Practically vibrating with concern, Regina yelled at the screen, “Henry, it’s too dangerous for you to go down there! What on earth are you thinking!?”

“He’s thinking he needs to prove he’s not crazy as you’d like everyone to believe,” Neal snarled through gritted teeth, and by his tone, it was clear to everyone that he, like Snow, was blaming Regina for the danger Henry’s about to put himself through.

“I-I’m sure I prevent Henry from going down there,” Jiminy stuttered, though he didn’t sound as confident as he hoped.

Emma nodded firmly, “Plus I’m there. Hopefully, Henry comes to me and I talk him out of going.” Sensing Regina’s glare, she whipped around to squarely meet her gaze and growled, a heavy dose of sarcasm lacing her next words, “Or would you like me to lock him in his room? Or perhaps a cell at the station?”

“No, Ms. Swan,” she sneered. “Merely thinking I am his mother. Henry should come to me, not you.”

Scoffing, David said in disbelief, “Doesn’t Henry want to do all this so he can prove you are the Evil Queen who cursed the entire town? Why would you ever think he’d approach you with this?”

Unwilling to admit David was right, Regina settled for silently fuming before turning her worried eyes toward the screen.

Grimacing, Rumplestiltskin said, “This isn’t going to end well.”

“Why do you say that?” Emma demanded, concerned.

“Because… Dr. Hopper is about to fulfill the, ah, esteemed Mayor’s wishes at precisely the wrong moment,” Rumplestiltskin deduced, calculating eyes flickering from the screen, to Jiminy and lastly, to Regina. “If anything, whatever Dr. Hopper tells young Henry, it will only encourage him to investigate the mines. After all, he’s nothing if not determined and stubborn, two traits he seemed to have inherited from his grandparents and his mother,” he nodded at David, Snow and Emma, respectively.

‘And his father,’ Neal thought privately, a sad smile lingering on his face.

Filled with rage, Regina hissed, “I am his mother!”

Jiminy buried his face in his palm and dragged his hand down, “Oh, no…!”

Realizing Henry’s intentions, Archie tells him he needs to stop and that all of his beliefs about the Curse are a delusion. He proceeds to explain what a delusion is: “It’s something that’s not real. And… and not healthy. And… and I thought you’d outgrow this but Henry, you know… now it’s turned into a psychosis. Do you know what a psychosis is?

“Oh my God. Please stop talking!” Jiminy had his face covered, his eyes peeking through the gap of his fingers, and what little of his face that could be seen had paled significantly. “Don’t continue. Stop talking,” he murmured.

As Dr. Archie Hopper continued to crush Henry’s imagination and belief system, most of the room was busy glaring at Regina who was nodding to herself in a satisfied manner, thoroughly convinced that what was happening on-screen was the best for Henry.

“That’s… that’s when you can no longer tell what’s real and if that continues then… then I have to lock you away. Henry, look this has to stop for your own good. You gotta wake up. This nonsense must end.”

“I would never allow you to lock him up, bug,” Regina sneered at Jiminy.

Emma stared at her in disbelief, “That’s what you took from this. Seriously!”

“This is a good thing,” Regina insisted haughtily. “Once Henry puts the storybook nonsense behind him, everything will go back to normal. …Well, almost. There’s still you to take care of,” she sneered at Emma.

Before Emma could shoot back some heated retort, Maleficent let out a long stream of dark laughter, “Oh, darling Regina. How quaint. Your twenty-eight years in that idyllically cursed town has made you delusional.”

Offended, Regina snapped, “I beg your pardon.”

“To believe that your perfect life would go back to the way it was… all you did was hurt your child; a son you insist on loving. And the Savior will not be leaving; not after she discovers what you had the good doctor do. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no… Why, if anything, you just extended her stay at Storybrooke,” Maleficent looked positively delighted.

Regina snarled, “You don’t need to look too happy!”

“And why should I not be. You don’t really think I’m happy where I am, do you, darling,” the sorceress hissed contemptuously, the iciness in her eyes and voice freezing the spines of a number of individuals in the room, most especially Aurora, who buried herself deeper into Phillip’s embrace. “I want that Curse broken!”

Surprised, Phillip asked, “Wait… you’re in Storybrooke?”

Looking away, Maleficent sniffed disdainfully, “I am.” The frigidness in her tone prevented anyone from asking more of her.

Rumplestiltskin giggled and Maleficent turned her glare onto him. “Don’t think I’ve completely forgiven you yet, Dark One.”

“Oh, dearie, I know you have. Bygones and all,” he retorted cheerfully.

Once the previously-cursed denizens of Storybrooke recovered from the fact that Maleficent had also been cursed like the rest of them, as neither one of them recognized her or could remember interacting with her during the accursed twenty-eight years, Emma said, “You’re not getting away with this, Regina!”

“Get away with what, exactly?!” she snarled.

“Hurting Henry,” Emma said. “You threaten and blackmail when things don’t go your way. And Henry’s the one that gets hurt. Things will change when we’re out of here.”

Emitting a bark of laughter, Regina drawled, “Give it your best shot, Savior.”

Henry looks hurt as he runs out of Archie’s office.

Admittedly, Regina felt her heart sink at the look of heartbreak on her son’s face. That’s not what she wanted; she just wanted Henry to love her again… like he did before that damn storybook and before he discovered her true identity and of the Dark Curse’s existence. She thought that… perhaps, if she convinced him it was all a part of his overactive imagination, he’d let go of his obsession with breaking the curse and go back to being her son, go back to loving her.

‘Did she make a mistake?’ Regina immediately shook her head. ‘Don’t be silly. You were right to threaten that nuisance of a cricket. Henry will finally stop believing in the Curse and once Emma is gone, life can go back to normal. Yes, indeed it can.’

The scene transitions to the hospital where Mary Margaret and David are playing hangman; the latter almost loses on her own name.

“Oh look, David. There’s us!” Snow smiled giddily as she laced her fingers with his.

Nose wrinkled in disgust, Regina drawled, “Yes, my son is upset and might possibly do something dangerous, but let’s watch the lovebirds play a game.”

“And whose fault is that!” Anna snapped, glaring daggers at the brunette.

Disregarding Regina and her abrasive words, David kissed Snow, “It’s been a while since we showed up on-screen. I was wondering…”

“You’ve probably just been in bed rest at the hospital, recovering. Not much to show,” Victor said with a sigh as he perched his chin on his open palm, staring at the screen with absolute disinterest.

Leaning closer to Victor’s side, Maleficent smiled, “They bore you as well, hmm?”

“Uh, no…?” Victor shifted uncomfortably.

He was unable to meet her intense eyes for more than a second or two before he felt the need to look away. Unlike his cursed counterpart, Dr. Whale, Victor was not a suave, charming and charismatic individual; he didn’t much know how to flirt with women and due to his upbringing, his father’s constant disappointment, and him staying mostly shrouded by his brother’s shadow, Victor never really captured the interest or attraction of the opposite sex. And yet here sat Maleficent; a terrifying, terrible villain, a dark sorceress, yes… but a gorgeous, confident and powerful woman, as well. And she was interested in him; attracted to him. It was definitely a first for Victor and he was at a loss as to what to do, or if he should do anything at all. While flattered, she wasn’t exactly a stellar person.

Mary Margaret reveals that David will be returning home in a week.

“Home?” David and Abigail said simultaneously, their voices laced with dread.

Regina cackled happily. “Oh, I take my previous comment back. Do let us observe the unlucky lovebirds.”

His memories, however, have yet to return. Suddenly, Kathryn shows up to visit David, and Mary Margaret makes a quick exit.

If possible, Regina’s smile grew even wider.

In contrast, David and Abigail were fuming while Snow and Frederick shifted around awkwardly.

“This is outrageous!” Abigail huffed.

Frederick pulled her to his side and pecked her forehead, “Abigail, relax. This won’t last, you know that.”

“I do know that,” Abigail agreed curtly. “But for how long must I watch this farce play out?”

A supercilious air around her, Regina said, “You only have Ms. Swan to blame for these new circumstances. If she hadn't stayed in town, John Doe would have remained in a coma, and you could have carried on living your pathetic, aimless life, perpetually single and yearning for love.”

“You watch your tongue, witch. Trust me,” Frederick sneered viciously, a menacing expression replacing his usual easygoing disposition, “I have no qualms with severing it from your mouth. Talk to my wife like that again, and you will be sorry.”

Unaffected by his rage, Regina laughed, “As long as we’re in this room, you can’t touch me!”

“We won’t be in this room forever,” Frederick reminded her. “Remember that the next time you speak with such disrespect to my wife.”

A scowl replacing her laughter lines, Regina snapped, “I am queen. She is still a princess. And you a knight turned prince. It is you who should show me respect!”

A bark of laughter escaped Abigail, “Through marriage, Regina. And now that Snow White has taken back her kingdom, you don’t even have that.”

“I’ll show you,” Regina hissed.

Neal feigned a yawn, “You keep saying that. All we see are empty threats and all we get are headaches.”

Kathryn has come to visit David with more pictures in the hopes that it would recover his memories. “It’s our old dog, Ajax. Remember?” David claims he remembers as he watches Mary Margaret leave.

“You remember?” Snow looked at her husband sadly.

Simultaneously, Abigail scoffed, “Who names a dog Ajax?!”

“Apparently, Regina,” David stated glumly.

A sneer on her face, Regina snapped, “I did no such thing.”

Eyebrow arched, Rumplestiltskin said, “Storybrooke and all that is in it is of your creation, dearie. It is you who christened us with our cursed names as well as our memories and characteristic traits.”

Despite being the Dark Curse’s caster, Regina appeared nonplussed, “That make no sense, Rumplestiltskin! Otherwise, that love-stricken fool Mary Margaret wouldn’t have a not-so-little crush on David Nolan! Mr. Gold, your cursed counterpart, wouldn’t undermine me at every turn.”

“Ah! You forget our deal, your majesty,” Rumplestiltskin smirked, his index finger raised in admonishment. “You agreed to give me power; which means, I do not bow to you.”

“You and your loopholes!” she snarled.

Rumplestiltskin’s smirk grew. “Second, Ms. Blanchard’s memories and personality altered the moment the Savior arrived at Storybrooke. The script is out of your hands now, dearie. You no longer control anything. For twenty-eight years, we all looped through the same day, all of us playing our parts and performing from your script; however, once Ms. Swan arrived, time resumed, the loop ended, and now, they are creating their own scripts. The only thing that remains of your Curse is their cursed identities.”

In response, Regina turned her glare onto Emma.

Rolling her eyes, the blonde said, “Lady, don’t start that again. It’s my fault and I’m proud of it. So give it a rest.”

Cheers and applause rang out and Regina adopted a sour look before returning her attention to the screen.

In Mary Margaret's apartment, she is telling Emma about how she is the worst person in the world and that she wished Kathryn was a horrible person.

Abigail let out a small laugh, “As opposed to my true identity and how unappealing my disposition was.”

“Oh, no. Don’t say that about yourself,” Snow said kindly. “If I were in your place, I’d probably be the same.”

Chuckling, Red shook her head, “No you wouldn’t.”

“No she wouldn’t.,” Grumpy grunted his agreement.

Frowning, Snow adamantly said, “If anything were to happen to David, of course my behavior would change.”

“You’d probably be miserable and sad, with a dash of anger. But you’d still treat everyone the same,” Red stated without a hint of doubt. She then turned to Abigail and added, “Not to say you’re a bad person. Just everyone is… different. Everyone deals with loss in their own way.”

Snow surprised the entire room by releasing a biting scoff, her glare pinpointed on Regina, “You don’t have to tell me that.”

Regina met her glare for glare, her lip curling viciously.

When Emma asked what exactly would be easier, Mary Margaret clammed up.

“Don’t worry,” Abigail commented. “You’re not the worst person in the world. I’d be the same if it was my Frederick. No hard feelings.”

Emma then advises her that getting involved with a married guy is not worth the heartache.

“Speaking from experience?” Neal couldn’t help but ask.

David, Snow, and Killian appeared incredibly intrigued by his question, their eyes fixated on Emma and only Emma.

Glaring at her ex-boyfriend, Emma snapped, “It’s none of your business.” Upon seeing the three interested stares the question attracted, she added, “Or yours!”

Just then, there’s a knock on the door: It’s Henry in tears.

“Poor Henry,” Jiminy moaned. He turned to Emma, “I am so sorry—”

Emma put a hand up, “We’ve already established it’s not your fault.” She glared at the guilty party, “You happy now, Madame Mayor?!”

Refusing to answer, Regina stared in silent horror at the sight of her sobbing son. She felt guilty because she was the reason behind his tears – Archie warned her of how damaging it could be, to tear apart his belief system; on the other hand, she was torn between jealousy and hurt – why didn’t Henry come to her, she’s his mother. But no, instead, when he needed comfort or a shoulder to cry on, he went to that woman.

“You ruined everything,” Regina finally said in an ominous hiss, her dark eyes screaming murder as they seared Emma. “Why couldn’t you just leave Storybrooke and stay out of our lives!”

Rumplestiltskin scoffed as he played with his cufflinks, “Be glad she didn’t, dearie. For young Henry’s sake, of course. You didn’t really think that a cursed town was an appropriate place to raise a child, did you?”

“I’m not starting this again with you,” Regina growled.

Snow stepped in, “And neither are we. You did this. Not Emma. Not Archie. You! You wanted to control everything, even Henry’s imagination, his beliefs, his thoughts. And when something doesn’t go your way, since we’re in this new land and you lack any magic, you use threats and abuse your power as Mayor to get what you want. Well, that ends now, Regina. It’s time you start taking responsibility for your actions!”

Gobsmacked, all Regina could do was open and close her mouth.

Back to his impish form, Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Rendered speechless. My, my. You sure have grown, Queen Snow White.”

The scene changes to Archie’s office; he’s sitting with Pongo and having a drink when there’s a pounding on the door and Emma barges in, her expression furious as she reminds him of what he told her before, that taking the fantasy away would devastate him.

“Unfortunately, Madame Mayor gets what Madame Mayor wants!” Emma snarled.

Absolutely disgusted, Neal spoke at Regina, “The whole point of sending someone to therapy is to leave them in the capable hands of the doctor and not interfere. If you wanted Archie to implement your horrible parenting techniques on Henry, then what’s the point exactly of sending him to therapy?”

“I hate to agree with them, darling, but you really did do wrong by your son,” Maleficent crooned.

Zelena, however, was full of glee, “Oh, but I don’t. I love agreeing with anyone against you. “

Regina glared at her two fellow villains. She had a curl on her lips, but it was quivering as she fought to maintain an abrasive front and keep the sadness and tears at bay.

Uncaring of Regina’s current mood, Zelena continued, “I wouldn’t be surprised if you lose your son completely. Oh, I forgot. Not your son.” She cackled.

When Regina failed to respond, and make some crude or menacing expression or comment, many pairs of eyes turned to her in confusion. Zelena scowled, muttering, “Well, it’s no fun if you don’t bother to react!”

Sensing the sadness her step-mother was feeling that she would never admit to or let show, Snow announced that it was best to continue watching.

Archie attempts to feed Emma some excuse, but she immediately realizes what happened… that Regina threatened him. “What could be strong enough to drown out your own conscience?” she asks.

“An excellent point,” Jiminy said woefully.

Emma shook her head, “No. I mean, yes. But also, no. My future-self wasn’t there when Regina threatened you. What she said… I get why you were intimidated and why you’d carry out her will.”

“While fear is a motivating factor used by many royals, it is not one we employ,” Snow said in reference to herself and David. “We prefer to rule through love, loyalty and friendship—”

Emitting an utterance of disgust, Maleficent said, “Stop with the priggish self-righteousness already. You make me want to hurl.” She turned to Regina, an eyebrow arched in surprise, “What, nothing?”

