Paige and Henry waited outside their school as the last of the children left. Their stakeout had been going on for nearly an hour now. Both children were slightly irritated and stiff from sitting nestled in the bushes outside Miss Blanchard's classroom.

"I believe you. Okay. The curse is real." Paige gave Henry a pointed look. "That doesn't mean you get to call me Alice."

"But that's your name!"

Paige merely shrugged. "We haven't even found Alice in your book. There's nothing in there to prove that's me."

"There's nothing to say you aren't," Henry wheedled. "I mean, you quote Alice and Wonderland all the time."

Paige sighed. "People quote Harry Potter all the time. That doesn't make them Dumbledore."

"You're not taking this seriously."

To prove just how seriously she was taking the matter, she stuck out her tongue. "I'm taking everything very seriously."

Henry's look was one of annoyance. "You should. You're not getting your happily ever after until the curse is broken."

"I'm not unhappy though."

Henry sighed. "There's something missing though, right? Regina-"

"Your mom" Paige prompted.

"Right now, she's Regina, the Evil Queen."

"You can't ignore her forever."

Henry glanced once again at Miss Blanchard's window. "I'm not ignoring her. I just can't let her know what I'm up to at the moment. It's not like she'll notice anyway."

Paige gulped. "Henry, she's got like, super sonic senses on everything that even vaguely relates to you. I'm pretty sure she's already noticed."

Henry didn't even bother looking at her.

"What's worse for her to find out about? The curse or your search for your birth mother?"

That made Henry turn around. "Birth mother definitely. She still doesn't know what we were doing the day-" He trailed off.

Paige picked up right where he left off. "The day I broke my arm."

They shared a small smile. They weren't back to normal, but they were close. One fight wasn't going to end their friendship.

"Yeah, then. Regina already knows the curse doesn't affect me right. That's why we started with Archie. I noticed that I was the only one getting any older."

"So I've been ten..."

"For a very long time," Henry paused trying to do the math in his head. "Rumpelstiltskin said the Savior would come when she was twenty-eight. So, it's got to be less than twenty-eight years."

Paige gave him a playful shove; "I guess I'm your elder now. I think I deserve some respect."

Henry matched her joking tone. "Respect is earned not given freely."

"Maybe I won't have to go to school anymore, if I'm really thirty-something," Paige mockingly pondered.

Henry laughed. "That'll work just fine." The two broke out laughing imagining the looks of their principal, teacher and parents if they decided that now they were officially too old for school. "If you're thirty," Henry mused. "Can you imagine how old Mr. Gold is?"

The fits of giggles were only broken by the sound of the window opening. Both children stared intently at Miss Blanchard's hand as she fiddled with the lock on the window that always rattled in the wind.

They could hear inside the classroom now. That was an advantage. Miss Blanchard could also hear them, so unfortunately they really would have to be quiet now.

With nothing to do but think, Henry began to realize just how silly their stakeout was. They'd be able to get into the school just fine. Leroy, the janitor, always locked the East Entrance doors last, so they'd still be unlocked. The real problem was what happened once they were in the classroom. Odds were very good that if Miss Blanchard left her classroom, she'd take her purse with her.

And real stakeouts were nothing like the ones on television. There was no action, no mysterious secrets unveiled, no evil henchmen. Just Miss Blanchard sitting at her desk grading papers. Henry had never thought about what teachers did after all their students left. There were a lot more papers to grade than he could have imagined.

He should be going. Regina was making lasagna tonight and it wasn't like they were going to accomplish anything tonight. Henry made a motion with his hand at Paige, indicating they should leave. He stopped mid-gesture when they heard a different voice in Miss Blanchard's classroom.

"Mary Margaret, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"You're fine"

"Would you be able to help me move the sand table? I'm afraid this old body isn't what it used to be. " Henry recognized the voice now. It was Mrs. Nelson, Henry's kindergarten teacher even if she didn't remember him. Mrs. Nelson was a sweet old woman. Her frizzy gray hair sprung out in every direction and she wore wildly colored skirts. Henry remembered how she would always call him sweetheart because she couldn't remember his name.

There was a shuffle of papers as Miss Blanchard stood up. "Of course. I'll be right there."

