It had been 2 weeks since the people of Storybrooke banished Zelena from their world. It took all of their strength to defeat her and it left them all weak and tired. Sheer exhaustion shook them to their cores. The town had rejoiced and celebrated after the Wicked Witch had gone, but not Emma. Sure, she was happy that Zelena had gotten what she deserved, but what about what she deserved? Neal had been gone now for nearly a month and she just couldn't help but think of how things could have played out differently. She was entirely torn inside; curious what would have happened if she hadn't had used magic to separate Neal from Rumpel. It was entirely her fault wasn't it? Everyone kept telling her different. That she did the right thing. But how could it have been the right thing when the person you love most is lost to you forever? But no matter how much she wished she could have done anything else, she did not regret her decision. It allowed Rumpel to reveal who the Wicked Witch really was. Without that vital piece of information, a domino effect would have been unleashed. Her sibling to be could have been put in danger, Henry too, Regina, basically anyone who dared to even look the wrong way at the Witch was fair game to her. Once the town knew Zelena's true identity, there was nowhere for her to hide, making it virtually impossible to hide and escape. Sure she put up a fight, but she was outnumbered and out smart and ended up losing in the end. And with that, came everyone's memories of the past year. All that was left was to find a way back into the Enchanted Forest.
That was what everyone had unanimously decided they wanted. Emma really couldn't blame them. It was their home after all. She just couldn't make herself come to be excited about it. It wasn't where she belonged. She had lived here her entire life. It was familiar, safe, and comfortable. But it was also now filled with dread and a slight emptiness now. A piece of her was taken from her that month ago and she wasn't sure she could ever get it back. Not sure it even existed anymore. She saw little things in Henry everyday that would make her lose her breath. He was so much like his father that it sometimes frightened her. His eyes were exactly the same; holding such an intense amount of passion in one glance and being able to say just exactly what he meant with a simple look. His smile held the same joy, his sense of humor. The biggest thing was Henry's hugs. He would come in and see Emma staring out the window at her car twirling her necklace between her fingers and would wrap his long arms around her shoulders.
"Mom? I brought you some hot cocoa." Henry stood in the doorway for a moment, studying his mother. He worried about her recently, after everything that happened in New York and then showing back up here had been rough on her. They were both a little lost after Neal's death and it had been a slow few weeks trying to get themselves back together. He eventually sat down next to her on her bed and looked out the window with her. Handing her the small, white mug filled with the soothing cocoa, he gave her a tentative grin. He knew cocoa couldn't fix anything, but when you stacked it with whipped cream and dusted it with cinnamon, it helped ease any trouble. His mother met his gaze and smiled back at him, wrapping her fingers around the warm mug. Henry didn't know how long they sat there like that, keeping each other company, but they were eventually interrupted but a light rap on the door.
"Emma? Belle is downstairs. She said she found something?" Snow looked over at her daughter and saw the slight slump in her shoulders as she looked out the window. She slowly turned to face her and greeted her with a small smile before nodding that she'd be down in a minute. Taking a sip of the hot cocoa, she set it down on the bedside table before planting a kiss on Henry's forehead and leaving the room. She was actually kind of excited to see Belle. She was having a rough time too after the last few weeks, Rumpel too. They hadn't talked much though, both being caught up in trying to fix themselves that they both seemed to forget that they would probably both benefit from each other's company.
Belle stood at the end of the staircase waiting impatiently, book in hand. Emma came down and wrapped her in a hug before motioning her to sit down on the steps with her. Not wasting any time, Belle jumped right to her point. "I've been doing some research and I think I found something that you would want to know about." She paused a moment, judging Emma's reaction. Seeing little, she continued. "We need to go to Wonderland. There are people there that can help us."
"Wonderland? Like Alice and the Cheshire Cat? Are we talking about a way to get back to the Enchanted Forest? Because to be entirely honest, I am not even sure Henry and I belong there and I just don't want for him..." She was cut off by Belle shaking her from side to side, silently telling her that there was a bigger picture here. What could possibly be there for her in Wonderland? She had never been there. Heard some negative remarks from the Jefferson a few years ago but that was about it. Unless you counted the things she knew from storybooks she read as a child. Although, they were typically somewhat accurate to what was truly happening in the Enchanted Forest at times.
"They've recently changed the laws of magic there. The laws that Rumpel has to obey do not apply there and the limitations are thin." Staring into her friends eyes, she gave the last piece of information that she knew would make the past not seem so dark. "They found a way to bring people back from the dead."