Regina merely shrugged, chin propped on her open palm and mouth stubbornly shut.

“Well, that’s a first,” Rumplestiltskin said.

Clearing his throat, Arthur intervened. “I completely agree with Queen Snow. I must add, however, that one must be careful not to show too much leniency, or be too complacent with the loyalty of one’s subjects. It would be the height of folly to rule a kingdom without a healthy amount of paranoia and suspicion,” he advised her.

Inclining his head, David said, “You speak wisely.”

“And please… call me Snow,” Snow beamed.

Arthur smiled, “Then I must insist you call me Arthur, and my wife, Guinevere.” He looked to Guinevere at the informal introductions, and for a brief moment, her heart fluttered delicately like the wings of a butterfly; it had been so long since she had last seen such warmth and love in her beloved’s eyes.

‘Perhaps,’ Guinevere thought as she glanced at the ceiling, ‘our mysterious host does know what he’s doing.’

As sudden as that thought came to Guinevere, she felt something loosen inside of her, as though something powerful was beginning to lose its hold on her mind and heart. She felt lighter. Lighter…but sadder.

“Guin?” Arthur weaved his fingers with hers. “What is it?”

She turned to stare at her husband, at her King, and although she smiled, there was a mild tremor in her voice, “Nothing… just felt a bit- a bit off.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled knowingly, his large luminescent eyes fixated on the couple as the enchanted sand began to slowly lose its effect on Queen Guinevere, the magic of the Haven and the powerful dampener weaved within its walls, draining her of the powerful enchantment.

‘I always wondered what happened with the sand…’ Rumplestiltskin thought.

Upon hearing Rumplestiltskin’s giggle, he met the lizard-like gaze and felt a shiver trickle down his spine at the knowledge burning within those amber depths; Arthur felt certain, the Dark One knew of what he had done. He glanced at Guinevere, who still appeared confused, and his heart sank as worry and paranoia started to gnaw at his bones. And he could hear within the recess of his mind, the distant echo of Rumplestiltskin as he chanted: Magic always comes with a price.

Regina calls Emma asking about Henry’s whereabouts. When Emma tells her she dropped him off at her office an hour ago, Regina reveals he isn’t there. Archie knows where Henry is.

The scene changed to show Henry standing in front of the collapsed mine before he enters.

“No, Henry, no,” Regina moaned into her hand, her expression softening in concern and worry for her son.

Neal parted his lips to volley some caustic remark at Regina; however, upon seeing the genuine worry on her face, he slammed them shut. So maybe the Evil Queen did love his son… it didn’t excuse her actions. Nevertheless, Neal was a good person, and he was never one to kick a person when they were down. If Regina had been sneering at everyone and hissing threats, then he’d have shoved a rude comment down her throat.

“He’ll be okay. He’ll be okay,” David repeated, first to Snow and then to Emma before he murmured to himself, “He has to be.”

Back in the Enchanted Forest, the scene zooms in on the Dark Castle before showing its interior: Rumplestiltskin is at his spinning wheel, spinning straw into gold when Jiminy enters, a small bag in hand.

Neal stared at his father… at the Dark One. After a life of poverty, of his father struggling to make ends meet, of living in that hovel, he found his father’s ability to turn straw into gold so surreal. Naturally, he knew of this certain talent due to the storybooks and fairytales, but reading about it and actually seeing it were two completely different things.

For his part, Jiminy winced at the change of scenery, knowing full well what would be happening next. He didn’t blame Rumplestiltskin; he needed magical help and the Dark One offered. It wasn’t Rumplestiltskin’s fault he got tricked by his thieving parents.

“Thank you very much. And the names? To whom did these treasures belong? Rumplestiltskin asks; Jiminy takes out a piece of paper and places it on the bag. The Dark One then hands him some of the gold he just spun, “Gold thread, for your thievery.”

“I don’t understand… why do you need the names?” Aurora inquired curiously.

In a high-pitched voice and with a couple of dramatic wrist and hand gestures, Rumplestiltskin said, “Names have powers, dearie!”

David was looking at the screen with shock, “I can’t believe you used to trade with the Dark One. You really had a past, huh, Jiminy.”

Shrugging, Jiminy rhetorically said, “Where else could someone get gold in return for their thievery?

Rumplestiltskin, however, senses that Jiminy wants something with magic. Jiminy confides that he wants to be free, but that his parents keep holding him back. With the potion he created, Rumplestiltskin hands it to Jiminy, telling him once the potion has taken effect, to leave his parents where they are and he’ll collect them as his fee.

“You wanted to kill your parents,” Snow stated, not knowing how exactly she should feel about such a revelation. On one hand, they were despicable people; on the other hand, wasn’t murder extreme?

Jiminy looked down in shame, unwilling to defend himself. At the time, before he became a conscience, it seemed like the only way to escape his parents. Now, he knew, he should have just walked away, whether they permitted him to or not.

Shrugging, Grumpy said, “Can’t blame him. With those people as parents… I’d want them gone, too.”

“What exactly would that potion do?” Neal asked with slight trepidation, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Rumplestiltskin giggled, “Oh, I’m sure it’ll come up…soon.”

On second thought, Neal decided to forgo asking what exactly Rumplestiltskin would want from their remains

In Storybrooke, Emma and Archie are outside the mines looking for Henry. Pongo sniffs at the mine entrance and brings Archie’s attention to a candy bar, which let them know that Henry is there.

Regina had her hands interlocked together as though in prayer, her face dripping with heartfelt concern. It was a slightly disturbing sight, to see the Evil Queen actually show emotions beside hatred and cruelty.

“I’m sure Henry will be fine,” Snow assured Regina.

Barely giving her step-daughter a glance, Regina snapped, “I don’t need your sympathy!”

“It’s not sympathy, Regina. It’s empathy. We’re all worried for him,” Snow insisted, prompting a frown to appear between Regina’s eyebrows.

Inside the mines, Henry has a flashlight in hand as he explores the area and pockets a shard of glass. Suddenly, there’s an avalanche of rocks and he runs. Outside the mines, Archie, Emma and Pongo can also feel the avalanche.

“This is not good. Not good at all!” Anna began to chant under her breath as she twisted her fingers together and then wrung her wrists.

Elsa put a hand over her sister’s, preventing her from cracking any more fingers in the process, “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Anna.”

“He’s a smart lad. Well…” Killian trailed off in afterthought, “He shouldn’t have gone into that mine, but he’s smart enough to keep himself safe until help arrives.”

Emma gave him a small smile in response and nodded determinedly to herself, “Right. You’re right. Henry’s a smart kid. He’ll get through this.”

Archie climbs into the collapsing mine to find Henry, leaving Emma and Pongo outside as the rocks fall, effectively blocking the entrance.

Despite the predicament, Regina felt better knowing an adult was inside with Henry. Surprising everyone, Regina looked at Jiminy and said, “Thank you.”

“Of-of course,” Jiminy replied.

A dramatic (and somewhat comical) echo of gasps reverberated around the room.

Rolling her eyes, Regina snapped, “I can show gratitude when it’s due.”

“Still… we’ve only ever heard you sneer it in sarcasm,” David pointed out.

Lighting a match, Archie finds Henry and tries to get him to leave. At first, Henry thinks he had come to help him find prove, then he realizes he doesn’t believe him and runs away from Archie.

“Why does he have to be so stubborn!” Regina huffed in worriment.

Clearing her throat, Tiger Lily stated, “Perhaps you should have taught him to obey and respect his elders.”

“I did!” she sneered. “But after he got that damn storybook-” Regina glared once more at Snow, “-he stopped listening to me and started treating me like the enemy.”

“You are the enemy!” Grumpy growled.

Glaring daggers at the irritating dwarf, Regina snapped, “Why don’t you just print it on a T-shirt instead of repeating it at every given opportunity.”

“I don’t mind repeating it,” Grumpy said.

“Well I do,” Regina scowled.

The scene transitions to the Enchanted Forest. Jiminy and his parents are approaching a quaint house.

“No!” A growl reverberated in Emma’s throat, “No offense, uh, Jiminy, but I want to know what happens with Henry.”

Glum, Jiminy nodded, “None taken. I don’t want to see this either.”

He gave Geppetto a side-glance, the guilt striking him at the sickly pallor of his skin and the bone-white clench of his fists at the sight of the familiar house… at the sight of the house he grew up in…with his parents.

“Now what are your parents up to?” Robin spoke warily, wondering what they were doing, loitering around suspiciously outside a house.

“If we stop talking and start watching, I’m certain we’ll find out,” Tiger Lily said matter-of-factly.

“You’re quite the cantankerous woman, aren't you?” Robin retorted in good humor.

Tiger Lily simply stared back, lips compressed together and her mien unamused.

“You need to really learn how to lo—”

“Hook!” Tinker Bell snapped, effectively silencing Killian. “Stop provoking her.”

Killian shrugged, his gorgeous features alight with a mix of amusement and mischief, “Why, she already doesn’t like me. It’s not like she can hate me even more, can she?”

“Yes, I can,” Tiger Lily interjected with a glare.

Head cocked, Kristoff asked, “So you three…know…each other?”

“You stating the obvious there, mate,” Killian smirked.

Jiminy and his parents are arguing: Jiminy claims they don’t need the money.

“Everything isn’t about the money?” Robin repeated in profound disbelief. Shaking his head, he continued, eyes wide and voice tinged with disgust, “It’s about the principle. …These people truly are the epitome of greed. Despicable creatures; if I thought killing them was wrong, I do not anymore.”

Jiminy, however, shook his head, “I know now that what I did was wrong. I should have had the courage to leave; report them to the authorities and make my own path. I chose the coward’s way out when I decided to use magic to kill them.”

“Using magic is not cowardice,” Arthur argued fiercely. “Desperation isn’t cowardice.”

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “Oh, no. Magic is power.”

“Of course you’d think that,” Neal scoffed.

Leaning into her true love, Belle whispered, “Are you sure you don’t know that man? He seems quite familiar with you, like he holds a grudge against you or something…” She worried at the plumpness of lower lip and cast another wary glance at Neal.

Astute brown eyes studied the younger man for a while longer before he gestured in negative. “I’m afraid not, Belle. He feels familiar, I just can’t grasp why. The dampener’s preventing me from deducing many things in this room,” he sighed forlornly.

Belle patted his hand with a smile and kissed his cheek, “It’s alright, Rumple. Everything will come out in due time.”

Martin holds out a small bottle of liquid and gives the “elf tonic” to Jiminy.

“Aha!” Robin straightened his back and leaned forward slightly, “I must say, I’ve been quite curious as to what this “elf tonic scam” is all about.”

If possible, Jiminy looked even smaller as he hunched into himself, self-deprecation wafting from him in thick waves. He couldn’t look at Geppetto, unable to bear seeing the agony on his face.

Snorting, Regina snapped, “I don’t care about these low-lives and their plundering ways. I want to see my son!”

“For once, we’re in agreement,” Emma said grimly.

Reluctantly, Jiminy takes the bottle and approaches the house, his parents at the rear. Myrna knocks on the door and a beautiful, young couple answers the door.

Geppetto sucked in a sharp intake of breath, his eyes misty at the sight of his parents. He didn’t want to see this; arriving just in time to witness the horrifying aftermath was more than enough. But even though he wanted to look away, he couldn’t. He couldn’t not see his parents… They died when he was too young to properly remember them. Not long after their death, their voices started to fade away, as did their scent, and the unconditional love they had for each other and for him… all he could remember was their faces, and even that had turned vague over the years.

Until now… Oh, now Geppetto could memorize their faces and their voices and their kindness all over again. So, no…he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. He couldn’t.

“Pardon me,” Jiminy says to the couple. “Do you have a place at your hearth for an honest man and his elderly parents?”

Scoffs and snorts permeated the room at the picture Jiminy painted to the sweet, naïve couple.

“Oh those poor people!” Aurora sighed, sadly watching on as they welcomed the family of thieves into their home.

With every passing second, Robin’s politely puzzled expression started to redden and turn thunderous with rage. It first started with his very first observation, “But these people are barely surviving themselves. They have no riches to steal.”

Jiminy ducked, praying for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. Or better yet, why couldn’t he turn back into a cricket? For the last couple of hours, he’d been transforming back and forth between his cricket and human form; however, ever since the viewings showed the very past he wished to keep buried, he found himself stuck as a man. Why?

All Jiminy wanted to do, was to transform back into a cricket and hide. Especially after what was coming next.

Donna makes them broth and Jiminy genuinely thanks her for her kindness as he accepts a bowl. His parents, on the other hand, got to work on spinning a story about a plague and of how it wiped out a family in the next town over.

“No…” Robin said in a hushed voice, recognition slowly dawning on him.

Martin assures the couple they're immune and Myrna explains that it’s because of the elf tonic they have in their possession.

Due to the half-hearted (with tinges of irritation) way Jiminy delivered his lines: “Oh no, you’re going to die. You’re going to die.” it was clear to everyone that it was a story the family delivered many times before to poor, unsuspecting, and quite gullible families.

“They should be ashamed of themselves!” Snow hissed, her furious expression having taken on a quite frightening effect.

In fact, many of the individuals in the room donned disapproving and disgusted glares and expressions (thankfully, none of them were aimed at Jiminy); however, none were more furious than Robin Hood, and his rage reached a crescendo when Jiminy’s parents, Martin and Myrna, agreed to give the couple the “elf tonic” in return for payment, which they greedily took by ransacking the house, leaving it almost bare.

“These people… these, these—” Robin literally was too furious for words. Devoid speechless, all he could do was fume in silence, his handsome face a plum color.

“Oh, Jiminy…” Snow’s anger melted into sadness upon seeing his palpable distress.

Red shook her head, “I can’t believe you were raised by these…people.”

“Did they curse you into a cricket?” David asked curiously, still stuck on the fact that his friend wasn’t always a cricket.

Spluttering, Jiminy firmly said, “Being a cricket is a blessing, not a curse.”

Blue smiled serenely and she dipped her head in acknowledgement.

Not liking the lack of criticism toward Regina, Zelena said, “But Regina’s obviously worse than them.”

“Why in the world would you say that?” Regina demanded, annoyed. “Look, greenie, this obsession of yours, it ends now.”

Aghast, Zelena snapped, “I am not obsessed with you!”

Rumplestiltskin snorted loudly, an eyebrow arched in a ‘really, dearie?’ manner.

“You shut up!” she screeched.

“I didn’t say anything,” he retorted wryly.

Finally, Robin’s tongue started working again as he found his words, “Even before I started stealing from the rich to give to the poor, I’d never run such a heartless, despicable scam, and certainly not on such nice people… poor people. It’s an outrage; it’s a scandal! A-A disgrace and an insult to all thieves!”

“You’re really passionate about stealing, huh?” Phillip asked, half-curious, half-amused.

“It’s the principle of the matter!” Robin exclaimed, “You don’t steal from fellow paupers!”

Killian nodded in agreement, “That’s just bad form.”

Inwardly scoffing, Rumplestiltskin thought, ‘And he’d know all about bad form. The filthy pirate.’

Outside the couple’s house, Jiminy scolds his parents as he describes them as good people.

“Come on, when will we be done with these people already!” Regina groaned loudly.

Having hunched over until his forehead almost touched his thighs, Jiminy sadly revealed with a sigh, “It’s almost over.”

Claiming he has no choice, Jiminy takes out the potion Rumplestiltskin had given him and throws it at his parents… But nothing happens.

“What?”

“How come?”

“That’s impossible!”

