CH5

Waterfalls

Thessia kept running in spite of her lack of oxygen and aching ribs. Mr. Gold's words rang through her ears. Why would Graham be hunting a wolf? Thessia pushed herself even harder to find him… though she wasn't sure how much more she had in her.

Thessia was no longer running. The most apt word to describe what she was doing would have been stumbling. So she stumbled over trees, around shrubs, and under stray branches. She would have gladly given all her clothes and her right foot for a bottle of water. Thessia fell again, though this time she wasn't sure she was going to be able to get up. She tried once, and her legs gave out. She hated herself for not working out more often as she tried and failed once more to get up.

Thessia's eyes began to water, she was losing and she hated to lose. She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and used the stump next to her to lift herself up. She laughed aloud and put one foot in front of the other as she made her way forward. Thessia heard a wolf howl and it sounded so close she froze. Carefully she sneaked towards the sound, or at least the direction she heard it come from and almost screamed with joy as she saw Graham standing and in one piece.

"Graham, oh my gosh, are you okay? What the hell are you doing here?" Thessia asked frantically as she inspected him to make sure he was not hurt in any way. When he didn't answer she looked up at him, his eyes were tired and his hair was a mess. She was going to yell at him again when a breeze brought in an unfamiliar smell. Thessia turned to her left and grabbed Graham's hand with a slight shriek.

Graham pulled Thessia behind him, putting himself in between the wolf and Thessia. All three stood frozen to the ground and Thessia was afraid to even breathe.

"It's okay, It won't hurt us." Graham said with one hand extended towards the wolf.

"What are you talking about, it is a freaking wolf."Thessia whispered loudly, keeping her eyes on the wolf and crouching behind Graham as it turned to face her. She noticed the wolf's eyes, red and black, it unexplainably made her feel easier.

"Go on now, go." Graham whistled and motioned with his hand to leave. The wolf looked back at Graham, then back at Thessia and left.

"Oh my…" Thessia was at a loss for words.

"What are you doing here? What happened to you?" Graham asked Thessia as he looked at her for the first time.

"I saw you running into the woods, it was dark then and I thought… I thought you might need help." Thessia said turning slightly red.

"I do, at least I think I do. I need to see Mary Margret. I saw something, twice now. Do you believe in past lives?" Graham said looking straight at her, it made Thessia nervous.

"I uh, I don't know. Graham what is wrong? You look as terrible as I feel." Thessia said touching his face. She wasn't a nurse nor did she know how a fever felt like but the action was comforting. He held her hand to his face.

"I'm sorry I was so angry at you. I don't think you did the right thing, you are just a citizen and you had no reason to risk your life like that… but that is what makes you so amazing. And here you are, doing it again, for me." Graham said as he put her hand on his chest.

"Graham, you're the one who is risking your life by coming to these parts of the woods. I am not even familiar with the terrain here." Thessia said concerned.

"I said I think you are amazing and I am sorry, and what you got out of that was… the geography?" Graham said as his eyebrows narrowed in confusion.

"No, I'm just saying that it's not exact-"

"How does that even make any sense? I mean, I am here, holding your hand and you don't even notice…" Graham said as he lifted their intertwined hands as evidence. Thessia began to shake her head, stumbling over half spoken words when she looked up at Graham to see that he was barely containing a smile.

"You jerk!" Thessia said as she tried to pull away with a smile of her own, he was messing with her. Graham pulled her close hard enough for her to bump into him, but instead he grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her.

Thessia was taken by surprise, though she quickly caught up. Part of her was raising so many objections, the wolf, the unknown location, the fact that he seemed like he was a crazy person… but it all faded away. She felt safe, despite all the dangers.

Thessia felt Graham grab her hands with his and pin them up against the tree as he kissed her lips and made his way down to the base of her neck. He then moved to take off her ripped and dirty sweater and threw it on the ground. Thessia felt her blood rush through her body and her thoughts were hard to organize. She felt Graham slip his hands down her back and rest on her waist. His lips worked on her neck and he could smell the morning sun in her hair and on her skin… she was everything he wished he had.