The children didn't even bother waiting for rest of the conversation. They raced to the unlocked door. Henry pulled open the door and they waited pressed up against the wall for the teachers to pass.

"You stay here." Henry whispered urgently. He knew this was probably their only chance to get the credit card.

"I thought I was going to help."

"You are. You're my lookout. If Miss Blanchard or Mrs. Nelson come back this way, you're going to need to distract them."

Paige turned around, inspecting every angle of the hallway. "I'll be down at the end. That should give you enough time to get out."

"Sounds like a plan."

"If the card isn't there, don't do anything stupid."

"We're breaking into a school at night and stealing our teacher's credit card to find my birth mom on a website on the internet. I think that qualifies as stupid."

"It's only stupid if you're caught." Paige smirked, before melting into the shadows as if she was never there.

Henry added the trait to the impressive list he had in his head of everyone's characteristics. He was fairly certain this was just another instance when Paige proved she was really Alice. The Alice from stories could always make her way out of trouble with the Queen of Hearts.

Henry pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He could worry about fairytales and curses later. Today's mission was all about his birth mother. He sprinted down the hallway, knowing he had already wasted precious time. The halls of the school were so creepy at night. They made a foreboding feeling creep down his spine. They weren't supposed to be empty and silent, each footfall echoing loudly. These halls were typically packed so tightly, you could barely move.

Henry pushed open the door. The classroom lights were still on. He glanced around. Henry let out a sigh of relief as he saw Miss Blanchard's black purse sitting under her desk. They might actually get away with this.

He gently sorted through the purse. It wouldn't do to have Miss Blanchard notice the card was missing before they got around to using it. There were papers, and rose scented hand sanitizer. The wallet was naturally at the bottom.

Miss Blanchard's driver's license was tucked neatly in the most prominent pocket. She looked pretty in the picture, just like the princess she truly was. Henry pulled the license out to reveal the credit card underneath. He shoved it in his pocket before making sure that everything looked like it did when he came in.

Henry was about to open the door when he heard shouting from the hallway.

"Miss Blanchard! Miss Blanchard!" Paige shouted, running toward her teacher as she made her way back towards her classroom.

Miss Blanchard gave her a worried little smile. "Paige, what are you still doing here? School ended hours ago. Do you need to call your parents?"

Paige blushed and stared at her feet. "No, I'm okay. But there's this bird with a broken wing outside. I was just going for a walk and I just saw him lying on the grass, poor little thing. I thought that maybe, maybe we-" Paige put on her most innocent, bashful face. She had to be crafty with this, maybe even cry some fake tears. They had come too far to just have Henry get caught now. "I thought maybe we could take a look at it. You know, make sure it's okay. Maybe even keep it until we finish our bird houses."

Miss Blanchard seemed to accept the lie easily because she knelt down in front of Paige. "Why don't we go take a look at your bird? We can try to help. But Paige, sometimes we can't save everything." The words seemed as if they were about so much more than just a bird.

"Okay. I'll show you where." Paige rushed outside, hoping that she was giving Henry enough time to get away.

Regina reluctantly opened the door. She didn't like the girl. She was relieved Henry was finally having friends, but it also made her nervous. The curse hadn't worked on her son. It refused to completely write him into the lives of the people in Storybrooke. They would forget their interactions with him. They would remember general things, but specifics came only when prompted or they had evidence right in front of them. (The cricket had to write very detailed files to remember Henry's progress.) There had to be some explanation for this girl.

It wasn't like the Dark curse was breaking. Her former teacher had been very specific. His words echoed in her head: "The truth. That nothing can stop the darkness! Except of course their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. Their child is the key." There was no sign of Snow's daughter. Her curse was still safe.

Somehow though, this pesky little girl, the Hatter's daughter, could remember her son. Regina was not willing to give up her years of work for revenge just because of some little girl. Henry was just fine without her.

And yet, it made her feel wonderful to see her son come bounding down the stairs. His smile lit up his whole face. He pulled the girl by the hand all the way up to his room. They were both laughing.

The girl could stay, at least for now.

"We did it then. We really did it," Paige said, alternating her gaze between Miss Blanchard's credit card and the computer screen.

Henry looked at her only briefly, before turning his attention back to the blinking screen.