Frowning, Snow said, “I’ve never heard of Rumplestiltskin not holding his end of a deal.”

Neal had to bite his tongue until he tasted blood in order to stop himself from making some scathing comment.

A rich chuckle emanating from him, Rumplestiltskin said, “No. Indeed not. The potion I had given Jiminy was true. Alas, something was awry.”

Martin reveals that with his skills at sleight of hand, he switched the potion with the elf tonic. Jiminy rushes back into the house to stop the couple from drinking it as his parents cackle in the background.

“No!” Snow gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Guinevere, too, had a hand covering her mouth, “That lovely couple. Oh, those poor people.”

“If only you had made it in time,” Geppetto whispered to his friend.

Shamefaced and reeking of self-loathing, Jiminy whispered, “It’s something I think of every day…”

 Looking to Jiminy, Graham asked, “You do make it in time, right?”

Releasing a puff of annoyance, Regina snapped, “If he made it in time, don’t you think he’d look a bit happier? The cricket’s been folding in on himself from the very moment the screen started to present his past. Deduction is not hard, people!”

“Okay, I get that you’re worried about Henry. We are too!” Red waved a hand in a circular motion around the room, “But there’s no need to be a bitch about it!”

“Silly questions irritate me, much like your name!” Regina sneered.

Neal huffed, “Great, the Evil Queen is back.”

Jiminy is too late. Upon entering the house, the bottle lies haphazardly on the floor and sitting on the bed are two wooden puppets that bear an uncanny resemblance to the young couple. Horrified, Jiminy collapses onto the chair.

 Gasps of horror flooded the room. Even Regina, Zelena and Maleficent looked on in silence, neither of them having anything particularly crude to say. It was, simply put, horrifying.

“They didn’t deserve that,” Merida announced.

Apoplectic, Neal turned to his father, “What was the point of that! Puppets! And why would you even want to collect them?!”

“That’s my business,” Rumplestiltskin sneered, his annoyance with Neal Cassidy’s disrespect and familiarity starting to take form.

“Oh, Jiminy,” Nova cried. “You must feel horrible. I understand now. I mean when Blue told me …” Sheepishly looking up, Nova called out, “Sorry!”

Jiminy shook his head. “I deserve to take the blame, to feel the guilt. Condolences shouldn’t be given to me…” he trailed off with a side-glance at Geppetto who had his head bowed and his fists clenched, something only August noticed.

“No offense, Jiminy, but I really hate your parents,” Robin stated in dislike, squinting meanly at Martin and Myrna as they joined Jiminy at the house and started to laugh at the kind couple’s unfortunate fate. “The potion was meant for them. If anyone deserves to be wooden puppets, it’s them!”

Rumplestiltskin shook his head, “Oh, no, Hood. People like that deserve a much worse fate.”

“Worse fate!” Geppetto shouted, his sclerae a pinkish hue as he attempted to fight off tears. “They’re wooden puppets! They’re dead.”

August looked on curiously as he wondered why his father was so worked up about the gruesome fate of two complete strangers. Unless he was furious on Jiminy’s behalf.

Only those who knew Rumplestiltskin well recognized his avoidance of part of Geppetto’s accusation. “Yes. Quite ironic, don’t you think… given the profession you later took on in life and the son you fashioned out of a certain enchanted tree, don’t you think?”

Everyone, except for Blue, Nova, and Jiminy listened to the exchange between Rumplestiltskin and Geppetto in various states of confusion.

“There’s something you’re not saying,” Maleficent instantly caught on, practically on the edge of her seat with curiosity.

“Perhapsss!” Rumplestiltskin sang, having morphed back into his beastly form.

“Oh, quit it with the riddles, Dark One. Tell us what you’re hiding!” Granny demanded.

But Rumplestiltskin was done talking and with his pointed silence, the screen resumed the scene.

At that point, the young boy from earlier enters the house. Jiminy looks at him with regret upon the discovery that the couple was his parents.

“Can this get any worse!” Red yelled, a fist punching the air.

Granny tsked, “Oh, the poor dear.”

At the boys reaction to the loss of his parents, Jefferson shivered, his mind on Grace and what her reaction must have been when he never returned for tea like he promised to. He glared daggers at Regina; he couldn’t wait to see her comeuppance. If anything, Rumplestiltskin would make sure she didn’t get away unscathed after everything she did, not once he discovered what exactly the Evil Queen did to his precious Belle. And her punishment will be delicious!

“What are you staring at!” Regina snarled at him.

A manic look in his startling blue-gray eyes, Jefferson dreamily said, “Just daydreaming of your comeuppance once a certain someone finds out what you did.” Too quick for anyone but Regina to see, his gaze flickered between Rumplestiltskin and Belle and back to Regina.

She blanched, “You know!?”

Jefferson let out a bark of laughter, “Are you really so surprised, Regina?”

Leaning to whisper in her husband’s ears, Snow asked, “Do you know him from the Enchanted Forest?”

Nonplussed, David shrugged and turned to the rest of their friends and allies, “Does any of you?”

A chorus of negatives met their inquiries.

“Hmm… how curious,” Abigail remarked.

“Other than Regina, Rumplestiltskin and Belle seem very familiar with him,” Red commented, recalling how Belle, at the beginning of the gathering, beckoned him over to sit with them, and the level of comfort he radiated at sitting next to Rumplestiltskin, even when he transformed to his scaly glory.

Victor looked on with utter boredom. If they asked him, he would have revealed his identity; however, he was not a part of their group of allies or friends, and currently, he was glad for it. He was stewing in his misery at being torn from his land…from his brother, and equal parts furious, too busy glaring at Regina in promised retribution to add to the conversations that constantly occurred around him.

Back in Storybrooke, Archie manages to catch up with Henry and finally gets the chance to impart to Henry of the precarious situation they are in.

“Finally!” Regina huffed, the ugly anger that consumed her draining to reveal a concerned mother.

Robin and Neal would have made a comment, if they weren’t too busy fuming over completely different issues.

For Robin, he had taken Martin’s and Myrna’s abominable acts extremely personal, as a thief, and a master one at that, before and after he started stealing for altruistic purposes, he at least had a code and compassion.

For Neal, he couldn’t get over the horrifying fate his father dealt to the innocent couple, despite the potion being meant for two despicable human beings; it was still a macabre fate, and one he couldn’t understand. He hated seeing the depths of darkness and depravity his father had stooped to upon his departure from the Enchanted Forest.

Outside, at the entrance to the mines, a crowd has gathered. Regina and Graham had joined Emma and Pongo, and in the background are Marco, Ruby and a couple of workers from the fire department.

“Archie is smart. He’ll keep the boy safe until we get to that,” Marco says.

Snow nodded confidently, “Yes, he will. Archie or Jiminy, you are the same brave conscience you’ve always been. You just lost your way. But you’ll find you way again.”

“Thank you, Snow,” Jiminy smiled meekly. He looked at his old friend in concern; after Geppetto raised his voice at Rumplestiltskin, he hadn't said a single word, simply staring wildly at the screen, as though adamant to not meet anyone’s gazes.

Regina starts yelling at Emma, who is only too happy to point a finger at Regina, claiming it is her fault Henry is down there.

“True,” Neal commented.

Hissing, a predatorial glint in her eyes, Regina snarled, “It is not my fault.”

“You really are a broken record,” August sighed exasperatedly. “Who made sure Henry believed he was crazy? You did. Who forced his therapist to support that theory? You did. Why did Henry go down to the mines? To get proof that he isn’t crazy. The puzzle pieces all fit. Stop being delusional and accept the facts that Henry’s life is in danger and it is you who put him there!”

Regina sneered in response, “Do you know what happens to idiots who challenge and disrespect me?”

“Get their hearts ripped out? Funny, I thought you also did that to people you love and who loves you back,” August quipped without mercy.

Giggling madly, Zelena cheered, “You tell her, Handsome!”

“I’ll show you…” Regina murmured ominously to herself. “I’ll show you all.”

“Weren’t you just biting people’s heads off because they kept interrupting? Shut up so we can see what happens to Henry!” Emma yelled, glaring daggers at Regina.

In the mines, Henry and Archie can hear Pongo, and they follow his barks.

“It’s a good thing Archie went in,” Red pointed out. “Pongo wouldn’t have acted so crazy if anyone other than his owner was inside that mine.”

Emma tells Regina they have to stop arguing, otherwise they won’t accomplish anything, and Regina surprisingly begs for help.

“I never thought I’d see the day,” David gasped as he (and almost everyone in the room) stared at Regina in astonishment.

Irritated, Regina snapped, “Stop that! The screen is over there. Watch it, not me!”

“We can’t help it. When miracles occur, one has to stop to take it in,” Robin drawled, his annoyance beginning to recede at the change in scenery and Regina, as usual, dominating the atmosphere with her crudeness.

“Oh, Regina can be capable of asking for help,” Tinker Bell commented acerbically. When everyone looked at her, she was busy tugging harshly at the felt of her forest-green cape, and there was a wild aura about her that prevented anyone from questioning her further… or even asking who she was.

Rumplestiltskin giggled knowingly; he didn’t need to ask anything… of course, he knew all about the lost fairy, and her attempt to sway Regina away from his influence.

The scene alternates to inside the mines; Archie realizes the sound is louder from behind a sheet of metal. Removing it, he discovers an old elevator.

“Oh, no. That looks unstable. How is that helping!” Regina snapped at Jiminy.

Frederick scoffed, “Your appreciation didn’t last long.”

Not rising to the bait, Regina, in a voice of forced calm, said, “That thing is a deathtrap! It’s an accident waiting to happen. There must be a safer place to take cover in.”

Outside the mines, Regina states they need some way to punch through the ground, and Marco suggests explosives.

“That’s a bloody mistake if ever I heard one,” Killian drawled, staring at Regina and Geppetto in disbelief.

Shaking her head, Regina haughtily said, “It sounds perfectly reasonable to me.”

“Maybe Killian has a point…” Emma trailed off uncertainly.

Emitting a disdainful snort, Regina snapped, “You’re going to listen to Hook, now? I tell you what, Ms. Swan, how about you leave the strategic planning to me while you stay out of my way!”

“Actually, dearie, strategy is what I am best at. You, not so much,” Rumplestiltskin interjected. He had turned back to his human form and looked to be in a state of pique, “And loathe as I am to admit, alas, the pirate is right. Explosives are only going to make the situation much worse.”

Geppetto appeared sheepish for his cursed counterpart’s suggestion, a nice change from the black scowl and red eyes he had been sporting for a long while now. In contrast, a mulish expression had taken over Regina’s face, stubbornly unwilling to see their points of view.

“I guess we’ll see who’s wrong and who’s right, then,” Regina said.

Rumplestiltskin and Killian glared at each other with profound malice.

As Emma shouts the all clear, the explosives ready to detonate, inside the mines, Henry assists Archie in turning the wheel of the elevator. Alternating back to outside the mines, Regina announces, “Blow it.” And everyone takes cover. Simultaneous to the explosion, Archie holds Henry tight as the elevator drops slightly.

It is revealed that the explosives didn’t work, and Graham asks what it did instead.

Wrinkling his nose in disdain, Rumplestiltskin said, “As expected.”

“As I expected!” Killian snarled childishly.

“Children!” Tiger Lily snapped, annoyed at the nemeses’ behavior.

All anger drained away, to be replaced by amusement as Rumplestiltskin met Tiger Lily’s eyes. “You aren't afraid of me,” he observed.

Chin held high, she retorted, “I am not.”

“Hmm… I wonder why that might be.”

“I’m not in a sharing mood, Rumplestiltskin.”

“You will be. Give it time,” he grinned crookedly, a handsome smile that showed off his gold tooth.

Tiger Lily quickly averted her gaze and, to Killian’s astonishment, the impassive, apathetic, tough as nails fairy appeared to be flustered. Returning his glare onto Rumplestiltskin, Killian furiously thought, ‘What is with everyone! Why does the Dark One have such an effect on people… especially the ladies? It makes absolutely no sense. They’ve all gone barmy!’

The scene transitions to the hospital; Mary Margaret is leaving, bidding the staff goodbye, when David approaches her.

“Wait, what did it do?!” Graham echoed his cursed counterpart’s inquiry.

Looking thunderous, Regina yelled, “Really? Who cares about them! I want to see my son!” She turned to glare at the nauseating couple, “My son’s life is in danger and the two of you are flirting, really?”

“I’m certain an announcement wasn’t made to all the people in Storybrooke regarding Archie and Henry being stuck in a collapsed mine, Regina,” David rolled his eyes.

Slightly indignant, Snow added, “And we’re not flirting. I just finished my volunteer work and David caught up to me. Not that we owe you an explanation!”

Turning to gaze at Snow, David guiltily admitted, “I must say though, as much as I’d love to watch us reconnect, I’d rather see Henry get out safely.”

“Same,” Snow agreed mournfully, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder.

David says that Dr. Whale wants him to start physical therapy, but because of what happened at the mine, there’s a shortage of personnel, and if he wants to complete his mandatory thirty-minute walk outside, he needs an escort. Mary Margaret smiles, volunteering to escort him.

“Yes, yes, they're sickeningly sweet! Now back to the mine!” Regina yelled at the ceiling, her dark eyes squinting angrily.

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “Not a fan of true love, are you now, dearie.”

“Shut it, you blasted imp!” she retorted harshly.

Unfortunately, the screen continued to show Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan, prompting Regina to, instead of staring at the screen, spend the entire scene glaring menacingly at the ceiling with her arms crossed against her chest.

“Yes, try to intimidate the all-powerful host who brought us here, Regina,” Maleficent drawled sarcastically.

They are walking beside a lake; David claims he feels like he woke up in a strange land.

“That’s because the injuries you sustained just before the Dark Curse took us put you in a coma. And when you woke, you never had any cursed memories to gain, as Regina here, didn’t plan on you ever waking up,” Rumplestiltskin explained patiently, his voice dry and captivating. “So you became a walking, talking blank slate. No cursed memories, no real memories. Just emptiness. You do, however, somewhat possess a bit of sensory memory – as in, the land looks foreign to you; but if you were to awaken in say… the Enchanted Forest, you wouldn’t find your surroundings strange at all.”

Mulan studied the Dark One for a brief moment before matter-of-factly saying, “That’s very fascinating. You are quite knowledgeable, Dark One.”

“Like power, I do also have a habit of amassing knowledge,” Rumplestiltskin said.

Back to the subject at hand (much to Regina’s all-consuming rage), Snow excitedly asked, “So… what you mean to say, is that David could recover his real memories?”

“If anything, your husband is the most likely individual in Storybrooke with the potential to awaken from the Curse without needing the Savior to break it,” Rumplestiltskin revealed.

That gained Regina’s attention, “What?!”

“Oh, yes,” he smiled gleefully. “With no memories, Charming could be the first to wake up. Isn’t that grand?” he asked with an illegal amount of sarcasm. A sly glint in his brown eyes, he added, “Perhaps you shouldn’t have been so vindictive and petty, hmm? If you didn’t put him in a coma, he’d be in a deep sleep, just like all of us.”

Glaring daggers at him, Zelena inwardly snarled, ‘Just like them, you mean. You sneaky, manipulative demon!’

Regaining her composure, Regina pulled at the hem of her silk shirt and said, “A matter I’m certain my future-self shall remedy.”

“Yay,” Red said in a monotone.

When Mary Margaret brings up the fact that he remembered his dog, David admits he lied: “She’s so lovely, I didn’t want to disappoint her. But none of it feels right. A dog named Ajax? Who’d name a dog that?”

“Exactly what I said!” Abigail exclaimed.

Slightly affronted, Regina sniffed, “I don’t see anything wrong with the name.”