Graham let Thessia take off his belt holster and his jacket as it was her turn to pin him against the tree. It took her less than a second to decide not to deal with the vest and ripped it open. Graham attempted to step towards her but she briskly pushed his back against the tree with a wicked smile and took off his burgundy tie slowly. Graham sternly grabbed her waist and spun her around while he held on to her hand so that it was her face against the tree and her hand behind her back. She felt his breath on her neck and his hand slide up her back under her shirt. He brushed her hair over her left shoulder as he kissed the nape of her neck.

"I want you." Graham whispered softly in Thessia's ear and it made her shiver.

Thessia turned around to face him again, drowning in the intensity she saw in his darkened blue eyes. Thessia stretched higher to slowly bite his lip and kissed him gently, letting his desire wash over both of them. When she opened her eyes, he slowly did the same. It was just enough for Graham to see her eyes narrow and her smile widen as she instantly untangled herself from him and sprinted away from him. Graham chuckled deeply as he began the chase.

Thessia threw off her shirt and let it drop as she quickly and quietly continued to run through the uncharted woods. She did the same with her shoes a little further and soon her socks as well. When she felt the grass and dirt under her bare feet it sent a surge of energy through her body and she ran faster. The smell of the woods drove her forward and she stopped when she heard water. She ran towards its, there was no mistaking the sound of a waterfall, not here in Maine. Thessia approached the bottom of the small waterfall and Thessia did not hesitate to undress herself completely. She let her hair down and walked at to the edge of the rocks when Graham came holding all her clues. When he saw her looking at him over her right shoulder, her skin practically glowing in the sunlight, he dropped everything in his hands.

Thessia giggled as he drank in the sight of her, he began to walk closer towards her as he took off his shirt and undid his jeans. She smiled and turned back to the water in front of her, it was so inviting. She dove into the water that was surprisingly warm and began to swim closer to the falls. Something behind the falls caught her eyes and she instinctively moved closer…

Tinkerbell flew slightly closer, moving slowly and most importantly discreetly. Keeping herself hidden had always been a priority in her eyes. As she moved closer towards the trees, the smell of blood became stronger. She could hear his ragged breathing, and saw the blood was coming from his wrists being tied up with rope. He seemed to be bruised from his face with a few small cuts for good measure. He wasn't very liked, not by whoever did this to him.

Tinkerbell observed the man, studying the situation. He was a traveler for sure, maybe a huntsman by his style of dress. She couldn't be sure because he seemed to be missing certain items like a shirt and most definitely a coat in this weather. She saw bruising on his rib cage, nothing serious which meant that he was meant to die slowly. Tinkerbell knew she didn't have much time, the way he was tied up let gravity slowly and very painfully crush the organs and in particular the lungs. He was dying, suffocating from being strung up on the tree… he must have been here for at least an hour.

She looked around, surely the wolf stayed behind because there was something out here… but would could possibly scare a wolf? Tinkerbell turned to see the wolf make its way down the darkest route and stop at the man's feet. Though the man was tied up too high for the wolf to reach, it stood there loyally and looked at Tinkerbell. It was his plea for help.

Tinkerbell sprinted for the rope without another thought, she would be damned if she would let fear stop her from helping a wolf. After all, how many times did wolves ask for favors? None, according to her knowledge… which was quite extensive.

Tinkerbell flew right in front of the man's face, he needed to be conscious to stand a chance for this to work. She flew to the top of his curly hair, which was layered in dirt and sweat. Tinkerbell rubbed her hands together as she closed her eyes. Methodically she rubbed the palms together, slowly and softly until she felt lightheaded. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw how much her glow illuminated the dark woods. In her hands she held her magic transform into powder, a dust that would be little more than sand to the human eye. She let it fall into his hair and saw it work its way down into the roots, leaving a silver trail that would be all but invisible.