Are you sure you want to complete the transaction?

He took a deep breath and clicked the little yes button.

The website began to load. The little rainbow wheel that he already hated, circled around and around. Processing Request. Sending Request. Locating Data. Processing Data. Processing. Processing. Processing.

It was taking forever. Henry wanted to complain. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't sure if he was ready. Could he really go and meet the woman who gave him up? What if she was happy? What if she had other kids? What if she wasn't the fairytale princess he'd been imagining her to be? Not as in actual fairytale princess, he reminded himself. It was weird to think there were real princesses walking around him everyday. (He thought Ashley might be Cinderella.) More like the ideal mother, kind and sweet, someone who loved him so much but gave him up only because she had to, like Snow White.

But there were other thoughts too. What if she missed him desperately? Would he really be willing to leave Storybrooke for his birth mother? Could he leave all the places he loved? His school? His castle? His home? Could he really leave all the people he cared about? Dr. Hopper? Pongo? Miss Blanchard? Paige? His Mom? (Because even if she was the Evil Queen, she was still his mom.)

There was no turning back now and yet, while Henry watched the website search for his mother, he realized just how nervous he was. His file said this woman wanted no contact with him. Would she even answer the door?

"Match Found," the little computer voice said.

Henry leaned in to get a better look.

"Your birth mother is... Emma Swan.

Contact Information has been sent to your approved email address. Thank you for using ."

Paige coughed to draw his attention. Henry realized he had been staring blankly at the screen. "This is a good thing, right?" She asked timidly.

"I think so," He opened his email. He found the right file. He opened the attachment. "She lives in Boston."

"Well, that's not too far away."

Henry thought about it. Regina would never be willing to drive him but there was probably a bus, a Greyhound or something. "Yeah. It could be worse. I mean it's not like she lives in Arizona."

"Maybe my parents could drive you," Paige offered.

Henry sighed. "I don't think they like me all that much, remember? Plus they're affected by the curse. They wouldn't be able to leave Storybrooke."

There was silence as the two tried to come up with a solution. "Wasn't Princess Emma supposed to break the curse?" Paige asked almost so silently that Henry didn't hear her.

Her words were electric. A million thoughts danced through his head. He wanted to believe it. The savior needed to come when she was twenty-eight. Maybe he was supposed to go get her. Maybe he had been given up because of fate, or something like that, so that he could guide Emma to Storybrooke and save everyone.

"I think you're right," Henry smiled. "I think we need to get the Savior to Storybrooke."

"Of Course, Prince Henry," Paige said giving him a stiff little curtsy.

He nudged her slightly. "Don't do that."

"Why not? If we're right, if the curse is real" Henry shot her a glare, which she ignored. "You're a prince, the future heir to Snow White's Kingdom. And me," she shrugged, "I'm just Alice."

"You're not just Alice," Henry protested. "You'll be my Royal Assistant when we get back. We'll sword fight everyday and we'll go on quests and slay dragons together. All the Realms will know of Alice and Henry."

Paige giggled. "Alice the Brave and Henry the Magnificent. And we can have as many tea parties as we want without seeming weird."

"Yeah."

"Your mom's curse was good for something though." Paige's expression sobered. She was very serious.

"What?"

"If she never cast the curse, we would have never met," Paige smiled her smile.

"That's just another sign that the curse doesn't affect me."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're my best friend. That means you're a part of my happy ending."

Paige paced back and forth. She knew it was happening tonight. They had agreed she couldn't know too much. Plausible Deniability.

So instead of helping, she was just waiting. Paige supposed it was alright. It wasn't like she could go to Boston. The Curse still affected her. She couldn't leave any more than her parents could. Waiting and trying to do research for Operation Cobra. The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was propped open on the table in front of her. She hoped that maybe something in the book would make her remember, well, anything.

It was funny to read the book and think that this was her life. It meant she had a sister and a family that was probably looking for her. She knew her family wasn't technically her weird family, because that was what the curse did, it separated you from the people you cared about. But it was still odd to think about. In their real land, there would be no bickering with Kyle over who got to use the bathroom first in the morning, or who got the last oatmeal raisin cookie. There would be no Mom to tuck her in before bed. There would be no Dad to make jokes and pretend to forget how old she was on her birthday.

