This story has been going around in my head for a while now because Regina could have made this curse so much worse for Snow. Like the whole thing was to get back at Snow and have her happy ending but Regina let her off quite lightly in my opinion so I started thinking about what if she didn't. What if Snow's life under the curse wasn't just about her being lonely? So this fic was born!

A/N: Prince Charming's fairytale name is going to be James in this fic just so it's easier to separate them in the story (and since it's an AU that works). Everything else until the curse is still canon then we and heading in a completely different direction including a few characters of my own that once has yet to play with!

Hope you enjoy it!

/

As far as rescue missions went Henry had to admit he could have thought this one through a little more but time was something they didn't have anymore. The town was no longer frozen, the clock ticking away like an ever present countdown reminded him as much and he knew it was all Emma's doing.

Of course he still had to get her to believe that, but he would work on that later.

Today's mission was of much more importance.

Wake up Prince Charming.

Henry had found him only a few days ago, right after the clock first started to tick, he was on a trip with his class to the hospital to visit some of the older patients and read to them like they did every month when Henry spotted a room just off the floor that he didn't recall ever seeing before. He had made sure Miss French was occupied with the other students before curiosity got the better of him and he slipped inside.

There he was. Emma's father. Henry's grandfather. Prince Charming.

In a coma.

The Evil Queen definitely wasn't going to make this easy and Henry knew if it wasn't for Emma's decision to stay in Storybrooke he would have walked past that room like he had a hundred times before.

But this was the start of good winning. If he could wake Prince Charming up and get him to remember who he was then it was a big step in the right direction to making Emma believe. Maybe even getting Snow White to remember as well.

Henry always felt a churning in the pit of his stomach when he thought of his grandmother. He knew what Snow White was meant to be like from his storybook but Mary Margaret Blanchard was nothing like the woman she once was. There was no kindness or compassion from the woman he had only really met in passing, instead there was an empty shell and a rough exterior.

Bringing Emma to Storybrooke was step one in Operation Cobra. This was most definitely step two.

It was just possible that Prince Charming wouldn't have any real or concrete memories of his Storybrooke alter ego. It was clear from the room in the hospital and the wires hooked up to his body that Regina didn't want or believe the Prince was ever going to wake up again. The injuries he sustained in Fairytale Land were enough to kill anyone.

Yet here he was and Henry had a plan.

Well, a mild stab in the dark and a whole lot of hope. But he'd take it.

Convincing Emma to let him see 'John Doe' was a tricky one to work around but he knew it was better approaching her than his mom. So when he calmly explained how he didn't think it was fair that all the other patients got to be read to while John Doe had to just sit in a dark room with no visitors he was expecting Emma to say no.

And the conversation was pretty much heading that way until Graham piped in.

"Let the lad go," He said in his Irish brogue before taking a sip of his coffee, "It's a nice idea and they do say people in comas can hear what's going on around them."

That's how Henry found himself making his way to his Grandfather's room with the promise to Emma he'd meet her for lunch on her break from the station.

The room itself was easier enough to find and Henry released a breath he didn't realise he was holding. A part of him feared his mother somehow worked out his plan and would have made sure this room was empty when Henry came back. Luckily, Snow White's Prince was still there, resting on the bed as peacefully and Snow had in her coffin.

Henry had briefly thought about using True Love's Kiss to wake the Prince but he knew it would never work. He barely knew Mary enough to ask her to come and kiss a stranger without an explanation and while Emma being here was already changing things and Mary had shown an act of kindness more fitting to Snow when she offered Emma her spare room after meeting her in one of Graham's holding cells, Henry knew there was still a long way to go before she was truly Snow White again and for that she needed her Prince.

So Henry had to hope that reading their story to the unconscious man would be enough to break through whatever magic his mother had used against his grandfather.

He cautiously made his way into the room, the beeping of the machines echoing loudly against the grey walls as Henry pushed the chair as close to the bed as he could. He dumped his backpack on the grey floor and unzipped it, pulling out the thick volume of stories and placing it in his lap. Archie had given him the book in one of his therapy sessions and he had taken to hiding it from his mother just in case. Archie couldn't even remember where he got it but gave it over to Henry saying he hoped the idea of happy endings would find the boy some peace of mind.

Dr Hopper had no idea.