Tinkerbell flew down to his face, tickling his nose and hoping it would wake him up. When that failed she began to touch his eyelids, cheeks, and forehead. With little success, tinkerbell began a more aggressive route as she punched his cheek, kicked his nose and bite his chin. Finally, with all her other ideas proving futile, Tinkerbell slowly turned towards his lips. They were much bigger than hers, in fact her entire height was his face from chin to forehead. Still, she had to hope this would get him to wake up.

Tinkerbell cautiously put her hands behind her back and leaned forward towards his lips. Her wings fluttered and she could feel her heart beating in her head. She closed her eyes and felt his lower lip on her nose, then on her own lips. She took a deep breath and with all her might she bit his lip as hard as she could muster.

Thessia flew several inches back as she felt the air around her stir with life. She tilted her head slightly to the left as she saw the man's blue eyes flutter with realization and confusion. The wolf howled loudly as the man licked his lips through narrowed eyes. Tinkerbell put her hands on the man's forehead despite his attempts to move away. He was cold, and not only because he had no shirt.

"What are you called?" Tinkerbell yelled at him and he merely groaned.

"What is your name?" Tinkerbell yelled even louder.

"Hum…Humbert…Humb…" He groaned painfully

"Humbert, the Huntsman, you listen to me. In the depth of winter I finally learned in me that there was an invincible summer. Yet there are times when the wolves are silent, and the moon is howling." Tinkerbell perched herself on his shoulder and spoke in his ear, though to him it would barley be more than a whisper. Her voice seemed to calm him, and she could feel him strain to listen. As her words seeped into his mind she saw him smile, first with his eyes and then with his lips.

Tinkerbell flew as fast as she could to his hands and cut the rope with one swift motion of her finger. Tinkerbell saw the man suspended in the air, gradually falling as if time had slowed down to a snail's pace. She quickly went to face him, insuring that his eyes were on hers, making his gaze follow her. After an immeasurable amount of time they reached the ground and the wolf leaped onto the man and licked his face gratefully.

Tinkerbell watched the display of affection with more than just curiosity. This was odd, a huntsman and a wolf… Tinkerbell touched her lips subconsciously, she could still feel the pressure of his lip. She began to feel saddened by the blatant display of friendship, it was something she had not had in years. It hurt her to think of those days, days when she could love and was loved.

Tinkerbell felt a tear roll down her eyes and moved away from the man and the wolf. Her glow was dim now, magic always came with a price. She turned and took in a deep breath as her wings began to flutter faster.

"Please, don't go." The man spoke lowly, but Tinkerbell heard him clearly. His voice was deep and rich, it stopped her.

"I wanted to thank you." He said shyly, still feeling pain from whatever he had gone through. Tinkerbell turned around gracefully and tilted her head with a question in her eyes.

"I uh… I had a disagreement with a hunter. Humans always travel in packs though, so one disagreement turned into several and here we are." Humbert said holding his ribs with one hand and petting his wolf with the other.

Tinkerbell slowly moved closer to the injured man and looked around cautiously. The wolf whined gently.

"And thank you for bringing her to me, friend." He said to the wolf that lied down content for the recognition. Tinkerbell smiled at the display.

The Huntsman got up to his feet quicker than an injured man should have been able to and Tinkerbell held her hand up in protest before she realized it was not her place. He looked at her and chuckled as he rubbed his bottom lip with his hand.

"You probably didn't need to bite so hard." He said with a charming smile as he saw Tinkerbell blush. Tinkerbell flew closer to the wolf and touched his head in acceptance. She felt the oily fur that kept him safe from the weather and felt the warmness it radiated as it breathed in and out.

"What are you?" The Huntsman asked intensely as he looked at Tinkerbell, burning her every detail into memory.

"She's an extraordinary creature and extremely hard to find, aren't you Dearie?" An unfamiliar voice said in the distance with a cruel laugh.

