A/N: I'm sure there will be a lot of stories that pick up where the "happy beginning" left off. This is my humble contribution. It will be a multi-chapter fic. It's a short start, but I hope to have a longer second chapter up soon. This chapter begins right after Henry wakes Emma with True Love's Kiss.
Emma's family surrounded her, and her heart was full. She had done it. She had won the final battle. Her family was safe. Storybrooke was safe. And Emma was alive, thanks to Henry and True Love's Kiss. Then, it occurred to her that she had not seen what had become of her opponent. She pulled back from the group and looked around the street.
"Where's Gideon?" she asked.
Zelena responded, "He just sort of…disappeared. He ran you through, and then poof! He was gone."
Regina gave her sister a stern glance. Tact was not Zelena's strong suit.
"What?" Zelena asked. "It's what happened."
"Poor Belle," said Snow. "She'll be devastated. I wonder if we should…" She was interrupted by the sound of Henry's cell phone.
"This is her now," said Henry, as he answered the call. "Hi Belle. Yes, she's here, she's fine. But…Gideon, he… What? He's there?...A baby?...Wow! That's amazing news, Belle. What? Sure, go ahead…uh huh….uh huh….wow…I knew he had it in him! Thanks for telling me, Belle. I'll let everyone know. Bye."
"Well? asked Regina.
"She was calling to make sure that Mom is ok. She said that Gideon is with her…and he's a baby again!" Henry explained.
"How is that possible?" asked Hook.
"True Love's Kiss!" replied Snow. "It must have happened when Henry kissed you!"
"So that's what that whole 'whooshing' thing was?" asked Zelena.
"But Gideon wasn't cursed to be an adult. He grew up in a realm where time moved differently. There was no curse to break" said Hook.
"But True Love's Kiss is powerful magic," replied Regina. "It doesn't only break curses. It can work like a healing spell – to set things right."
"That's right! I fell from a bean stalk today, and your mother was able to revive me with True Love's Kiss," added Charming.
"Wait, back up. You fell from a bean stalk?" asked Emma.
"Long story – Hook will fill you in," Charming responded.
"Sorry, mate. Don't you mean your son will fill her in?" Hook quirked an eyebrow and grinned.
"Don't push it!" Charming said, but smiled in spite of himself.
"Anyway," Henry continued, "Belle also wanted us to know something else. She said that Grandpa – Gold – he did the right thing. She said that he found Gideon's heart in the mines, and he ordered Gideon to stop, but it didn't work. She said that the Black Fairy told him that if Gideon killed Mom, the rules of magic would change, and they'd even be able to bring my dad back to life. But Grandpa chose to do the right thing, and he tried to stop Gideon."
"Impossible," said Zelena. "The Dark One would never give up ultimate power to save someone else. He doesn't have it in him."
"Belle says that he did. But the Black Fairy's magic was too strong," Henry replied.
"It makes sense," Regina said. "She was the strongest source of Dark Magic I've ever seen. So strong that I don't know if putting Gideon's heart back in his chest would have broken the connection."
"I guess Gold gets a mark in the Savior column after all," said Emma.
Suddenly, a bright light beamed down from the sky, and an object appeared on the pavement several feet away from the group.
"What is that?" asked Snow, walking toward it.
A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm just getting started. The next chapter will take place after Snow's hope/beginning speech.