Henry flipped open the book to the story of Snow White and Prince Charming, one of his favourite because it was the story of his family and his eyes peered up to look at the patient in the bed.

"Hey, Grandpa. You don't know me yet but I'm Henry. We'll get to that later." Henry decided, having more important matters to think about, "You need to wake up, Gramps. I got Emma here, things are happening but I can't make her believe on my own. She needs you and so does Grandma. You got to wake up and save them both. You have to save your family. We need you."

The little boy's pleas fell on deaf ears and the continuous beeping filled the room once more, "So I'm going to tell you a story." He said confidently, fingers running over the page open in his lap, "Your story. Please listen, Gramps. You need to remember who you are."

The beeping was Henry's only reply.

With a sigh, Henry bowed his head and began to read the story he was sure he could quote off by heart.

...

Mary yawned for the fifth time that morning as she pushed her way through the doors of Sultan's to help with the early delivery. Jason really should have hired more staff by now but Mary knew he won't do that because that meant paying more people and Jason never really liked sharing out anything; especially his money.

Still the more shifts she worked the more money she had at the end of the month and with Emma now staying with her she could start saving up again until she had enough money to leave Storybrooke and start over somewhere new. Maybe Boston or New York.

Emma.

Mary had no idea what came over her when she invited that girl to stay with her. She wasn't exactly known for her charity and she extended this offer after an hour of knowing this girl. There was just something about her that Mary trusted or maybe she had just had one to many to drink that night at work. Either way Mary hated to admit that she was happy to have the company when she came home at 3am on a late shift from Sultan's.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud thump as Alfie threw a large cardboard box onto the bar. He threw her a sheepish smile when he noticed her approaching and Mary pulled off her beret, meeting her friend with an easy smile.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Alfie said as way of a greeting, nodding towards the box, "Figured you'd be harder to scare after seeing you work all those early morning shifts over the weekends."

Mary smiled, "I wasn't paying attention, and you caught me off guard."

"Whatever you say," He replied with a teasing smile, "We got another two crates to unload before Jason gets bad and has a go at us."

"I'll hang my stuff up and give you a hand."

Mary had always liked Alfie and he always joked about them being kindred spirits. He had been working for Jason for as long as Mary could remember. Jason caught him stealing although Mary never did find out what he apparently stole and when Graham came to arrest him Jason said he would rather Alfie work for him as a type of community service so maybe he'd learn some manners.

In all honesty, Mary didn't see anything wrong with Alfie or his manners. He was a nice guy with an olive complexion and warm eyes. Of course the one time she had told Jason that he promptly reminded her she wasn't exactly a good judge of character herself what was her own experiences in Graham's holding cell for petty thief. Graham always seemed to go easier on her though and let her out with a warning the next day. Mary was secretly thankful to him because it wasn't like she had any interest in stealing anything anyway and really it was only a couple of cans of coke and some food for two local kids who looked like they hadn't seen a decent meal in days. It was like her and Graham had an understanding about the intentions of the theft that they didn't need to speak about.

Graham was another person Mary really liked in Storybrooke and if she were being honest that was a short list.

Alfie managed to bring all of the boxes to the bar for Mary to put the new glasses away and they worked in harmonised silence. It was always empty during the day expect from maybe a few regulars who liked an afternoon pint. Sultan's was a dive bar in the shady part of town and its reputation proceeded itself. Mary often had to help break up bar fights or had to throw someone out for something or other. Graham was often called down to the bar at least once a week although none of Storybrooke's other upstanding citizens would be seen dead in a place like Sultan's.

Jason ran the place like his own personal kingdom which wasn't hard to do considering he only had two members of staff, both of which were known for petty theft. Thinking about it now Mary guessed they fit in perfectly with this type of establishment and perhaps that was why she never questioned Jason's choice of employees.

Not that she was in a position to complain. Money was definitely an issue for Mary so she couldn't afford to be picky.

Her boss wasn't the greatest or a very nice man but he was the right kind of person to own Sultan's and keep its clientele in line, the problem was he never liked to be proved wrong and Mary seemed to have too much gumption for her own good at times. It got her into more than a bit of problem where Jason was concerned.

"Are you alright? You've been spacing out since you got here." Alfie's voice held a tone of worry as they started on the last box.

Mary threw him a smile, "Just tired. You know how those late shifts can get."

"Leroy causing trouble again?"