David then reveals that Mary Margaret is “the only thing in this whole place that feels right.”

Like their cursed counterparts, David and Snow leaned in for a kiss… a really long one that made Emma uncomfortable and Regina nauseous.

“We’re true loves,” David breathed out once they finally parted. “Of course you’re the only thing that makes sense.”

“Exactly,” Rumplestiltskin stated. “You better hurry up, your majesty.”

Regina looked worried.

Before they could kiss, they were interrupted by Kathryn.

“Ugh, what is she doing there!” Abigail huffed.

Snow appeared amused by Abigail’s reaction to her own cursed counterpart, “That was exactly my thoughts.”

“She’s doing exactly what I programmed her to, prevent you two from getting together,” Regina revealed with relish.

Emma stared at her in disgust, “‘Program her?’ You’re sick and twisted, you know that?! She’s not a computer!”

“She’s there, they're all there, to do my bidding, and my bidding alone,” she retorted indifferently.

Neal scoffed, “Yeah, the Evil Queen is definitely back.”

“And what is that supposed to mean, Cassidy!” she snarled.

“It means,” Robin intervened, “that for a moment there, it was nice to see you as human as the rest of us. That you’re capable of caring for someone other than yourself, despite how much you hurt the son you claim to love!”

“Nice?” Grumpy grunted. “Try creepy. That’s the right word for it.”

Kathryn says she had to see him and that she made him his favorite cranberry muffins. At this point, Mary Margaret leaves them alone and walks away, but not before David chases after her, “See you tomorrow?”

“Ugh, can we get back to my son! He takes priority over your nauseating love life,” Regina snapped.

Snow glared at her, “Only because you don’t have one.”

“And whose fault is that!” she hissed.

“Oh, don’t start that again. It’s lost its punch, Regina!”

Back at the mines, the explosives made the situation much worse and Regina is yelling at everyone. Pongo’s barking draws Emma’s attention and she runs toward him as everyone else (Graham, Marco, and Regina) discuss a different method to extract Henry and Archie.

Red nodded in approval, “Smart thinking, Emma. If I had my sniffing ability, I’d probably have been able to find them immediately, but Pongo’ll do the job in no time.”

Everyone except for Snow, David, Granny, Grumpy, Regina, Rumplestiltskin, Blue, Nova, Geppetto, Jiminy, and August looked at Red in confusion, not comprehending a word she just said.

“Uhm… thanks, I think,” Emma said with a one-shoulder shrug. Truth was, she wasn’t so sure what she was doing.

“Yes, because of their bond, Pongo’ll be able to sniff Archie out,” Red grinned giddily.

Emma’s eyes widened in realization, “Oh…Oh!” She looked at the screen again and it all made sense: that’s what she was doing!

“Much more productive than yelling at everyone for just trying to help,” Neal commented pointedly.

Regina rolled her eyes, “My son is in danger. Excuse me for not wanting to coddle those morons.”

Pongo starts to sniff the ground and leads them to an air shaft. Inside the mines, Henry and Archie are sitting in the elevator and start to apologize to each other.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Archie says.

Rumplestiltskin tsked sarcastically, “And all those creative threats you gave…for naught. A shame, really.”

Expelling a loud sigh, Regina waved a hand distractedly in the air, “No, I was wrong here. I never should have…” It looked like it was really hard work for Regina to admit to being wrong – almost like trying to pull teeth. “I shouldn’t have intervened in Henry’s sessions with Dr. Hopper. All it did was make things worse and put my son’s life in danger.”

“That’s very big of you, Regina,” Snow said diplomatically.

Adopting an angry mien once more, Regina snapped, “Don’t get used to it. This is a special circumstance. If Henry hadn't reacted so strongly, I wouldn’t have said a thing.”

Emma scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Well, at least that’s something.”

“Your next step should be pulling him out of therapy,” Neal snapped. “He doesn’t need it. He’s only going there because you have him convinced he’s crazy and is making everything about the Curse up.”

However, before Regina could shoot him some biting retort, Jiminy interrupted, “Actually, Neal, I wouldn’t recommend pulling him out. Therapy has become a safe space for him to express himself, the only place where his theories aren't shot down. If he stops going, he’ll start to keep things bottled up.”

“From what we’ve seen he’s not shy about telling me his theories,” Emma pointed out with an arched brow.

Jiminy inclined his head in agreement, “True. But you aren't exactly accepting, are you? I believe, at some level, Henry is aware you’re humoring him and that you don’t really believe in the Curse. And you,” turning to Regina, he cringed but bravely continued, “well, you’ve already shown Henry where you stand on the issue of the Curse. You have him half-convinced he’s crazy.”

Emma and Regina frowned at Jiminy as they pondered over his words. All the while, Neal couldn’t help but hate himself even more. If he had been in Henry’s life, or at least in Emma’s, he’d have gone to Storybrooke with her (or he hoped he would've… he already established that, when it comes to his Papa, he’s a coward who’d prefer to run away instead of confronting of him) and no matter what came out of Henry’s mouth, Neal would have believed him. No doubt about it.

“I just say to you that you got a very strong mother, who’s got a clear idea of a path that she wants you to be on. When you step off that, she, she is scared. You know, it’s natural. But, it’s also natural for you to be able to be free, to think the things that you want to think. So, anyway, I didn’t mean those things I just said to you. I never should have said them.”

When Henry asks why he said them, Archie claims he’s not the man he wants to be.

Regina stared at the screen in immense surprise, her eyes widening with every word Archie said. “You didn’t tell Henry about my threats,” she stated.

“Assigning blame is not what I do,” Jiminy said. “Besides, telling Henry the truth would've only hurt him, which wouldn’t be right.”

“I think those reasons you just gave means Jiminy is still there, within Archie. You are a right person,” Snow insisted, smiling.

Grumpy huffed, clearly unhappy, “If I were you, I’d have thrown the Evil Queen under the bus.”

“I do not understand that terminology,” Macintosh looked confused.

Snow chuckled, “Which is why, Grumpy, you aren't a conscience.”

“And thank the gods for that,” he harrumphed.

Henry, once again, explains he’s Jiminy Cricket, but Archie disagrees as the cricket is a conscience.

“But before he was that, he was a guy, who took a long time to figure out the right thing to do,” Henry says.

“How did he know that?” Jiminy inquired in surprise.

Snow’s smile never wavered, “Like we mentioned before, I’m pretty sure your story is in the storybook.”

At the mention of the accursed storybook, Regina inwardly seethed and clenched a fist. Despite her current appreciation for the bug, she was, by no means, turning over a new leaf. She wanted the Curse to last forever; she wanted to keep winning; she wanted to crush Snow White; and she didn’t want anyone but herself to have a happy ending. Henry’s life being in danger distracted her for a moment, but once he was safely extracted from the mines (and she refused to believe otherwise), she could go back to beating down these insufferable heroes and gloat in their despair.

“It doesn’t seem suitable for a child Henry’s age,” Aurora opined.

“On the contrary,” Mulan disagreed. “It’s a parable; there a good, strong moral for the boy to learn from.”

Jiminy emitted a long-drawn-out sigh, “Yeah. One I wish I learned earlier.”

Henry then tells Archie that because of the Curse, it’s harder for him to care for the voice inside his head, to be the man he wants to be.

“That’s true,” Jiminy said, and there was a faraway look in his eyes. “Being Archie… I felt a-a disconnect. Like I had been cut off from one of my senses. I didn’t feel free or comfortable in my skin; like, like something was missing. I still wanted to do good, to help people, but I couldn’t help myself and… like you just saw, I didn’t have a conscience to fight Regina on Henry’s best treatment.”

Glaring angrily at Regina, Red snarled, “You took away Jiminy’s conscience! He’s a conscience, how could you do that, you monster!”

“Do I have to repeat myself, again, of what stripping all of you of your happy endings entails?” Regina drawled wearily.

Graham settled a calming hand on the angry wolf’s shoulder, “Take it easy, Red. At least Jiminy and Geppetto still had each other. That’s something she couldn’t take away.”

Red calmed down significantly at both, Graham’s touch and his comforting words, but she continued to glare angrily at Regina.

Furious at the immediate effect Graham had on Red (and vice versa from her observations of their previous interactions within this damn room), Regina glared right back, jealousy rearing its ugly head at the thought of Graham finding love with someone other than her… despite his heart being in her possession. It didn’t make sense, nor did it seem fair.

Outside the mines, by the air shaft, Marco says that someone needs to be lowered straight down and Graham reveals he has a harness. Regina insists on being the one to go down.

Some people laughed, others cried indignantly in refusal.

“Yeah, let Regina go down, she’ll collect Henry and leave Archie for dead!” David announced angrily.

Geppetto didn’t look too pleased with the idea either, “You are the last person that should go down there!”

Interrupting the multitude of censures against Regina’s character and effectively garnering the attention of everyone, Emma loudly said, “Never mind all that! You’ve been sitting behind a desk, walking around in high heels, and living in complete luxury for twenty-eight years. When exactly was the last time you did some kind of outdoor activity? How in the world do you expect to go down there and retrieve Henry?!”

“He’s my son!” was all Regina could say, her expression stubborn.

“He’s mine, too!” Emma retorted, unwilling to back down. “At least with me, he has a chance of survival. Are you big enough to admit that, Madame Mayor, or would you like to go down with him for the sake of your pride?”

Sneering viciously at the blonde, Regina spat out, “I want you to know, I really, really hate you.”

“Likewise, lady. At least that’s something we can agree on,” Emma sniped back.

Emma claims she should be the one to go down and eventually, Regina sees it her way.

Inside the mines, Archie repeats his previous question to Henry, about why it’s so important that his fairytale theory is true. Henry responds, “‘Cause, this can’t be all there is.”

“Is life as my son, in our opulent home, in a good school, in a small town, so dreary?” Regina asked hypothetically. “He shouldn’t want more. I should be enough. The life we built together should be enough!”

Grumpy snorted, “If you were my mother, I’d want more too.”

“No one asked you, dwarf!” she hissed.

“You giving him the book really did give him hope, huh?” David beamed before kissing Snow.

Glaring hatefully at Snow, Regina snarled, “Yes, let’s all thank Snow White, who we can always count on to ruin my life and any shred of happiness I may find.”

“You’re being dramatic again, Regina,” Snow sighed wearily.

Regina scoffed, “Am I? Am I really?! You do the math, dear stepdaughter. Twice I had happiness, twice you ripped it away from me!”

“I really want to know what happened between those two,” Robin whispered to Neal and August.

He mourns the fact that he didn’t find proof, but Archie says he was lost and Henry found him. Excited, Henry thinks Archie remembers who he is.

“I wish!” Jiminy sighed.

“Don’t we all,” Grumpy grumbled with a glare at Regina.

“No, I don’t remember. But I do remember the person that I wanna be.”

Grumpy huffed, “Shame! Life would be so much easier if one person remembers.”

“Yeah, then they can team up with Henry and bash some sense into me,” Emma muttered, rapping her fist softly against the side of her head.

“It would definitely help Henry, if not Emma,” Neal stated with a shrug. “That way Henry won’t feel so crazy anymore with someone to corroborate his theories.”

“He doesn’t need to have his theories validated,” Regina hissed, “he simply needs to move on with his life and look to the future instead of the past!”

“Said the Evil Queen,” Granny harrumphed with an evil side-eye at said woman.

At that moment, Emma appears on top of them.

Cheers erupted and Regina slumped in relief (not that she’d ever admit to have reacted in such a way at the sight of the blonde irritation!).

“Everything is going to be okay!” Snow beamed.

David chuckled, “Didn’t I tell you. Have faith, my love. Everything will be okay.”

“Oh, the two of you truly are sickening,” Maleficent muttered to herself.

Archie holds Henry up and Emma grabs him. Unfortunately, the elevator starts to rumble and shake dangerously before Emma can get a hold of Archie. The elevator falls with a loud noise and Archie is nowhere to be seen as Emma and Henry scream his name.

“NO!”

“JIMINY!!”

“Jiminy! No, my friend, my dear friend!” Geppetto started to cry, believing his friend was gone. It was too much for his old heart to bear; having to watch his parents’ death, and now seeing his friend die.

August averted his gaze, furiously blinking back his tears at the prospect of a world without Jiminy Cricket.

Putting on a brave face, Jiminy clasped Geppetto’s shoulder, “It’s alright. This is a possible future. Isn’t it?”

Wiping a tear from her porcelain cheek, Snow determinedly nodded, “He’s right. All these events aren't written in stone. We can change this.”

“We will change this!” Red exclaimed emphatically.

Regina didn’t know how she should be feeling… on one hand, she didn’t care a bit about the disgusting bug; but… he did put her son first, he risked his life to ensure her son’s safety. Perhaps, he wasn’t as bad as the other heroes. Maybe he deserved a chance… or a small shred of kindness or leniency from her in the new future.

Clearing her throat, Regina said, “I won’t be threatening the cricket when we get out of here. Perhaps if he continues to treat Henry the way he always has, Henry won’t feel the need to run into the mines for proof.”

Shocked silence met her announcement, which included many gaping faces and widened eyes, disbelief shining on almost every expression… except for Snow’s – she looked hopeful.

“Let’s continue with this blasted thing, shall we!” Regina demanded uncomfortably; being nice was such a chore, especially if every time everyone looked at her like she were some alien from a different planet.

Rumplestiltskin giggled. “Oh… things surely are a-changing, don’t you think, Belle?”

“Oh, Rumple,” she giggled, kissing his scaly cheek before dropping her head to his shoulder.

The shot drops to show Archie managed to attach the loop of his umbrella onto the carabiner on Emma’s trousers.

The cheering and the applause that followed Jiminy’s miraculous survival were absolutely thunderous. Even those that barely knew, or had interactions with, the conscience joined the furore; all except for Regina, Maleficent, Zelena, and Tiger Lily. Rumplestiltskin, however, merely giggled.

“It really is your lucky umbrella!” August chuckled.

Emerging from within the many embraces and claps on his back, Jiminy said, “I’ll forever be grateful to the young boy for his kindness.” And he looked at Geppetto with genuine fondness.

Shaking his head, Geppetto embraced his oldest and dearest friend, “I am so overjoyed that you were fine!” Suddenly, he pulled away to smack the conscience at the back of his head, “Never do that again, my friend. Never ever.”

“I promise to try,” Jiminy chuckled.

“Really hard!” Geppetto emphasized as he wagged his finger at him.

Outside the mines, the moment Emma is pulled up, Regina drags him away from her, embracing him tightly, while Marco does the same with Archie.

Jiminy and Geppetto trade beaming smiles.

When Emma goes to hug Henry, Regina shoves her away dismissively and orders her to clear the crowd.

“Wow. You really are the biggest bitch I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet, huh,” Neal clenched and unclenched his fists as though trying to prevent himself from strangling Regina.

Affronted, Regina straightened her back, “Excuse me—”

“Shut up!” Snow hissed. She may never give up on the hope that Regina could change and seek redemption and return to the woman she once was, but her hurting her daughter temporarily erased those hopes. “You have no right to treat Emma that way. She risked her life to save her son. And your son. At least show some appreciation!”

Emma waved her mother away and spoke up before anyone else could add in their two cents, “It doesn’t matter. We already know Regina is a heartless, selfish cow. What good is arguing about it? It’s pointless.”

“Wise words,” Tiger Lily stated with an acknowledging nod.

Regina looked on furiously.

Regina approaches Archie to thank him.

No one commented on that, still reeling from her treatment of Emma. Regina, however, had to physically stop herself from childishly screaming that she was capable of gratitude, something she showed twice already (on-screen and off-screen, and to the cricket of all people!).