"Show yourself." The Huntsman yelled back courageously.

"Well, I think you are already doing enough of that for the both of us." The voice laughed again as it approached closer and pointed to his lack of clothing.

Tinkerbell flew to the Huntsman's side, feeling the earth itself shy away from the creature approaching them. She turned to the Huntsman, shaking her head and motioning him away. The wolf was alert, growling to the darkness in front of them.

"I would do as she says dearie, this is between me, and her. Isn't that right, Tinkerbell?" The small man pranced up to them, his skin glistening in the light and eyes circularly wide.

"I think the only thing between us should be lots of space." Tinkerbell said as she let her anger darken her glow.

"Now I disagree. And I usually get what I want." Rumpelstiltskin said menacingly as he snapped his fingers.

Tinkerbell raised her hands and the earth raised to form a wall in front of her. The wall instantly evaporated into a cloud of dust. Tinkerbell blew on the palm of her hands and the wind began to bring rain drops that sharpened into ice daggers that headed straight for Rumpelstiltskin's head.

Humbert saw the tiny girl fall to the ground and put her hands deep into the soil. When he turned to look Tinkerbell's eyes were set ablaze in a blue fire and the glow that illuminated gold now turned into a jaded green. The Huntsman grabbed one of the crystal daggers and threw it straight into Rumpelstiltskin's chest, who merely laughed as he removed it and looked up at him with a deadly grin.

"This power will never be yours." Tinkerbell yelled as the trees began to close in quickly around Rumpelstiltskin. He fought it, destroyed the trees but there was always another to take its place. It wasn't long before Rumpelstiltskin was out of sight and his threats muffled.

"We must go." The Huntsman said as he picked Tinkerbell up from the ground. He paused as he saw the tears falling down her eyes. She was looking at the dozens of broken trees that had shriveled by Rumpelstiltskin's magic.

The Huntsman ran with his wolf at his heels, letting his instincts take him towards the safest direction. Tinkerbell would throw magic behind his shoulder, but he never turned to see. He knew she would take care of as much as she could.

"We must pass the river, Huntsman." Tinkerbell flew to his shoulder.

"We can't swim across, we won't make it." He said fighting the urge to turn his head and look at her.

"We will not be swimming." Tinkerbell said with a grin in her voice. The wolf took the lead and when they reached to river the ground lifted to form a clear walkway across.

"We must hurry." Tinkerbell said as she flew down the path, touching the water with her hands.

"After you." The Huntsman said to the wolf who returned his stare before running on the path. Tinkerbell saw the hesitation in his eyes, he was not used to trusting others. She could relate, but she still narrowed her eyes at his slow pace. Humans were so slow.

Thessia was so engrossed at the small sparkling object behind the waterfall that she didn't hear Graham behind her. He grabbed her by her waist and pulled her to his chest, he was glad when she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. She slowly wrapped her legs around his waist as his hands slid up her back and down her shoulders, kissing the trail his hands made. She felt his body pressed against hers, everything about him was hard, but his eyes were soft, looking at her like he had not seen her in an eternity.

"I want you, too." Thessia whispered as her pulse quickened and her breathing became shallow. It was her turn to feel Graham shiver as his eyes displayed the excitement he felt. They had drifted closer towards the bottom of the waterfall and it made it seem as if it was raining. Graham moved her towards a smoothened rock and she tightened her grip around his neck.

