So it may be a little confusing, but the beginning of stories usually are, in my case.
Sheriff's Office. Storybrooke, Maine. August 14th, 2026.
Henry sat on the bed in the cell leaning forward, his head in his hands. Emma and David were quietly talking at their desks, presumably about him. He had only been in the cell for under a half hour- right after he had gotten his mug shot taken- and already he was sick of it. There was nothing to do but stare. He assumed the two were waiting for the computer to tell them who he was. It could have been easier to just tell them, but they didn't ask.
Finally, he heard the two approach his cell.
His mother spoke first. "What did you and Killian Jones talk about? Did you talk to him about the Lincoln case?"
Henry laughed. "Oh course you followed me," he said in a quiet voice. He sighed, then spoke up. "Killian had nothing to do with this."
"What is this?" David asked, and Henry could picture the man folding his arms across his chest.
He was the Truest Believer. He should be able to do this. He had done it before. He sighed again before he looked up. He was right about David's stance. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he told them, looking from his mother to his grandfather.
Emma mimicked David's stance, but with an added eyebrow raise. "Try us."
Henry shook his head. "I can't." He stood and stepped up to the bars, and the two on the other side continued to stare suspiciously at him. He turned to the Savior. "You know when someone's lying. But you always say: 'just because you believe it doesn't make it true.' Even if it is true, you won't think it is, because it doesn't make any sense to you."
Both of their eyebrows lowered at the same time. "What won't make sense?" David asked, slightly confused.
Henry thought maybe Emma would ask how he knew about the believing, but she said nothing. "What I have to tell you," Henry said to David. The prisoner suddenly threw his hands up, turned, and stepped away from the bars. "No, never mind. I wish I had a drink right about now."
"I think maybe you've had too much already," Emma said. "And it's only quarter to nine."
He raised his hand to rub at his face. "Fighting a dragon would help you believe, I bet," Henry mumbled to himself. He turned his head so that the people on the other side of the bars could hear him clearly. "Do I at least get a phone call?"
The two glanced at each other. After silently speaking for a moment, Emma turned back to him. "We'll think about it." Then they turned away.
Not long later, the two officers, after being summoned for a moment, returned, followed by an uncomfortable Jefferson. What caught Henry's attention wasn't their footsteps- no, he had closed his eyes long ago and tried to get some rest, which meant ignoring them, feeling he would need it. What caught his attention was Emma asking who they brought in a question. "Is this the man that you're looking for?"
Henry was curious, because he had heard the third set of footsteps, and knew they weren't talking to each other. When he opened his eyes, he saw Jefferson's shoulders lower in relief as he sighed. His relief turned to curiosity as he turned to the Sheriff. "What did he get arrested for?"
Henry sat up and smirked at his question.
The three paused on the other side of their desks, and the Savior crossed her arms. "For impersonating a Private Investigator, which I'm sure you already know he isn't."
Jefferson smirked as well. If only she knew the real reason I was here, Henry thought as his gaze met the Hatters. The latter glanced away before he spoke again. "My friend was trying to…. find his family."
Henry saw his mother scoff as David rose an eyebrow. He turned to Henry. "If you needed help with that, you could have just asked. What are their names?"
Henry glared at the Hatter. Thanks, Jefferson. "I appreciate the help, but I'm sure they're not here."
"You're sure, kid?" Henry froze at the words. Emma asked that, her voice sounding sympathetic. She could relate to not knowing her parents, much less finding them. But at least in this life she had David. But that wasn't why the young man froze. She had called him kid, something she had done for that five years of his life where he had been her son. Before he had even been her son. Maybe his mom was still in there somewhere. Maybe they were all in there somewhere.
But this wasn't his mom, because at the moment, he was the Truest Believer. And she was Sheriff Swan. They didn't know each other, not now, not with this damn curse ruining their lives again. Would anything ever be normal for this family?
Henry stepped up to the bars and held onto one. "I'm sorry that I lied. I had a feeling they wouldn't be here anyway." It wasn't lying, per say. His family was standing right in front of him, but at the moment, they weren't his family. They didn't know him, or the memories they shared together. "I brought my mom here when I was younger. It's a special place." He shrugged. "They travel a lot." This wasn't lying, either, because they had went from this land to the next over their adventures. "Like I said, I hoped they had been here."
"Do you need us to track down their numbers so you can call them?" Emma didn't seem suspicious, so she didn't think he was lying. That was good. At least they seemed like they wanted to help now.
Henry looked down. "We had a fight right before I left." He rubbed his face, because again it was true. "I don't think they'd answer my call. I have to be there in person." He looked up at them again. "But thanks. I'll just wait for them here."
"You think they'll come back soon?" David asked.
Henry just shrugged. He didn't know how long it would take to get his mom to believe again. He just wished it was sooner rather than later.
The two law enforcers glanced at each other again, and Emma gestured for David to join her across the station. He followed her a ways away, but they continued to glance back at the two by and in the cell. Henry smirked, thinking it was either because they were reluctant to believe him, or they didn't trust Jefferson.