Surprising her, Archie is adamant that he’ll continue to treat Henry, but that he’ll be doing it his way. Regina mentions her relief hasn’t changed a thing. Archie interrupts her threats and tells her she’ll be leaving him alone to do his work in peace.

“Go, Jiminy!” Red, Granny, and Grumpy cheered.

“The Curse’s hold on you is weakening. Archie is getting both, his backbone and his conscience back,” Graham smiled, all teeth and laugh lines. He then turned to Rumplestiltskin, “Right?”

“Correct,” Rumplestiltskin sang, ending with a giggle that grated on Regina’s nerves and had her eye twitching in anger. “Oh, don’t pout, dearie. What did you expect? Nothing lasts forever, after all.”

Leaning her face forward, her teeth gritted together, Regina snarled, “My Curse will.”

“Because someday, Madame Mayor, you may find yourself in a custody battle. And you know how a court determines who’s a fit parent? They consult an expert, particularly one who has treated the child. So, I suggest that you think about that and you’ll allow me to do my work and let me do it the way my conscience tells me to.”

More applause erupted.

Annoyed, Maleficent drawled loudly, “Is this how it’s going to be every time with you lot whenever something goes your way?”

 “It’s not a crime to show happiness, sorceress!” Phillip snapped. “Maybe you should try it, then you wouldn’t be so bitter and generous with your curses.”

Before Maleficent could retort, Regina screamed, her voice piercing many eardrums in the process, “There will not be any custody battles! You will not be taking my son. And you!” she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Jiminy, “will not aid in this fruitless endeavor!”

“If it’s such a fruitless endeavor, then why are you so worried?” Abigail inquired with mock-innocence.

Rumplestiltskin giggled and clapped his hands together, enjoying the show greatly.

“Because it’s proof, proof that you’re all trying to destroy my happiness by taking my son from me!” she snarled.

Sufficiently distracted from Phillip and his smart mouth, Maleficent placed a hand over her mouth and shook her head in pity, “Oh, such a delusional girl. What has happened to you, Regina?”

“That doesn’t deserve a response, does it?” Grumpy stared at the many gobsmacked reactions Regina’s statement elicited. “Because that evil witch stole our happiness, then has the gall to accuse us of trying to steal hers? Is she kidding me!”

“You just commented when you said it doesn’t deserve one,” Kristoff pointed out.

Rolling his eyes, Grumpy slumped back in his seat, “Oh, shut up. Nobody likes a wise guy.”

The scene transitions to the Enchanted Forest. Jiminy is alone, listening to the crickets chirping around him, and he sees a blue star in the sky.

“Oh, Jiminy,” Snow sighed sadly.

Grimacing, Red said, “I was hoping we wouldn’t have to see anymore of Jiminy’s past.”

“Dead depressing, is what it is,” Granny nodded her agreement.

He closes his eyes and wishes loudly, and the Blue Fairy appears.

“Ah, the gnat!” Rumplestiltskin spat in disgust.

Blue glared in response.

Patting him on the hand, Belle sighed, “Rumple, behave. At least insult her in your head.”

“But where’s the fun in that?” he pouted.

“I hear your wish, you don’t need to wish it so loudly,” Blue says. “But it is not possible. I cannot bring back the boy’s parents.”

“That’s what you wished for?” Geppetto asked, the sheen of wetness having returned to his eyes. Especially when Jiminy told Blue he’d give his life in return for his parents’.

Jiminy nodded, “It was the greatest regret of my life.”

“HAH!” Rumplestiltskin yelled in his high-pitched tone when Blue insisted there was another way. “Sneaky fairies. And you wonder why I despise your kind. You call me a trickster, when most of your spells are loaded with trickery. Good-for-nothing gnats!”

Apoplectic, Blue puffed her chest in anger, “How dare you, Dark One!”

“Don’t talk about us like that!” Nova shrieked, her kind face looking odd as it contorted in rage.

“Would you like me to lie?” Rumplestiltskin sneered as he slowly transformed back into a man, which had him look more intimidating, his anger appearing more potent.

Realizing there always was a method to Rumplestiltskin’s madness, Belle said, “Can you explain?”

“No,” he said shortly, eyes politely on the screen.

Blue talks of the many challenges the little boy will face and that Jiminy could help him. He admits he can’t escape his parents and Blue asks what he’d like to be. Hearing his wish, Blue waves her wand and transforms Jiminy into a cricket.

“So that’s how you became a cricket!” David gasped, his curiosity finally appeased.

Snow smiled at the fairy, “You, Blue.”

“Yes,” she smiled sweetly; that smile, however, turned sour at another utterance of disgust from Rumplestiltskin.

“I still think becoming a cricket is a tad overdramatic,” Robin couldn’t help but state his opinion.

Not the least bit offended, Jiminy smiled, “It was the single most liberating experience of my life. I never felt such…freedom. It was everything I wanted, and more. I will never regret that wish and I am eternally grateful to Blue for granting it to me.”

Beaming once more, Blue said, “A fine conscience you made, Jiminy. I am so proud of you.”

Belle threw Rumplestiltskin a warning look, preventing him from interrupting the heartfelt moment with another snide comment or disdainful utterance.

“Find the boy, Jiminy. You will live as many years as you need to help him. Just find him,” Blue tells him.

Jiminy chirps, “How will I? I don’t even know his name.”

“His name is Geppetto.”

“GEPPETTO!”

“He was you?!”

“That little boy?”

“Okay, I know I should’ve seen that coming, but I did not see that coming!” Red gasped, her large eyes fixated on the blushing carpenter in shock.

“You were that little boy?” Snow said sadly. “Oh, Geppetto, how horrible it must have been to watch these events.”

David appeared speechless for a moment, “I’m sorry. I-I can’t imagine what you went through.” He didn’t think he’d be able to witness his mother’s death all over again – once was already too much to bear.

“That’s how the two of you met?” August stared at his father and friend in unmitigated shock. He was too young to ask about their first encounter, and at the time, with the Dark Curse coming, he never really cared to.

Grumpy inclined his head toward Red, “I’m with ya, sister. Didn’t see that coming, either.”

“Oh, but I did,” Rumplestiltskin couldn’t help but comment in a gloating manner.

Rolling his eyes, Neal and David echoed, “Of course you did.”

Rumplestiltskin smirked. From the very beginning, when Jiminy approached him that day… oh, Rumplestiltskin knew he wanted to get rid of his parents once and for all. And he could’ve given a different potion which would yield a more…permanent, less gruesome outcome; or even a different method, like he did with darling Snow White when she had been so consumed by bitterness and hate to the extent she wished to murder the Evil Queen. Instead, Rumplestiltskin gave Jiminy that specific potion because he knew the wrong parents would imbibe it.

It may seem cruel, but in the long run, Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto and even little Pinocchio made more than one appearance in his vision of the future where the Dark Curse was successfully cast, and he was one more step closer to finding his boy. The trauma of witnessing his parents as wooden puppets would one day inspire Geppetto to become a carpenter, thus allowing him to create the enchanted wardrobe so that the Savior could be granted a safe passage to the Land Without Magic. Furthermore, it inspired Geppetto to create Pinocchio, who for some reason, was important to the successful future.

Despite the arrogance he sometimes portrayed, Rumplestiltskin had his humble moments. He didn’t pretend to comprehend all his visions and could admit when he was lost. The gift of Sight he procured, after all, was mired in ambiguity and obscurity. Most times, however, he perfectly understood the different trajectories, manipulating events into place to complete the bigger and extremely convoluted tapestry of the future – he sometimes like to pretend he was like the Fates Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, weaving the strings of fate and snipping them with his shears whenever they rebelled against or disagreed with his end goal.

Back in Storybrooke, everyone is camped out in front of the mines, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Emma observes the closeness between Archie and Marco and asks Henry if Marco is Archie’s father. Henry reveals they're just old friends.

“Heaven’s no,” Geppetto chuckled sadly. “If anything, Jiminy has been more of a father to me, than I to him.”

Mulan nodded, “It makes sense. You stayed by his side since he was a child, and the Blue Fairy expanded your life so you could live as long as Geppetto.”

Suddenly, the chirping of crickets is heard.

“The Curse is weakening!” Snow and Red cheered.

Echoing Henry, Frederick said, “Things are changing.”

“Is it Emma or Henry’s doing, though?” David asked.

Rolling his eyes, Rumplestiltskin said, “Emma, of course. She is the Savior, and thus, all changes derive from her presence.”

Emma fought a blush, though she inwardly marveled at the constant proof that she really was changing things. On the other hand, Regina looked incensed, her nails digging unforgivably into the soft skin of her palms.

The scene changes to show the interior of Mr. Gold’s pawnshop; he is seen walking past a display where the wooden puppets of Geppetto’s parents sat.

“That’s sick!” Neal whispered as he stared at his father in horror.

Geppetto stared furiously at the screen, not daring to raise his voice again at the Dark One.

The others, however, had no problem airing their displeasure.

“What use do they have, sitting in your shop like that?” David hissed in disgust.

Jiminy curiously inquired, “What is their purpose, anyway?”

Suddenly, amid the cacophony of questions, Rumplestiltskin said, “You’re asking the wrong questions.”

“What’s the right one, then, Rumplestiltskin?” Snow asked calmly.

Rolling his eyes and letting out an annoyed breath at their stupidity, Rumplestiltskin delicately articulated each word, “Oh, I don’t know… How about: Are they dead?”

An eerie silence filled the room; and Geppetto whirled around to meet Rumplestiltskin’s gaze, hope and fear fighting for dominance on his face. “Don’t let my hopes up for something I never considered possible,” he pleaded huskily.

“What lies are you spouting now, Dark One!?” Blue sneered.

“This is exactly why I hate your kind, Reul Ghorm. You practice that which you do not understand.”

Blue retorted immediately, “Magic cannot bring back the dead.”

“That is, unfortunately, true,” Rumplestiltskin inclined his head curtly, “if Geppetto’s parents were dead. I never told Jiminy the potion would kill, merely that it will set him free. Or don’t you remember? Wording is everything.”

“Not everyone is as skilled as you are in finding and creating loopholes, Rumplestiltskin” Regina snapped in irritation.

Graham radiated utter confusion, “I don’t understand. Why would you give such despicable people a chance at life? It makes no sense.”

“Unless…” Belle gasped, her eyes widening on her true love in awed wonder and a bit of horror.

It was Maleficent who continued that line of thought, having reached to the same conclusion as Belle. “You knew the wrong couple would take the potion, didn’t you, Rumplestiltskin?” she asked, part-amused, part-astonished.

David chuckled, “That’s… no, he didn’t. That would be…”

“Remarkable,” Snow gasped.

“You knew my parents suspected me,” Jiminy sounded accusing, though he tried not to sound as aggressive as he knew he should be at the disclosure of that shocking revelation. “That my father would switch them out and give it to Donna and Stephen!?”

Fighting against the transformation, Rumplestiltskin’s scaly hand emerged for a brief moment, his voice high-pitched as he said: “I can see the futureee!” in a loud, dramatic chant, before he regained his normal voice.

“Why?” Geppetto asked quietly, eyes shamelessly welling with tears. He no longer fought with his emotions, allowing his sadness to be on display for everyone to see. “Why let it happen? I could have… I could have grown up with parents. Instead, you let me become an orphan.”

“Could have, should have, would have,” Rumplestiltskin slurred his words together impatiently and with a hint of mocking. “Ask yourself this, dearie. If the events hadn't happened the way they had, what would have happened? Jiminy would have stayed a thief, enslaved to his parents’ will and forced to do their bidding until the day he died. Because let’s face it, the only reason you had the strength and courage to leave them was because of the tragedy that befell the poor couple. You never would have become a cricket, a conscience, and all the aid you had given to Snow White, Price Charming, etcetera, etcetera never would have come to be.”

Those who Jiminy helped throughout the years stared at each other in shock, unable to imagine what life would have been like without the cricket chirping around, giving them advice and simply being their conscience whenever they abandoned theirs.

For his part, Jiminy looked horrified at the vivid picture the Dark One painted… because he knew Rumplestiltskin spoke the truth. His parents’ role in Stephen’s and Donna’s deaths, and their utter lack of care or remorse for orphaning Geppetto is what finally pushed him, giving him the strength to fight back and the courage to ignore their attempt at blackmailing him into staying with them. If that event never happened…he shuddered, Jiminy was certain he’d have stayed an unhappy thief till his dying day.

“And you,” Rumplestiltskin looked to Geppetto. “You never would have gained a fascination for wood-carving, never would have become a carpenter. So many interesting things you never would have built. And your boy… your Pinocchio, he never would have existed.”

August shivered at the mere notion of not existing; a fear he struggled with ever since Blue turned him into a real boy.

Even Geppetto looked appalled at such a future. He loved his parents, yes. And he would have liked to have been raised by them.... But, he couldn’t imagine a life without Jiminy or Pinocchio.

Zelena sneered at Rumplestiltskin, knowing exactly what he meant by ‘interesting things,’ as it was the old man who fashioned the wardrobe the Savior came out of.

“You’re playing God,” Emma observed shrewdly.

Rumplestiltskin let out a bark of laughter, “Certainly not, Ms. Swan. I merely present options that would lead to the best possible future. Jiminy could have decided against using the potion. If he had thrown it away, none of this would have happened the way it did. So many what if’s, and it is me who rifles through them.”

“Why? What’s in it for you?” Snow asked.

Smirking, Rumplestiltskin said, “Again, that is my business.”

“So you can…you can return my parents to their true form?” Geppetto asked hesitantly, still afraid to hope.

He inclined his head, “For a price, of course.”

“Of course,” David repeated sarcastically.

Maleficent rolled her eyes, “He already explained this to you before with Cinderella. All magic comes with a price.”

“Yes, and I wouldn’t want to pay that price, thank you very much,” he sneered at David. Turning back to Geppetto, he said, “Not to worry, I doubt it’ll be steep.”

“But how?” August asked in wonder while Neal gaped at his father in profound shock, unable to comprehend the ingenuity of his mind or his altruism.

Brown eyes studied August for a moment before he said, “It’s a simple procedure really. A counter-potion, is all. Frankly, I’m astounded, Reul Ghorm,” he sneered at the fairy, who immediately had her hackles raised, “You allowed Pinocchio to be a real boy, albeit with irritating conditions, how could you not know how to turn them back.”

All eyes were on Blue as she furiously defended herself, “Pinocchio was fashioned from an enchanted tree. That is light magic. Geppetto’s parents were transformed using vile dark magic…your magic. It was beyond my power.”

“Are you sure?” Rumplestiltskin mocked her, “Or is it simply you not wanting to get your wand dirty, hmm?”

“That isn’t true!” Nova shrieked in defense of her mentor.

“Blue?” Geppetto asked in a voice filled with sorrow.

Head shaking rapidly, Blue adopted a pleading tone, “I made a vow a long time ago, I would combat dark magic, but not cast it. Your parents were made into puppets with the vilest of all magic, a creation of the Dark One himself. It was out of my hands.”

Not knowing how to feel, Snow, feeling torn, wearily said, “Let’s just…continue watching.”

Rumplestiltskin giggled victoriously, his amber eyes glowing triumphantly at the woebegone expression on Blue’s face.

At the hospital, Mary Margaret puts her letter of resignation into the mailbox at the counter.

“Snow, no. Why?” David asked.

Sheepishly, Snow shrugged, “I guess it was too hard for Mary Margaret; I mean, every time you two are together, Kathryn interrupts, reminding her he’s a married man.”

“Yes, to you!” David exclaimed impatiently.

She nodded, “I know that. Mary Margaret doesn’t.”