Graham ran one of his hands down her back and pushed her slightly higher so that her breasts were above the water. He slowly kissed her heaving breasts, taking careful bites on the nipples as they hardened. One of his hands held on to the edge of the rock to keep him afloat and Thessia moved both of her hands to hold on to his. The view excited him, it looked as if she were tied up just for him. His other hand explored her thigh that he unwrapped from his waist when he reached the center. She moaned lowly and tilted her head back to expose her neck as he deliberately stroked in between her legs. He could not resist the temptation to nibble her neck, so he did and Thessia whispered his name in his ear, slowly, seductively, and it drove him mad with passion. When his fingers found her clit he rubbed a little faster and saw her instinctively bite her lips and her legs quivered. Graham kissed her feverishly, enjoying her squirm at his touch and she parted her legs to signal she was ready. He entered her hard, getting immense pleasure from her loud moan as he also bit her nipples slightly harder than he had before. Graham growled as he felt her body underneath his, moving to a slow rhythm. Thessia had to hold on to his shoulders, the sensation of being filled up was too hard to ignore. He felt her nails dig into his back as she bit his bottom lip. She began to sway her hips as she wrapped her legs once again around his waist and bit her lips to stifle the scream as she felt him get bigger inside her, something she didn't think was possible. He groaned and she picked up the pace, feeling her body tense in pleasure. He moved faster, with deliberate roughness as he pinned her hands to the rock with his, he enjoyed the view immensely. His free hand moved her waist with perfect precision, to keep her locked to his rhythm. Graham felt her tighten and entered her even harder, knowing the sensation would keep her coming. She moaned in his ear as he felt her pulsate around him every time he thrust. She quickly buried her face in his neck and bit him so hard it made him jerk with pleasure as he felt himself release.

Exhausted, Thessia and Graham pulled themselves out of the water and onto the grass. Thessia moved on top of him, letting herself lean into his chest. She rubbed her face against his and began to kiss his neck down to his chest. When she gently licked his nipples she felt him stir underneath her. He grabbed her by the waist and gently slid inside her, she moaned seductively as her hair fell down over her breasts. She rolled her hips and bit her lip as he kept one hand on her thigh and the other on her stomach. Graham leaned back, taking in her beauty as she lifted her head towards the sun. She put her hands on his chest as she set the pace, feeling him continue to harden with every move. His breathing quickened and he swiftly spun her to the ground as he pulled her wet hair to lead her mouth to his. She lifted her legs past his shoulders as he thrust himself inside her. It wasn't long before Thessia felt her body stiffen and go limp, unable to control her yell as he kissed her chest and neck. Graham followed soon after again, rolling next to her sated and very satisfied.

He held her hand, felt the heat radiate from her entire body, feeling the most at peace he had ever remembered feeling. Thessia lied down and felt that she was absorbing the sun like the various plants around her. She felt a calm as the trees rustled as the warm breeze moved through them. Thessia moved the palm of her hand on the grass underneath her body.

"I think we knew each other from before… you're so familiar to me." Graham said as he lifted himself on one arm and put his other hand on her face. He looked at her with a burning intensity for her to understand.

"I need you to slow down, start from the beginning. I think I know what you mean but you need to be clear with me." Thessia said as she caressed his cheek.

"You saw the wolf, right you saw it too." Graham asked frantically.

"Yes, I did. You touched it, and it listened to you." Thessia recalled and it scared her all over again.

"When I kissed Emma I saw a memory, or I think it was a memory and the wolf was there." Graham said and noticed Thessia wince at the mention of Emma and put his hand towards her face, willing her to understand.

"The wolf? The same wolf?" Thessia asked trying to move on from the fact that he was a raving idiot last night. This was important to him and so it was important for her to understand.

"Yes the very same one. I realize I hadn't felt anything since I had been with you in the woods… I had not felt anything at all before that, not with Regina, not for my job, not for anything. Ever. I was drunk, and I was stupid. I woke up and I had a dream of the wolf, again and when I went to pick my car up from Granny's I saw it… and I followed it here." Graham spoke quickly, carefully looking at Thessia and the way she reacted.

"I saw the wolf, you're not crazy. Although I think we may both be crazy because there is a huge wolf out there and we are here naked." Thessia said with a smile, she was not sure how to react but she didn't want to drive Graham away. Graham smiled at her and kissed her sweetly, relieved that she believed him.

"Do you love me?" Graham asked so seriously Thessia felt like she had crashed right into a brick wall. Her crystal blues eyes looked at him in confusion.

