Prologue: A Dark and Stormy Night.

* 1 month after the trial and imprisonment of the Crooked Man.*

Grimble groaned, his usual sleep disrupted as he heard the door open. He looked up from under his hat to see who entered. The first thing he noticed was the man was wearing a type of uniform mostly worn by delivery personal with a name tag on his chest, another thing was that he wasn't empty handed as in his arms was a large wicker basket seeming to be over-filled with a light red cloth.

"Sorry to ask but is Ms. White in her office? I have a delivery for her." The man asked, though whilst it seemed a harmless question his tone made it sound urgent.

Grimble looked at the clock in the lobby to see it was almost 10 o'clock at night. "She should still be in. Though odd for a delivery to come in so late, mind me asking what she ordered?"

"Actually this was ordered by the sheriff, it's a congratulation gift on her becoming deputy mayor after that incident with Crane and the Crooked man." The delivery man said as he called for the elevator.

Grimble nodded in agreement, lately he'd been noticing some tension between Snow and Bigby and guessed he got her a gift to make up for his behavior. "Hope she likes it." Grimple said as the delivery man stepped into the elevator.

"Yeah I hope she does." Grimble heard the man say in a quivering voice and as he looked up he caught a glance of the delivery mans face just before the door closed and Grimble could have sworn he was the guy was crying.

Will Scarlet let out a sigh of relief as the elevator door closed. He had been thinking of all the possible scenarios that could have happened in the lobby. The security guard deciding to check the basket, Bigby or Snow White coming down whilst he waited or worse, she would have woken up. He thought this as he looked down at the basket to see the sleeping face of his baby daughter.

As the elevator reached the third floor, the door opened up and he looked up to see the business office up ahead with the hallway now empty of the usual line of disgruntle fables. Seeing his chance he turned towards Bigbys apartment and made his way,he looked down once more at his daughter.

"I'm sorry this has to happen but this is the only way I can keep you safe," He said as he stood in front of the wolfs door. He lowered the basket down, he continued to speak in a hush tone both to keep waking up the girl and to ensure he didn't draw any attention to him. "As you grow up you may think life isn't fair or that you were never loved but you are loved, you were always loved and it is this love for you that I have to do this to keep you safe. I'm so sorry Alice."

He place a folded note on the side of the basket, and with one last look at his sleeping child he knocked on the door repeatedly till he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Will turned around, quickly running down the stairwell and eventually out of the lobby and into the pouring rain as he ignored Grimble calling for him to stop.

Will entered his apartment breathless both from exhaustion of running and from the pain he felt in his chest. At that point he wanted to collapse on the couch and burst into tears but there was still one thing left to do, one thing left before he can finally rest otherwise all the pain he feels would be for nothing. He walked into the small apartment towards the cupboard and opened the top drawer, of the various objects he pulled out first was a photograph. He looked at it, recalling one of the few moments in his life he felt truly happy. The photo showed him and a woman with blonde hair standing side by side as the statue of liberty was shown in the background. As he looked at it more, he thought back of everything he did and who he was, everything with his life after the exodus, his time as a thief with Robin Hood back in the homeland, even when he was growing up back in Wonderland. Not a second of those centuries could compare to the decision he was to make.

"Oh Mary, I hope you can forgive me." Will said out loud before putting the photo back in the drawer and pulling out in its place a revolver.

Will had gone through this over and over again but that didn't make this any easier. He lifted the heavy weapon to the side of his head. He continued to think of what would happen if 'She' found out about the girl and steeled his resolve to protect her.

I'm sorry. He closed his eyes and the last thing he heard was the click of the trigger as he squeezed it.