Shaking his head and glad for the distraction from the Dark One’s revelation, Robin said, “Your cursed lives are really confusing.”

“You’re telling me!” Grumpy huffed with another glare at Regina.

For her part, Regina was busy combating the envy that threatened to overtake her at the thought of Geppetto getting his parents back. She knew the situation with Daniel was completely different…but still, it burned. That all his life, the carpenter believed his parents dead, and all of a sudden, Rumplestiltskin tore down his reality and blessed him with a miracle. A miracle she needed! A miracle he refused her!

‘Dead is dead, dearie,’ Regina could hear his impish voice echoing in her head as she recalled the last time he chanted that at her.

The final scene is outside the mines, everyone is still laughing and drinking and hanging out. Off to the side stands Regina; she takes out the shard of glass she picked up earlier in the day, and throws it down the air shaft. The shot follows the glass’s trajectory as it bounces around and keeps on falling until it hits the ground near a very familiar glass coffin.

Snow emitted her loudest gasp yet, wide green eyes staring at Regina in disbelief, “My coffin!”

“Your what now?” Merida stared at Snow, aghast. “Didn’t really take you for the morbid type, Snow.”

“No, it’s …” Snow attempted and failed to explain. Shaking her head, she turned back to glare at Regina, confused. “Why would you bring it with you?”

Shrugging, Regina said, “I don’t know where everything is, you know? I may have cast the Dark Curse, but even I don’t know what it brought with it. What I wanted to bring, yes…anything else, no.”

“That was so eerie, don’t you think?” Red rubbed her arms which were overcome with goosebumps. Graham hesitantly put an arm around her and rubbed comforting circles in her back. Red beamed at him and for a moment, Snow was distracted from the sight of her coffin, smiling at the sight her friends made.

Belle, however, asked an interesting question, “How did a shard of the coffin end up all the way up there?”

“A curious question, Belle,” Rumplestiltskin said. “My best guess is that since the earthquake was a magical event as opposed to a natural one, a piece gravitated upward in hopes of acting as a clue to the Savior. Another instance of the Savior’s presence weakening the Curse’s grasp.”

Chapter Text

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Regina snapped.

Rumplestiltskin cocked his head, an amused smile curving his lips, “Doesn’t it? Or can it be you simply don’t understand light magic.”

“Light magic?” Snow, David, and Regina echoed in various emotional states.

“I don’t have magic,” Emma said firmly.

Simultaneously, Neal harshly insisted, “Emma doesn’t have magic!”

Flamboyantly rubbing his hands together, Rumplestiltskin stared at the five, “Oooh, such…hostility, such…antagonism. Why is that, I wonder?” And his amber eyes seemed to glow particularly intensely at Neal. “Yes, light magic. It is, along with dark magic, an essence of magic herself. A vessel of the strongest light magic can combat dark magic. And the Dark Curse is dark, dearies.” He looked to be enjoying himself, particularly the slowly dawning horror on Regina and (for some odd reason) Neal’s faces. At the disbelief shown by Emma, Snow, and David, he impatiently said, “Ask yourselves this, why do you think Ms. Swan’s presence in Storybrooke is constantly creating such disturbances to the Curse?”

Spluttering, a disbelieving laugh emanated from Emma, “But that’s ridiculous. I don’t have magic.” When silence met her statement, she insisted, “Trust me, if I had magic, I’d know.”

Surprising everyone with her contribution and the confidence in her words, Tiger Lily spoke up, “All Saviors generally use light magic. They're born with it.”

“Precisely,” Rumplestiltskin stared at her with intrigue.

Emma was adamant. “I can’t have magic. I mean, twenty-eight years, you’d think I’d have done something magical by now.”

“You’re in a land without magic,” Tiger Lily stated blandly. “Perhaps if you had lived in the Enchanted Forest, you’d have presented a magical aptitude growing up.”

Sensing the contentious issue could cause a long debate or hurt feelings, Belle intruded, “How about we cross that bridge when we get there, hmm?”

Nodding rapidly, gratefully, Emma breathed out, “Yeah, let’s.”

It didn’t escape Rumplestiltskin’s or Belle’s notice, the mixed feelings Neal Cassidy was bottling up; his posture was painfully tense, and his mien was becoming unapproachable as he stared at Emma with apparent conflict in his brown eyes.

“He is not a fan of magic, is he, Rumple?” Belle whispered, too low for anyone but her true love and Jefferson to hear.

Having transformed back to his human form, Rumplestiltskin curtly dipped his head, “I wonder why that may be.” He turned to his most trusted acquaintance, “Jefferson, do you know this… this Neal Cassidy?”

Shrugging a shoulder, Jefferson bit the inside of his cheek as he studied Neal. “He’s definitely nobody I’ve encountered before in any of the lands I’ve been to.”

“Interesting…” Rumplestiltskin murmured.

The scene opens in Storybrooke: David and Kathryn Nolan are standing outside their house.

“Looks like you’re out of the hospital,” Abigail said, clearly displeased.

Just as unhappy with their current predicament, David sighed, “Looks like it.”

Regina sat back and cackled in clear enjoyment. “Now this, I can’t wait to see.”

Snow glared at her; she was about to make some snarky remark about their misery entertaining her before she swallowed the urge, remembering that yes, the whole point of the Evil Queen enacting the Dark Curse was to bask in their misery.

Kathryn explains that when David first saw the house he couldn’t get past the ugly windmill on the lawn, which David remarks is gone.

“I have no memory of this! It’s absolutely ridiculous!” Abigail couldn’t get over the new fake memories Regina had created in the future in order to keep Snow and David apart. “It was Kathryn’s house in Storybrooke, not one she picked out with David!”

Going inside, there is a welcome home party for David, and Kathryn starts introducing him to some of the guests.

Emma scoffed, her head shaking in disbelief. “This is unbelievable. None of these people knew David before; all this time he’s a John Doe and no one comes looking; and all of a sudden, everyone knows him.”

“It’s the curse,” Rumplestiltskin said simply, as though it was explanation enough.

“It’s stupid is what it is,” Emma retorted.

David rubbed a hand down his face, “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“At least you don’t have two separate identities creating havoc in your head,” Jefferson huffed, envious of David’s situation.

Dr. Whale is there, explaining that while the party might be a lot, it’s good as the smallest thing can trigger his memories.

“I hope not,” David said.

Henry and Emma are in another part of the room, isolated from the other guests. Henry is telling Emma that the reason David doesn’t remember is because the curse isn’t working on him yet.

“He really did his homework on the Dark Curse, huh,” Neal commented with a smile, eyes fondly taking in his son.

Maleficent shook her head, “It is astounding how knowledgeable he is, and all from a storybook.”

“Rub it in why don’t you,” Regina sneered. She couldn’t help but feel a burning rage whenever the storybook was brought up, nor could she stop glaring at Snow White for her part in all of it. (Unintentional or not, the blasted woman always unwittingly ruined her life, almost like she’d made a sport of it!)

“Our lives would be so much easier if we just listen to Henry,” Snow let out a small, sad chuckle.

“Okay, now you’re rubbing it in,” Emma imitated her mother’s chuckle as she watched in irritation as her future-self brushed off Henry.

When Emma explains that David has amnesia, Henry adamantly says, “Which is preventing the curse from replacing his fairytale story with fake memories.”

“How does he know this?” Regina demanded angrily; she looked like she was about to breathe fire. “I’m sure that blasted book didn’t explain the intricacies of the curse.”

“Henry’s a smart boy, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin smirked. “He doesn’t need a manual; it’s common sense.”

Zelena sneered, “To you maybe.”

“Oh, come now, dearie,” Rumplestiltskin turned his sharp gaze toward Zelena, “the very definition of amnesia is experiencing a loss of memories. Without his memories, he cannot take on the identity of Charming or of David Nolan. Now…” he grinned gleefully at Regina, “the question is, if he does manage to gain his memories, which one will it be, I wonder…?”

Sneering at him, Regina said, “Nolan, of course!”

“Are you suuure?” he giggled upon rapidly morphing back to his beastly form.

“Yes!”

Inwardly fuming, Zelena hurried to avert her gaze; she was disappointed in herself. When Rumplestiltskin held her captive under his sharp brown gaze, his undivided attention focused on her and only her, she felt slight arousal and a heady, giddy-like happiness she only felt twice before: when she first met the Dark One, and sometime into her extremely brief relationship with a certain god of the underworld. She believed she was over Rumplestiltskin; unfortunately, the bloody imp had gotten under her skin and despite the years and the festering resentment, she couldn’t shake him off. Not completely.

Henry proceeds to insist to Emma that David is Prince Charming and that the only way to jog his memories is by getting him and Mary Margaret together.

“Our very own cupid,” Snow laughed, her green eyes sparkling with joy as they took in Henry.

Hitting Regina with a contemptuous glare, Phillip turned to his new friends and asked, “But didn’t they already try to get your cursed-selves together and fail?”

Unknowingly echoing Henry, David said, “It wasn’t a total fail. I did wake up.”

“Unfortunately, Regina having a backup plan was unexpected,” Snow stared angrily at said woman.

Emitting a scoff, Regina arched a brow superciliously, “I always have a backup plan.”

“Ah no, ye don’t,” Rumplestiltskin made sure to emphasize each word in his nasal impish tone, fingers dancing erratically. “You have desperate, last second plans that aren't executed properly.”

Giving him a mean look, Regina said, “I’d say Kathryn Nolan was brilliantly executed. It worked!”

“Yeah, barely,” Rumplestiltskin bared his teeth in a mocking smile. “Like I said before, it was hastily concocted, and with Ms. Swan in town, quite foolish, really. The Savior might not believe, but trust me, dearie, she’s been smelling something fishy from the moment Kathryn Nolan made her spectacular entrance.”

“Seriously, Rumplestiltskin! Whose side are you on?!” Regina fumed, glaring daggers at the giggling imp.

Hands clasped together, Abigail chanted, “Oh please let Emma stop this… please let Emma stop this…”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do if my future-self doesn’t believe in the curse,” Emma said grimly, apologetically.

David approaches Emma and Henry, recalling them as the ones who saved him and that they're the only ones he knows.

“This is the first time my future-self sees and speaks to my daughter,” David stared at the screen with awe before ruefully shaking his head. “I can’t believe it. I should recognize you!”

Empathizing with him, Snow sadly said, “Welcome to my world.”

The morose mood Snow and David created died down as some laughter ensued when Henry asked David if he ever wielded a sword after watching him spear some food from a passing tray with a toothpick.

“He’s so precious!” Snow cooed. “Oh, Emma, you did good.”

Vehemently affronted, Regina snapped, “Uh, excuse me, I did good. I am, after all—”

In a kind of bored, monotone, Neal, Granny, Grumpy, Red, Zelena, Anna, Kristoff, and Robin intoned, “His mother.”

Glaring at the room in general, her eyes flashing vindictively at Neal and Robin in particular, Regina hissed, “No. I was going to say I raised him.”

“Yes, but he’s Emma’s blood,” Snow explained delicately. “When I say she did good, I’m talking about the beautiful, smart boy she created, gave birth to, brought into this world.”

Ignoring Snow, Regina addressed those that mocked her, “I wouldn’t find the need to constantly repeat myself if you’d all keep in mind that I am Henry’s mother and not Emma.”

“She just had to repeat it one more time, didn’t she?” Robin grinned, leaning into Neal so Regina wouldn’t overhear him and descend into another hissy fit.

He then asks about Mary Margaret; unfortunately, according to Emma, she couldn’t make it.

“And there it is,” David grinned. “I had a feeling I’d be asking about you soon.”

“And you barely lasted a minute, despite your wife being there,” Regina drawled.

Abigail was as stiff as a board when she snapped, “I am not his wife!”

“She is not my wife!” David said simultaneously.

In the kitchen, Regina is convincing Kathryn that there is plenty of food and that she should be with her husband.

The glare Regina found herself on the receiving end of from Abigail could put Medusa to shame, truth be told. She tried to mask her fidgeting as an attempt to make herself more comfortable and when that didn’t work, she addressed the trolley. “Tell me you make a mean Bloody Mary?”

In response, the trolley wheeled toward her and a large tumbler of murky red liquid slid over. Grabbing it, she took a large gulp, her face hidden behind the wide, circular rim.

“Is it extra bloody, Regina?” Abigail said saccharinely.

“Hmm. Oh yes, it’s quite good,” she responded promptly, eyes averted.

Rumplestiltskin giggled as he slowly turned back into a man, enjoying the conundrum Regina found herself in. Whenever Regina screwed people over, she had magic at her disposal, or at the least, there stood a vast distance between them. Not now. Now, all her sins would be bared for all to see, including her victims, and she had no one, no magic, and no distance, to protect her. ‘This is going to be fun!’

“I lost him once. Now I have him back. But it’s like I still don’t have him back. You have no idea how that feels,” Kathryn says.

At every sentence Kathryn spoke, Abigail would promptly deliver an angry retort, “I never lost him!” … “I don’t want him back!!” … “You shouldn’t want him back!” and lastly, “Who cares if she knows how it feels!”

Regina merely sneered.

Zelena, however, released a loud sigh of irritation, “Is this how it’s going to be with you every bloody time your cursed-self talks about your stupid cursed marriage?”

“When you have to watch yourself whine and pine over someone who isn’t your husband, then talk to me!” Abigail retorted hotly. She was really worked up about the entire Kathryn-David-marriage farce and all she wanted to do was wrap her hands around Regina’s neck and strangle her.

In response, Zelena snapped back, “Well, I’m the one who has to sit here and listen to you groan and moan about it over and over and over. This hasn’t happened yet.”

“It’s the yet that worries me,” Snow sighed.

Piercing Regina with another glare, Abigail threatened, “If when we return to Storybrooke and you dare to arrange this farce, I swear to you, once Emma breaks the curse – because trust me, she will! – I’ll ensure you get the slowest execution to date!”

Masking her fear behind a haughty smirk, Regina said, “You’re assuming Ms. Swan does break the curse. Why, with what we witness here, if she does happen to break it, I’ll just learn so that she won’t be able to in the new future.”

Shrewdly, Snow said, “Somehow, I doubt our host would've brought you here if that was a possibility.”

“That’s his first mistake then, isn’t it?” Regina smirked.

Regina reveals she did lose someone once. “But the love I lost, there’s no bringing him back.”

“One would think since you loved and lost someone, you wouldn’t want others to suffer through what you did,” Abigail sneered, unwilling to feel sympathy for the Evil Queen.

August scoffed, “She wants everyone to feel her pain. That’s the kind of person she is.” He still hadn't forgiven her for the way she spoke to his father, or for the cruel things she said.

“I am not arguing about this with you people,” Regina snarled.

Kathryn thanks Regina for being a good friend; that she’s been so lonely she isn’t used to having one. When Regina agrees, Kathryn declares they're friends before she leaves to find David.

“You can be friends with the chopping block!” Abigail hissed, arms crossed and expression unforgiving.

Red grimaced. “Oh, gods. Looks like you two are going to be…friends,” she shuddered dramatically.

“Built on some fake foundation,” Abigail sneered.

Sneering back, Regina huffed, “You think I want to be friends with you?!”

“Of course, she inserted herself in your life so she can encourage you to stick with your ‘husband’ but once that relationship runs its course… what shall you do, dear?” Maleficent inquired, feigning confusion.

“Kathryn and David Nolan will stay married, if I have my say in it!” Regina shot back, unwilling to believe otherwise.

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “You can’t fight true love, dearie. One way or another, David Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard will find a way to each other.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said confidently.

David, however, left the party.

“I wonder where he went off to,” Red laughed knowingly.