"What do you think?" Thessia said looking into his eyes sternly. Graham nodded sadly and Thessia sat up and grabbed his hands.

"I love you." Thessia said decidedly, and realized the truth of her words as she spoke them. She loved Graham, enough to chase him into the woods as he chased a wolf. If that wasn't love she didn't know what was… But it was clear it wasn't true love, not that Thessia believed in such fairytales, but it was enough for her to mean it when she said it.

"I love you too, Thessia. Thank you, for everything." Graham said as he hugged her tightly and Thessia realized she was his last lifeline.

"You said you needed to see Mary Margret, we better head over there before school ends." Thessia said as she stood up and walked to her pile of clothes, rather astounded at the time…wasn't it just morning? Graham followed, admiring her spirit and thankful as hell that he had found her.

They stopped at Thessia's apartment per her instance on a change of clothing. She gave back Graham's jacket and changed into some jeans and a green tank top. It took her ten minutes to change, put her hair in a ponytail, throw on some boots and run out the door where Graham was waiting rather impatiently in the car.

"Okay, so what else did you see?" Thessia asked for the hundredth time and Graham sighed.

"Nothing else, just Mary Margret with long hair in the woods, I had a blade or a knife… I'm not sure which. I was going to hurt her… that was clear." Graham said searching through his memory.

"So, what are you going to tell Mary Margret? Because if you start with that she is going to freak out on you." Thessia said as she tied the strings on her calf high boots.

"What do you mean? I don't want to hurt her now." Graham said shaking his head.

"You look exactly like you feel, disoriented, tired, hung over, those aren't traits one looks for in a Sheriff. Add the fact that you had a vision of hurting someone well the result ends with a scared Mary Margret and you in a white padded cell." Thessia said honestly as Graham burrowed his eyebrows, apparently concluding that was a less than ideal ending.

"Look let me go in with you, I can help you talk to-" Thessia said gently.

"No, I need to do this by myself. I won't come off as creepy." Graham interjected sternly, not sure if he believed himself.

"Well at least let me be there, that way if Mary feels scared she won't also feel alone with you." Thessia purred gently as Graham began to consider the compromise. He nodded.

They walked into the elementary without any obstacles, after all Graham was the sheriff. Just as they arrived to Mary Margret's classroom a bell rang and all the student were walking out. Graham walked in first and Thessia decided to stay in the back of the classroom and give Graham space.

"Mary Margret… can I talk to you?" Graham asked and Thessia rolled her eyes, so much for not being creepy.

"Graham, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Mary Margret looked up in worry and then looked at Thessia who gave an inconspicuous nod.

"I think we uh… I think we know each other?" Graham asked as if he was in pain. Thessia nodded again to Mary Margret with a smile, it seemed to relax her.

"Of course we do." Mary Margret walked around her classroom, closer to Thessia

"No no no, not from here. Not from Storybrooke." Graham said decisively.

"From where then?" Mary Margret asked patiently and rather curiously.

"Another life." Graham said as he himself was confused on the issue.

"Mary Margret, I uh… maybe you should sit down. I think what Graham is trying to say is-" Thessia began to say as she walked towards Mary Margret with an apologetic tone as she sat on one of the desks.

"Mary Margret how long have we known each other?" Graham interjected as he gave Thessia a look. Mary Margret looked worried, but Thessia still maintained a reassuring expression.

"Um, I don't know. A While." Mary Margret answered confused and then confidently.

"Do you remember when we met?" Graham took the chair opposite of hers. He asked genuinely, it was clear he couldn't remember.

"Uh… no." Mary Margret said, clearly searching her memory and failing.

"Me neither. I can't remember when I met you, or when I met anyone. Isn't that odd?" Graham asked, looking at Thessia apologetically. Both Mary Margret and Thessia wore the same expression… confusion and worry.

"I don't know... I suppose… I think that's just life, things get hazy." Mary Margret said with a reassuring tone.