Said man approached the bars after a glance at the others. "Nice work," he whispered once he was close to them. "Twisting the truth."
Henry still didn't think he was all that fond of the man still. He ignored the comment. "How am I going to do this? Every day that goes by is still a day that Grace is missing."
The Hatter glared, but not out of anger towards the Truest Believer. "I know. I've been at this for ten years, and the only solution I've come up with is to get the Savior to believe. Once she did, I was hoping she'd come up with a plan. That's your job, kid."
Henry glanced at his family to make sure they were still occupied to not hear them. "I'm different now. When I convinced her last time, I was just a kid that wanted to help. I haven't wanted to help anyone in a long time. I was going to try to gain her trust by finding Lincoln, but that seems to be hard." He frowned, realizing he hadn't really wanted to say that to him. So he turned the conversation back to him. "You know, you could have tried to figure out who cast the curse. That would have been more helpful."
The man looked away, and at first Henry thought it because he was in thought. But then Henry slowly recognized guilt across the man's features. He gripped the bars in front of him, a glare erupting onto his face. "Damn it, Jefferson. You know, don't you?"
The man cringed. "I do. I would have told you, but there's no point. I've been pleading with the man for ten years-"
"Tell me who it is," Henry growled. Before the other man could react, however, the Deputy appeared.
"Alright, Trenton," David said as he approached, causing the young man to step away from the bars, and Jefferson to do the same. "We've decided to let you go, but since our first run-in together was of dishonesty, I'm sure you'll understand that we're going to be keeping an eye out for you." Henry glanced at Emma as his grandfather pulled out the keys to the cell. She looked like she hated the idea, but it seemed that the prince had convinced her of this.
"Thank you," Henry mumbled. Once he got out of this cell, he and Jefferson were going to have a talk.
The Streets of Storybrooke. Storybrooke, Maine. August 14th, 2026.
The clock tower struck noon as Henry caught up to Jefferson. Before Henry could be completely released, the man had hurried out. He easily caught up to the Hatter, who was most likely on his way back home.
"Tell me who cast the curse," Henry demanded once they were walking side by side.
Jefferson sighed in defeat. "I know I should have told you-"
"Just tell me," Henry said, interrupting him. He didn't need the sympathy.
Jefferson sighed again. "He calls himself Drake."
"So I don't know him."
"No. He came here the day of the curse and immediately cast it. I-" Jefferson rubbed his face, but managed to continue to walk. "I was picking up dinner at Granny's that night. When I got home, Grace was gone. I searched all into the night for her, and finally he contacted me at 3am." He dropped his hand. "I lied when I said I didn't know that she was okay."
Henry frowned, but he continued. He didn't look up as he spoke, but watched the ground in front of him as he walked. "He lets me see her sometimes. It's like a reward," he spit out, disgusted. "I do what he says, and he lets me see her for a few minutes."
Henry's mouth fell open. This had been going on for ten years. There was no way he could have tried to go against the man, because then he'd hurt Grace.
Jefferson explained more. "I keep tabs on the townspeople. I'm supposed to tell him if anyone begins to remember their old lives. He can't have anyone knowing about magic, or else he will fail his task. I don't know what it is, otherwise I'd tell you.
"Drake rarely leaves his house, and he has a protection spell around the property. There's no way I can get to my daughter unless I'm giving him a report. And trust me, I've tried a few times. Fortunately, he never took his anger out on her." The man cringed, telling Henry that he possibly had the scars to prove it, mentally or physically.
"The only hope she has is the Savior and her friends. And you." Jefferson finally looked him in the eye. "Drake has power, similar to the Dark One. He can be controlled, but only by his masters, which unfortunately aren't in Stroybrooke."
"Wait," Henry told him, and he physically stopped. They were just on the edge of town, and Henry realized that they were heading toward the forest. "I don't think I understand what you're saying." How did he know so much?
Jefferson shook his head. "I think you do." He sighed, once again in guilt and defeat. "I go to him when he summons me, and for some reason, he likes to be civil. He talks, I listen. It's been ten years; he's told me a lot. What he hasn't told me I've figured out on my own. He's only doing one thing in Storybrooke, and that's guarding his target, which includes keeping the target- and everyone else in town- frozen in time.
"I'll tell you about that later, because right now I have to report to him, and he wants to meet you."
Henry blinked, shocked. "You told him I was here?"
The Hatter shook his head. "He may not have eyes and ears everywhere, but he can feel when someone enters his territory. He knows you've entered town, and that I've brought you here. That's it; I swear. I've already endangered my daughter by bringing you here, and you're going to make it worse by not showing up to meet him."
Henry's glare returned. "What's to say he won't find out that I'm here to break the curse?"
"I'll tell you on the way there," he told him, then turned down a street that led deep into the forest.
The ending here was mostly dialogue, but I hope everyone understood!