Beaming at Snow, David leaned in for a kiss, “Like there was ever any doubt.”

The scene transitions to the exterior of Mary Margaret's apartment building where she is trying to hang a birdhouse.

“Whether you’re Snow or Mary Margaret, you’ll never change,” Red remarked.

Snow smiled modestly, “I’ve always had a soft spot for birds.”

“Don’t we know it, sister,” Grumpy grumbled.

“Your compassion and generosity for all living creatures are some of the qualities that captured my heart,” David smiled.

Zelena rolled her eyes, “Now he’s a poet.”

“Romance isn’t really your forte, huh?” August asked.

Scoffing, Regina said, “Like Greenie ever found herself on the receiving end of somebody’s undying love.”

“You’d be surprised!” Zelena retorted irritably as the apples of her cheek turned green.

David wonders why she didn’t attend the party and brings up her resignation from the hospital.

A loud grumble echoed in the room and all eyes turned to Grumpy.

“What, I’m hungry!” he harrumphed.

Suddenly, Troll produced a popcorn machine along with a tall stack of large popcorn buckets.

The inhabitants of the Land Without Magic immediately recognized the machine as well as the addictive snack, most of them wasting no time in filling up a bucket for themselves and dipping their hand in. Those from the Enchanted Forest, on the other hand, needed a quick introduction and explanation, as well as help in filling up their respective buckets. When the machine started to emit deafening popping sounds, Mulan whipped out her sword while Phillip and Arthur adopted a fighting stance.

“What demonic contraption is this?” Macintosh jumped to his feet, subconsciously putting himself in front of Merida in a protective stance.

Laughing, Snow helped Granny, Neal and Nova in filling and handing out buckets to the confused group from the Enchanted Forest. “Relax,” she giggled. “It’s just a machine that makes popcorn. Put your sword away, Mulan, it’s an inanimate object and can’t hurt you or anyone in this room.”

“Not like anyone can be harmed anyway,” Maleficent drawled as she hesitantly reached into her bucket and pulled the odd-shaped edible to study closely.

Leaning closer, Victor inquired in confusion, “If you were brought to Storybrooke with the curse, how do you not know what popcorn is?”

“Let’s just say that where Regina put me, I didn’t exactly experience a great quality of life,” the sorceress glared daggers at Regina, who was busy dipping popcorn into her Bloody Mary and popping them into her mouth.

Having overheard her, Aurora sniffed, “Serves you right. I don’t approve of the Evil Queen and her evil doings, but one thing I can be thankful to her for is taking you away from our land and imprisoning you wherever you are.”

“At least someone appreciates me,” Regina mumbled to herself through a mouthful of popcorn.

Only too glad to burst her bubble, Zelena sneered, “She didn’t say that, you barmy fool.”

“Was I talking to you? No. So shut it, green goblin!” Regina retorted.

“This is delicious!” Merida shrieked happily. “We need to get the recipe. My brothers would love these cornpops!”

“It’s pop-corn, you ridiculous girl!” Macintosh corrected her, irritation heavy on his features.

She glared at him, “Stuff it, Mac!”

The only person who hadn’t helped herself to some popcorn, Tiger Lily glared at the screen and snapped, “Can we please get on with this?!”

“What crawled up your arse?” Merida’s voice came out muffled due to the overload of popcorn in her mouth, her cheeks bulging adorably like a chipmunk.

Staring at her in disgust, Tiger Lily said, “Are you not a princess? Should you not have more manners? A lady… a princess does not use such vulgar words, especially not in the company of other royals and your elders. Second, you should never eat with your mouth full.”

Merida’s face turned a flaming red, almost as red as her hair, and she glared into her bucket of popcorn, “I already have a Ma, who isn’t here. So thank you, but I don’t need to hear criticisms from somebody who doesn’t even have the decency to give out her name, or try to get along with everyone else.”

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “Ah, you’ve got fire, don’t you, little princess.”

Macintosh stared at the Dark One with a large amount of wariness. He didn’t know how he should feel with the Dark One’s sudden interest in his princess. He may not stand the girl, but he was a Lord, and it was his duty to keep her safe and protected until he could return her to her father and his king.

“She sure got you there, aye,” Killian smirked as he dug into the bucket Nova had just given him. Beaming at the pretty and soft-spoken fairy, he said, “Thank you, love.”

Nova blushed furiously, a few giggles leaving her lips.

Grumpy glared and shoved a fist into his bucket.

“Whoever married Kathryn, it’s not me. I didn’t choose her. I’m choosing you. Now I know you feel it. I can tell,” he insists.

Regina looked trouble, something which Rumplestiltskin and Maleficent instantly noticed.

“No the Evil Queen chose her!” Anna remarked. “This sucks. I don’t like this at all. You’re an evil person, you know that?”

Rolling her eyes, Regina drawled, “Yes, I believe it’s in the moniker I was given, you nitwit!”

“Watch your tongue!” Elsa hissed threateningly.

Grumpy was looking at David with hope, “You really could be the first person to regain their memories. Then you’d be able to help Henry convince Emma.”

Rumplestiltskin let out an almost silent chuckle and Zelena glared at him, having deduced the truth hours ago that somebody was awake and has been ever since Emma Swan rode into town in her yellow bug.

“It feels like David. My David. You,” Snow released a happy sigh as she leaned into her husband’s embrace. “Watching us… you feel like my Charming, not David Nolan.”

“It’s because of his amnesia. He’s more like your husband than he is David Nolan,” Belle stated.

“Fingers crossed you remember soon,” Emma said. It would really take some of the pressure off her, having someone else carry the weight; as well as give Henry validation that he wasn’t crazy. Heck, maybe the two could team together and make her believe.

David beamed at his daughter, “Your mother and I have always been big on hope.”

“I know you think that we have this connection, but maybe it’s because I happened to be the person who saved your life? So why don’t we leave it at that.” Mary Margaret turns around and walks away.

“Boo!” Grumpy and Red intoned emphatically as they threw a handful of popcorn at the screen.

Snow stomped her feet on the ground, “I hate myself so much right now! Why does Mary Margaret have to be so moral! Ugh!”

“He is a married man,” Regina smirked nastily.

“Yes, married to me!” Snow snarled.

Clearing her throat, Abigail said, “If it makes you feel any better, Snow, you have my full permission to start an affair with my cursed-self’s fake husband. Maybe then our marriage will end and I’ll find my way to my husband!”

Regina sneered in response, “That won’t be happening, dear. Not under my watch; and definitely not in my town.”

Imitating her, Abigail said, “We’ll see.”

“Badass Abigail!” Red cheered.

The scene transitions to the Enchanted Forest; Prince James is locked in an intense fight with a Behemoth.

“David!” Snow gasped, a hand flying to cover her mouth when Prince James pretended to be dead as the Behemoth approached him with his weapon raised. “What is this?!”

“I don’t…know,” David trailed off in sudden recognition and he whipped around to stare at Rumplestiltskin as though asking for proof. The Dark One dipped his head in response and David grimaced, realizing he was about to witness the last moments of the twin brother he never knew.

Grumpy stared at him in disbelief, “What do you mean you don’t know. This is your past!”

‘Not exactly…’ David thought sadly as his blue eyes hungrily took in James’s arrogance and confidence, and his skills as a swordsman.

“Next time, make sure I’m really dead,” he told the Behemoth as he fell to the ground ‘dead.’

Red cocked her head, “I’ve never known you to be so… bloodthirsty.”

“I like it,” Grumpy growled.

“There’s a shocker,” Regina rolled her eyes.

Nova looked on sadly at what her Dreamy had become.

Suddenly, Snow’s eyes grew round, “Ooohhh! Oh, David.” She promptly reached out for his hand and David gratefully latched on to it.

“Yeah,” he sighed.

Confused, Emma stared at her parents, “What are you two talking about?”

“Oh, you’ll see,” Rumplestiltskin said knowingly.

Grumpy crossed his arms together in a huff, “Seriously. Is there anything you don’t know?!”

King George proudly boasts to King Midas about his son: “You see what my son did to that brute? He just killed the unkillable.”

“Father!” Abigail sucked in a sharp intake of breath.

“Where is your father, my love?” Frederick asked curiously.

Glaring at Regina once again, Abigail said, “Oh I don’t have parents. My father apparently abandoned me at birth, while my mother is some flighty prostitute who spends most of her time getting drunk at The Rabbit Hole. She’s not even my mother, just one of my father’s subjects from back home – a nice, modest woman, I might add, who Regina cursed into being the complete opposite of her true-self.”

Regina smiled, “You should be glad I didn’t actually kill your father.”

“Keep talking, witch,” Frederick snapped.

“King Midas,” Rumplestiltskin prefaced, the sound of his voice and his words drawing everyone’s attention, “is the owner of a high-end jewelry store that caters to some of Storybrooke’s more… wealthy residents.”

Abigail looked relieved, “That’s good. Ironic, but good.”

“Ironic?” Neal inquired before his eyes widened in comprehension. “Oh, that Midas! Wow.”

Tearing his gaze from the frozen form of King George, David asked, “What about him?”

“Your father?” Phillip inquired in confusion, not comprehending the apparent antagonism in David’s voice.

Graham chuckled, “You want to hear about irony? King George is Storybrooke’s DA.” He then elaborated on what a Defense Attorney is to those from the Enchanted Forest upon noticing their confused miens.

“You just had to give him power, didn’t you?” David sneered at Regina.

Grinning widely, Regina said, “He was an ally of mine, was he not?”

“You don’t like your father?” Aurora asked tentatively.

On the other hand, Mulan sharply inquired, “Why would your father ally himself with the Evil Queen?!”

“He’s not my father,” David hissed under his breath.

King Midas wants James to slay a dragon that plagues his kingdom and King George offers his son’s services in return for gold. He holds up his hand and someone removes it. “Careful. Remember what happened to Frederick,” King Midas cautions.

“What happened to Frederick?” Emma and Neal asked in unison.

“…” Frederick shook his head, “It’ll probably come up later.”

At the reminder of that dark and horrible period of her life without Frederick, Abigail squeezed her frame to her husband’s side and embraced him tightly.

 “It’s alright, Abigail. I’m here, my love, I’m here and I’m not leaving you again,” he cooed in her ear.

He then turns James’s sword into gold.

“Oh!” Emma suddenly understood what Neal meant, “That Midas.”

“I don’t understand your colloquialism… is there some other King Midas I am not aware of?” Abigail asked.

Neal whistled, “Your kingdom must have never wanted for anything, huh. With the ability to turn anything into gold, just wow.”

Slightly offended, Rumplestiltskin pointed out, “I can turn straw into gold. You didn’t find that as impressive.”

“Yes, but you’re the Dark One. It comes from your magic,” Neal shrugged, not wanting to admit to his father that he marveled at that ability in comparison as to how they used to struggle for gold before he became the Dark One.

Amused, Abigail said, “And my father’s ability to turn anything into gold is also born of magic. In fact, it’s a curse, not a blessing.”

“Yes… cursed by a vindictive enchantress, if I recall his tale correctly,” Rumplestiltskin mused out loud.

Surprised, Abigail asked, “You know my father?”

“Who do you suppose gave him those oh-so convenient gloves that conceal his touch?” Rumplestiltskin smirked, a titter escaping him as he slowly morphed back into his impish form.

Confused, Neal pointed out, “According to the fables, the Greek god Dionysus gifted Midas with the golden touch.”

“Blaghh!” Rumplestiltskin uttered. “Haven’t you learned by now, dearie, that almost all our stories from the Land Without Magic are inaccurate. King Midas was cursed as a result of his greed.”

Offended on behalf of her father, Abigail snapped, “That is not true. My father is not greedy. In fact, he thinks of his golden touch as a burden.”

“Yes. Now. After your grandmother cursed him,” Rumplestiltskin stated with relish.

“What?” she gasped, vehemently surprised. “My… my grandmother?”

Arching an eyebrow in a dramatic fashion, Rumplestiltskin tsked, “Dear, oh dear, do you mean to say you do not know your own history?”

Adamant, Abigail demanded, “Tell me. I want to know about my family.”

“If what he speaks is the truth,” Frederick appeared skeptical.

Defending her true love, Belle insisted, “Rumple doesn’t lie.”

“Yes… he uses loopholes and trickery, but never lies,” Regina agreed grudgingly.

“I’m so touched by your opinion of me, your majesty,” Rumplestiltskin tittered.

Repeating herself, Abigail spoke in a stronger, louder voice, “Tell me. I want to know. Please!”

“Well, since you said pleasee,” Rumplestiltskin flamboyantly steepled his hands together, index fingers tapping against each other as he perched his chin on them. “King Midas always had an…obsession for riches. Always wanted more, always paranoid his kingdom would starve during winters, just like when he was a child and his grandfather was king. Right after he married your mother, he came upon a troll hoard and a small battle waged between your kingdom and the trolls for that gold. Your mother, she died. Collateral damage,” he batted a hand as though what happened to her was unimportant.

Abigail gasped.

“The demon lies,” Frederick insisted as he pulled his wife closer to his side.

Shaking her head with dawning realization, Abigail said in a whisper, “No. He speaks the truth. I was very young when my mother died. Whenever I would ask about her, Father would get this- this pained look on his face and change the subject.”

“If it makes any difference, my father came to aid yours during this small battle,” Phillip added with a compassionate smile. “He told me about it upon their victory and showed me a couple gold pieces he was given by King Midas in appreciation for our kingdom’s aid. The Dark One isn’t lying about that part, at the very least.”

“He isn’t lying about anything. And don’t you dare call him a demon!” Belle snapped at Frederick as she tightly gripped Rumplestiltskin’s hand, feeling the scaliness and talons receding as he changed forms again.

In a shaky voice, Abigail said, “Please, what happened next.”

“Alas, King Midas never knew his mother-in-law was an enchantress; a lifelong student of Yzma, in fact—” Rumplestiltskin made a face at the sorceress’s name.

Interrupting Rumplestiltskin, Maleficent uttered a noise of irritated disgust, “Ugh, that ridiculous, incompetent cow? I can’t stand that sorceress-wannabe.”

Flicking a hand toward her in impatience, Rumplestiltskin sighed, “Yes, yes. You’ve only complained about her a hundred times.”

“Try a thousand,” Regina rolled her eyes.

“Can you believe, she thinks herself a better sorceress than me?! The idiocy—” Maleficent started muttering in the background.

“So!” Rumplestiltskin increased the volume of his voice to get total silence and so that he could be heard over Maleficent’s mumbled invectives about Yzma, “She cursed Midas for the death of her daughter. She claimed, since he was so obsessed with gold, he can kill himself and his kingdom with his obsession like he did her daughter. Next thing King Midas knew, anything and everything he touched would turn into gold. He couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, he couldn’t interact with you or rule his people. He could do nothing but curse the very thing of his obsession.”

Cupping her hands over her mouth, Abigail gasped, “What did he do?”

“Why, he came to me,” Rumplestiltskin bared his teeth in a sinister smile.

Killian rolled his eyes, “Now why am I not surprised? When in need, go to the Crocodile seems to be the motto to you people.”

“Who else could provide them with the magical aid they need,” Rumplestiltskin sneered at the pirate. He then glared at Blue and Nova, “These gnats can’t seem to do anything for fear of darkening their magic.”

Blue puffed up in rage; however, before she could defend herself and her sisters, Abigail shushed her, “Please, argue on this later. I would like to know what happened next with my father.”

Rumplestiltskin appeared to be enjoying himself. “Oh, he was particularly devastated over the fact he couldn’t comfort his daughter as he mourned the loss of his wife… and then he called for me. I gave him those gloves he cannot seem to part with. It protects him and everyone else from his golden touch.”