Paige shook her head. The curse wasn't broken yet. No need to dwell on things that were still a long ways away. She didn't think it would be simple enough to just bring the Savior to Storybrooke.

Paige tried to keep reading.

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "it's very easy to take more than nothing."
"Nobody asked your opinion," said Alice."

Paige had already decided she liked the Hatter. He was nonsensical at times, but she liked him. After all, life was a little nonsensical too. Paige wasn't sure if she should form opinions on the characters yet. After all, she had met them. They could be much different in person. No one in Henry's storybook was the same as the tales in this world. She didn't think Alice in Wonderland would be any different.

There was a loud knocking at the door. Startled, Paige nearly fell out of her chair at the kitchen table.

Mrs. Grace gave her a curious look. "Is that Henry?"

Paige gulped. "I don't think so."

Mrs. Grace wiped her hands on her apron and sighed, "I'm just not sure who else would be calling so late." She went to answer the door. Paige stayed at the table. She could sort of see the entrance, but they couldn't see her.

Sheriff Graham was standing in the door next to a very angry Regina. Graham looked almost apologetic. "I'm sorry Mrs. Grace. I know it's getting late but Henry appears to be missing. Could you please get your daughter?"

"Of course. PAIGE!"

Paige hopped off her chair and went to the front door, pretending that she hadn't been eavesdropping.

Graham's voice became incredibly gentle and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Paige, we just want to know if you know where Henry is. He hasn't come home today and he didn't go to his appointment with Doctor Hopper. Can you tell us anything?"

Paige put on a wounded look. She was really getting good at acting with everything she was doing to help Henry break the curse. Paige began in her smallest voice, "You mean Henry's missing?"

Regina shoved Graham out of the way. It was moments like this that Paige knew Regina had to be the Evil Queen. "We both know you know where my son is. So why don't you just spit it out girl."

"My name isn't girl, Madame Mayor. My name is Paige."

"My name is Margaret. They said you could help me."

Jefferson stared at the young woman, slightly amused. He knew someone was looking for him, went through a lot of trouble actually, but he hadn't imagined it would be the woman in front of him. She was slight with a plait of light brown hair carelessly pushed over her shoulder. Her blue dress was obviously well worn from travel. She didn't look like she was around here, which was probably the reason she was looking for his hat.

"That depends," Jefferson said, spinning his hat, feigning disinterest. He was feigning disinterest because he had heard the rumors of how much she was willing to pay.

"I'm trying to find someone."

"Most people are." Jefferson joked. She was rather pretty, especially when she was frowning at him like that.

"Not like that," She gave him a searching look. "I'm trying to find my sister Alice."

Author's note: This chapter is later than I wanted it to be but here it is. The stealing of the credit card took forever to get right. I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. Regina underwent so much character growth that it's important to remember that at the beginning, her revenge (and the curse) meant so much to her

A special thanks has to go out to my friend Cindy. Together, we worked out Once Upon A Time in Wonderland's connection to Jefferson (primarily Cyrus/Alice versus pesky head cannon). In Lewis Carroll's books, Alice has an older sister, who is notably reading a book without pictures and is annoyed by Alice's inability to sit still. In the book, she is unnamed. The sister is sometimes referred to as Lorina, who was Alice Liddell's older sister (who Carroll based the character off of). In the play, the sister's name is Mathilda. In the Tim Burton movie, it's Margaret. I feel like Margaret fits best in the Once Upon a Time Universe.

Sophie Lowe (Alice) and Alissa Skovbye (Grace) also look very similar, which definitely fueled the Jefferson/Alice speculation. Alice however has a True Love so I'm not about to deprive her of that. I feel like it's a decent compromise even if Margaret doesn't completely line up with Wonderland either. And I'm sure I gave you more information than you ever wished to know, but there it is.

I posted a Rumbelle one-shot. So if that's your cup of tea, I would love if you could check it out (and maybe even review).

Now, I have some news that might not be too good for writing, but I'm ecstatic about. I've received a scholarship to study abroad in Xi'an, China over the summer. I've started a poll on my poll on my profile to see how everyone wants me to update during the two months I'm gone. If you could vote, that would be great.

As always, I'm looking forward to any thought, opinions or suggestions.