"Hunter this time. That man has an ego so big I'm surprised he can fit it through those doors," Mary quipped, "Got a bit rowdy with a few of his buddies about some girl. Whoever she is, I don't envy her. Attention from Hunter never ends well."

Alfie nodded, "The last girl had to get a restraining order if I remember rightly. Isabella, dark hair. She used to always order a coke."

"Yeah, every Friday night."

"Always thought there was something wrong there, you don't come to a place like this without alcohol on the brain. She looked too classy for a joint like ours."

Mary finished stacking the last of the glasses while Alfie worked on breaking up the box ready to throw into the recycle bin. "Maybe she was looking for someone?" She suggested.

"Only people you find here are the ones you should avoid at all costs. Not exactly the place to find the love of your life."

Mary scoffed, "That stuff doesn't exist anyway. It's all just fairy tales and pipe dreams."

"You don't believe in love?"

"You do?"

Alfie paused for a moment, "It's a nice thought. That there is someone out there worth fighting for. Otherwise what's the point in all this?"

"There isn't one. Life is one big con and it takes you your whole life to figure out the gag. You waste all that time believing in all this stuff just to realise there is no such thing as a happy ending." Mary replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice that she couldn't place.

"You might just be the first person I've met that I'd deem a lost cause."

"That's me. A cause not worth saving."

Mary wasn't sure what the look on Alfie's face was or what he would have said next. Maybe something teasing to lighten the mood or something comforting to try and convince her to have a little faith. The sound of the doors opening swiftly ended the conversation as their boss entered, a scowl already on his face.

"So I'm paying you to sit around talking to each other now?" Jason asked as he walked up to the counter, black coat open and swaying around his legs.

Alfie grabbed the cardboard he had just finished ripping up, "Delivery has been packed away. Everything's here." He said harshly before taking the cardboard out back to dispose of it.

Jason's eyes narrowed as he went and not for the first time Mary found herself wondering why her boss seemed to hate Alfie so much. He was a good worker and friendly enough yet despite them working together for as long as Mary could think back to they never got along. Jason rubbed at his beard with one hand, his complexion similar to Alfie's although his eyes were dark and hard. He was older than Mary and carried himself with more arrogance that should be allowed for the owner of a dive bar in Storybrooke, Maine.

"Can you work tonight?" Jason asked her, his harsh voice dissolving the peaceful silence almost immediately, "You're a bigger hit with the customers and you know how much we like those tips."

Mary nodded, "Yeah, I'll send my roommate a text and tell her not to wait up."

Jason smiled and leaned over the counter, arms resting against the Cherrywood bar, "You always were a good worker. I like that in a woman, you know?"

"And I like men who remember to shower daily."

The smile was gone in a second and Jason's hand caught her arm causing Mary to hunch across the bar at an awkward angle as his grip tightened and Mary knew dusty fingertip bruises would appear on her skin by morning. He whispered harshly in her ear, "Playing hard to get is fine. Just save it for the customers."

Mary narrowed her eyes at her boss and wrenched her arm free of his grasp. This wasn't a new occurrence and she wasn't the only recipient of Jason's misguided flirting. Luckily she was an expert at handling it now though, "I better get back to work. We don't want people coming here without setting up first."

And with that she turned and went out back to start restocking the alcohol bottles. Jason watched her go with an unreadable expression on his face.

...

"It was standing there as the dwarves removed the top of Snow White's coffin that the Prince knew he could never say goodbye. His love looked as beautiful as when he last saw her, and he couldn't resist leaning down to kiss her one last time with all the love he had. Little did he know that this kiss was the kiss of True Love and with eyes shining with tears the Prince watched as Snow White suddenly gasped for air. Her eyes finding his as a smile formed on both their faces." Henry read aloud to the man lying in the hospital bed. He had gotten through most of their story and was running out of time. If he was late to lunch Emma would surely come looking for him and he knew she wasn't ready to hear he was trying to wake up her father to help save them all from the Evil Queen.

"Snow?"

Another voice in the room startled him and the little boy's eyes widen in hope as he looked back over to the bed.

The deep blue eyes of Prince Charming stared back.

Then the monitors went crazy.

/

So what do you think? First chapter in and I have a lot planned for this story.

Please review? It would mean the world to know what you guys thought?

Thanks so much!