Staring sadly at her husband, Abigail murmured for only him to ear, “Not everyone.”

At the mention of concealing gloves, Elsa perked up, her and Anna trading looks of realization. Rumplestiltskin grinned knowingly, having already foreseen their next inquiry.

“Did you—”

Before Elsa could remotely finish her sentence, Rumplestiltskin said, “Yes. It originally came from me. Such a small world, don’t you think?”

“And what did you ask in return from King Midas?” David demanded, not curious enough to inquire over Rumplestiltskin’s brief conversation with the Arendelle sisters.

“Never you mind. The deal that was struck is between King Midas and me!” Rumplestiltskin said adamantly, prompting many curious looks to be traded and for Abigail’s suspicion to begin to form.

Head cocked, Abigail asked, “Why won’t you tell us?”

“Why won’t you let it go?” he retorted.

When Rumplestiltskin refused to say another word, although everyone was undeniably curious about the deal, they were given no choice but to return to the viewings while vowing to inquire again at a later time.

King Midas agrees to give the rest of the payment once James delivers the dragon’s head to him and James makes a joke about not wanting to shake on their deal.

David couldn’t help but chuckle sadly.

“Huh, you’re the type to laugh at your own jokes?” Anna looked at her old friend in amusement.

Shrugging, David vaguely said, “Something like that.”

Once the two kings left to discuss the details, the knights toast to their fearless prince.

“He had the loyalty of his knights,” David murmured for only Snow to hear.

Squeezing his hand, Snow said, “He seems like a great person, and a good prince.”

“He would've made a better king than George,” he remarked as his eyes welled with unshed tears.

Suddenly, mid-speech, the tip of a sword is stabbed into Prince James from the back before the Behemoth falls back to the ground, truly dead. Prince James falls seconds later and the knights gather around him.

Many screams and gasps of shock and fright permeated loudly in the room, the unexpected vicious attack shocking everyone but Rumplestiltskin to the core. Even those who knew James’s death was coming, such as David and Snow, were shocked by its suddenness.

As one, most of the room turned to look at David, as though assuring themselves that he had survived the brute’s attack.

“God, are you okay?” Emma practically screeched, her eyes were wide and her skin had paled.

“Cowardly brute!” Macintosh hissed. “To attack a warrior when his back is turned; it’s unscrupulous and underhanded!”

Merida scoffed, “Right, because you’re the paragon of mortality, eh, Mac.”

“You’d do well to think before you speak, princess,” Macintosh sneered as he looked down at her in disgust.

“How on earth did you survive such a mortal wound?” Belle gasped in wonder.

“Oh, you’ll see…” Rumplestiltskin said indifferently.

The next scene shows Prince James’s body; King George stands over him, “Goodbye, my son.” And the knights take him away.

“Wait, what?”

“That can’t be!”

“You can’t be dead.”

“I thought magic couldn’t bring back the dead?” Zelena demanded in confusion.

Rumplestiltskin gave her a deadpanned look, “It can’t. Something you should know, dearie.”

“I do!” she insisted angrily, blue eyes piercing daggers into him, “This event merely gave me pause!”

Sighing, David said, “I’m alive and well. As you can all see.”

“Then… how?” Robin asked, his eyes alight with curiosity.

“…” David tried.

“If you watch, you’ll soon find out,” Tiger Lily snapped irritably.

A crooked grin on his face, Rumplestiltskin said, “Took the words right out of my mouth, dearie.”

Leaning into David, Snow clutched both his hands in hers and whispered, “I know it’s not you…but seeing someone with your face dead,” she did a full-body shiver, a pained grimace taking over her beautiful visage, “it’s my nightmare.”

“I’m here, Snow. I’ll never leave you,” he assured her.

“Your majesty, there is no time to grieve. If Midas learns he is dead, he will find another warrior to slay his dragon, and we will never see an ounce of his gold,” the same knight from before tells King George, to which he promptly agrees.

“Your son just died and all you care about is gold!” Robin stared at the screen with unmitigated disgust.

Back to his beastly form, Rumplestiltskin uttered a sound of disgust, “Yes… I never particularly liked King George, if you ask me.”

Hesitantly, Elsa said, “I hate to say this but… as Queen, I comprehend his dilemma. He mourns his son, yet his death is detrimental to the survival of his kingdom…of his people. As King, he has a duty to his people; he is responsible for their survival.”

“We speak about David as though he is dead… but here he sits, right before our eyes. I admit myself confused,” Arthur said, eyes traveling between the screen and David in bemusement.

Curtly nodding his head, Phillip said, “I, myself, share your confusion.”

“Did we not just say, to watch and see what happens?!” Tiger Lily stated angrily.

“I have asked for help. It should be here soon,” King George informs the knight.

Killian’s eyes sharpened like knives as he looked at Rumplestiltskin, “You.”

“Me!” Rumplestiltskin giggled.

“Has anyone solved a problem without the aid of the Dark One?” Arthur asked in amazement.

A half-maniacal, half-gleeful laugh escaped Rumplestiltskin, “But of course. Many have tried… you’ve never heard of them.” He placed a hand on the side of his mouth as though sharing a secret, and in a stage-whisper, continued, “They never survived to make it in the history books, nyaaha.”

“That’s quite arrogant of you, Dark One,” Blue huffed. “We fairies have provided magical aid to kingdoms many times.”

“I’m sure you have,” he retorted in a patronizing way. “Tell me… what happened to Queen Eva?”

Gasping, Snow turned to look between Rumplestiltskin and Blue, “My mother?”

“Ooops!” Rumplestiltskin placed a hand over his mouth. “This is awkward.”

“What about my mother?” Snow demanded.

Blue hemmed and hawed, but no sound emerged past her lips.

Rumplestiltskin giggled.

“That wasn’t nice of you, Rumple,” Belle whispered admonishingly.

“Oh, it’s here,” Rumplestiltskin appears before them.

Regina scoffed, “And you say I’m the dramatic one.”

“I like to leave an impression with my entrances,” Rumplestiltskin preened, a sly smirk playing at his lips. “While you are dramatic every time, everywhere, with everyone. Not much of a comparison, your majesty.”

The knights leave them alone to discuss and the first thing Rumplestiltskin says is: “So this is how you treat my gifts. You really must be more careful.”

“Gifts?” Neal echoed in shock.

“Shuuusshhusshusshhh,” Rumplestiltskin uttered comically. “The good part is coming. Won’t want to miss this,” he giggled.

Killian sneered, “How has nobody skinned you yet, beast!”

“Watch your mouth, Hook!” Belle snapped, her kindly expression darkening menacingly at the threat to her true love and from the pirate of all people.

King George claims James wasn’t a gift; that he was his son.

“I may hate George with every fiber of my being… but he really did love James,” David said to Snow.

Squeezing his hand, yet again, Snow said in a hush, “His son died. He tried to replace him with you. And you got to see the worst parts of him because… it wasn’t fair to you, or to James, what King George asked you to do. You already had a father. He had a son. King George’s mistake was trying to force you into the role of his dead son.”

David smiled, “You always know the right thing to say.”

It is revealed that Rumplestiltskin gave King George a son through a deal they made as the queen couldn’t conceive a child.

“So you ask for babies in deals… to what? Give them to other people in deals. Is that it?” Neal asked hesitantly; if that was the case, then it made his Papa less of a monster and more of a special adoption agency.

Rumplestiltskin cocked his head, “Didn’t we establish that before?”

“Not really. I mean, it was hinted at when you tried to take Ella’s baby,” Emma reminded him.

“So it was…” Trailing off, Rumplestiltskin shrugged, “What would I want with a baby?”

Belle looked away; she didn’t want to think about the single time she witnessed Rumplestiltskin take a baby in a deal and use it for… less than altruistic reasons. Although, deep down inside, she knew without a doubt, that Rumplestiltskin never would have let that evil soul take the innocent baby; she merely jumped to conclusions and acted before thinking, like she usually did.

King George wants to do another deal; he wants Rumplestiltskin to bring his son back.

“Magic cannot bring back the dead, fool!” Regina hissed.

Arching a brow, Rumplestiltskin condescendingly said, “Really, dearie. From you of all people. Tad harsh, don’t you think?”

“She’s always been a hypocrite,” Jefferson snarled as wildness glinted in his bright blue-gray eyes.

“Shut up, both of you!” she hissed back.

King George’s predicament was bringing back bad memories for Regina; memories she tried to repress, but they were all coming back now. The hope Rumplestiltskin brought into her life with his magic lessons, and then how it was crushed completely by him, Jefferson, and Frankenstein, ultimately transforming the goodness and hopefulness in her to the Evil Queen.

“What are you talking about?” Snow inquired hesitantly.

“None of your business!” Regina snapped.

Still confused, Arthur spoke up, “Some exception must have been made; otherwise, David wouldn’t be sitting here with us right now.”

“It’s not an exception to magic, it’s an impossibility. There are laws and resurrecting the dead is one magic cannot bend,” Rumplestiltskin explained.

“Then—”

Snapping at them for the third time, Tiger Lily said, “Just watch!”

“Cantankerous cow,” Killian murmured under his breath, prompting Tinker Bell (the only one to hear him along with Emma) to elbow him hard and send him a harsh look.

Rumplestiltskin named his price: “There’s a magic wand I desire. It belongs to a certain fairy godmother who’s patron to your family, I want to know her whereabouts.”

Blue and Nova gasped loudly as one.

“Iridessa!” Blue looked both appalled and saddened. And when King George agreed without hesitation, she scowled at the screen, “Oh, you good for nothing man.”

“Oh, come now, Reul Ghorm… his son for a fairy; it’s not exactly a difficult choice now, is it?” Rumplestiltskin smirked.

“To one of pure heart and goodness, it is not even an option!” she retorted unhappily.

Maleficent scoffed, “Well, if you were under the impression that the king is either of those things, you’re quite the naïve fairy.”

“It’s not naïve to hope for the goodness in people,” Nova said sternly.

“I suppose that’s what makes you blighters good and us evil,” Maleficent smirked.

Despite their deal, Rumplestiltskin insists magic cannot bring back the dead.

“At least you’re consistent,” Regina huffed.

“But you just said—”

Agreeing with King George, Kristoff said, “He’s right. You did just say.”

“When you’ve known Rumplestiltskin for as long as I have, or have done many dealings with the imp, you come to learn of his fascination with playing with words and seeking loopholes,” Maleficent drawled in disinterest.

“Nothing about resurrection,” Rumplestiltskin says. King George reacts with sadness, claiming his kingdom is lost and that he’s all alone.

“In this very moment, I feel bad for him,” David said grudgingly.

Everyone’s confusion continued to surge; David clearly hated his father… and he clearly died. Even Rumplestiltskin claimed he couldn’t bring him back from the dead. It didn’t make any sense!

Anna and Kristoff were the most confused. They knew David as a shepherd who was raised by his mother, Ruth. He wasn’t a prince or a king or rich with a kingdom. And yet, they were brought to this gathering where their friend David was called James by everyone but his wife and where he was a beloved king – a prince charming.

‘Maybe he lives two different lives…’ Kristoff thought.

‘But when I met him, he was almost useless with a weapon. What is going on here?’ Anna thought.

“Oh, dear. Oh, dear, dear, dear. Did I not tell you that I could have your son slay the dragon? And am I not a man of my word?” Rumplestiltskin looks like he was enjoying himself while King George looked frustrated.

Neal scoffed, “Depends who you ask.”

Having heard him, Rumplestiltskin turned a sharp eye on him, his curiosity regarding the man’s identity and his apparent familiarity with him manifesting once more.

Rumplestiltskin then reveals Prince James had a twin brother.

The scene transitions to show Prince Charming, dressed as a shepherd, looking over the sheep on a farm.

“WHAT?”

“Twin brother?!”

“That explains a lot!” Anna appeared relieved. “I thought I was going mad there for a while. I mean, I met you before that moment, didn’t I?”

“You did,” David grinned at her, though sadness lingered in his eyes.

Grumpy turned to stare hard at David, “So you’re a what? A shepherd?”

“Yes…”

“You were not born of royal blood…” Arthur observed, a glint of something in his eyes.

Defensive of her husband, Snow snapped, as though getting ready to fight for his honor, “Is that a problem, King Arthur?”

Realizing how his statement sounded and its misinterpretation, Arthur was quick to flash her a charming smile, “Not at all. I, like your husband, was not born of royal blood. In fact, I used to be a stable boy before I became king.”

“You were a stable boy?” there was a strange softness and a tremble to Regina’s voice as she addressed Arthur.

He dipped his head curtly, “I was.”

Regina looked away, blinking away a traitorous tear. “That’s nice,” was all she said, sounding like she had a head cold.

“Back to Prince Charming!” Grumpy snapped, “So you have a twin brother, who was taken by Rumplestiltskin and given to King George, and made prince?”

“In a nutshell,” David sighed.

Phillip chuckled, “I must say, you have quite the back-story. One I never really expected.”

“Yes. We have a maid who became a princess. A shepherd as a prince. And a bandit as queen. Cheapens royal blood, don’t you think?” Zelena said snippily.

Frowning at the green witch, Snow said, “I became a bandit to survive Regina. But I was born a princess and it’s always been my birthright to become queen.”

“Semantics,” she waved a hand, her tone clearly one of disinterest.

“So you’re a twin. And a shepherd,” Grumpy repeated slowly.

Rolling his eyes, David impatiently said, “Yes, Grumpy. I don’t understand what exactly is so confusing about that?”

“Just a shock, is all,” he harrumphed.

“I think it’s cool,” Red grinned. “And the plot-twist? Like wow, no one saw that coming.”

Graham quickly added, “Except for Rumplestiltskin, of course.”

Rumplestiltskin smirked, “Naturally.”

“The plot-twist would be the Crocodile not knowing something,” Killian muttered.

Finally finding her words, Emma said, “I’m sorry about your brother.”

Looking incredibly saddened, David smiled, “Thanks, Emma.”

This instigated many condolences to permeate around the room.

“Truthfully,” Abigail prefaced, finally saying her piece now that everyone had quieted down and the shock abated. “I never met Prince James. However, I have heard rumors about him when it comes to his dalliances with women… and not ones that paint him in a decent light, I’m afraid.” She smiled sympathetically at David, “Imagine my shock, when I met who I believed to be Prince James, and he was chivalrous and modest. Up till now, I believed the rumors were false. Now I know them to be true.”

“What kind of…rumors?” David asked.

But she waved a hand in the air, “Don’t concern yourself with them. He was a wonderful prince. Well-loved by his people and even by his father – that evil, despicable man. With women, however, he was a different person. He loved his fun, that James.”

Back in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret is in her apartment, violently scrubbing a plate when Emma joins her. Emma and Mary Margaret discuss David, the former having seen him “sulking away” as she pulled up.

“I can’t believe I’m talking my mother out of starting a relationship with her husband, my father. This is so surreal,” Emma breathed out. “What is my life!”

Snow snorted, “Yeah, well, look at mine. I’m living with my daughter, who is the exact same age as me, and who I don’t even know is my daughter and not to mention, I don’t even remember being pregnant, or giving birth! You’d think any woman would remember that! Then we have my husband, who I don’t know is my husband, and who is married to another woman, but not really married.”

“When you put it that way…” And all of a sudden, Emma burst into laughter, with Snow following her seconds later.

The next scene is of David and Kathryn as they look through a photo album.

The good mood immediately died down.

Regina, on the other hand, looked gleeful as she heartily dug into her popcorn bucket, “Oh, goodie. Exactly what I needed.”

“Want some rat poison with that?” Red sneered.

Sneering in kind, Regina said, “No, your presence is toxic enough, thank you.”