"Did I ever hurt you?" He asked after a brief pause and Thessia put her hand on her forehead but kept silent behind Mary Margret.

"Oh Graham no, of course not. What is going on?" She asked and glanced at Thessia who leaned on the wall as if everything was fine just in time.

"Do you believe in other lives?" He asked as if he were eight years old.

"Like heaven…" Mary Margret shook her head as she looked at the ground, dealing with a crisis of faith was common in law enforcement.

"I mean like past lives." Graham clarified and Mary Margret smiled in understanding.

"You've been talking to Henry." She stated, knowing Henry's story well. Thessia took in a deep breath, of course!

"Henry?" Graham asked confused.

"Well he has this book of stories… he's been going on about how he thinks we are all characters from them… from another land. That we have forgotten who we really are… which of course makes no sense." Mary Margret said as she saw Graham's expression.

"Right… no of course." Graham said with visible feign. Mary Margret looked at Thessia, more worried than before.

"We all know Henry has an active imagination." Thessia tried to reassure Mary Margret, but it felt wrong to say it.

"Graham? You are burning up. Go home and get some rest, I think you will feel much better after you've had some sleep. Get him to bed." Mary Margret said as she put her hand on Grahams forehead. She turned to Thessia with her last instructions and it immediately made Thessia blush. Mary Margret narrowed her eyebrows at Thessia's strange reaction.

"Right, you're absolutely right. I'm sorry to disturb you. Thank you." Graham brought the attention back on himself as he stood up and looked at Mary Margret gratefully.

"Of course." She said turning to the Sheriff, worried now for more than one reason.

Graham and Thessia walked quickly out of the elementary and back into the car where Thessia took the driver's seat.

"How did it go? Was I creepy?" Graham asked boyishly, which meant his accent became more noticeable.

"Better than I feared, worse than I hoped." Thessia said with an arched eyebrow and Graham nodded with a small grin.

"I think we need to talk to Henry." Thessia said knowing she was driving him further down the rabbit's hole, but she knew he needed to hear Henry first hand.

"You think we should?" Graham asked alerted and relieved.

"Yes. Henry has a big imagination but… well you will decide for yourself." Thessia said as she made her way down to the Mayors house.

Graham rang the doorbell, knowing that Regina wasn't home. Thessia stood behind him, nervous at what she might have done by bringing Graham to see Henry. She had already sparked that light inside him though, there was no turning back.

"Hey Sheriff, my mom is not here. Hi Thess." Henry said cheerfully as he gave Thessia a knowing smile.

"Actually… I'm here to see you Henry. I was hoping you could help me." Graham said in the most kid friendly voice he could muster.

"Help you with what?" Henry asked curiously, looking at both Graham and Thessia.

"It's about your book…am I in it?" Graham asked hesitantly, feeling how ridiculous it sounded as he said it aloud. Henry looked taken aback by the idea that he was being consulted, until he looked at Thessia with the widest smile.

"You do believe! You think he will believe too?" Henry asked excitedly.

"I think he should make up his own mind, but if you know who he is too then maybe you could tell him." Thessia said as she kneeled in front of Henry who nodded and led them into the house.

"Too? He told you who you were?" Graham asked surprised.

"Yes… I'm Tinkerbell." Thessia said as she followed Henry up the stairs. Graham looked up after her, possibly more confused by why she had not told him than the fact that she had already talked to Henry.

"Come on boy, we will be safe over here. Evil cannot pass over water, he won't find us again." Tinkerbell coaxed the wolf onto dry land. The wolf whined at first but eventually jumped.

"Why water?" The Huntsman asked the small woman.

"Water is pure, it is said to be the purest magic though those that once wielded it have long past. There are myths, legends even though I wouldn't rely on the accuracy of such tales. I only know he will not be able to chase you and that is what matters… it means I can… hunt him." Tinkerbell said as she flew next to him.

"You cannot fight that thing, and definitely not alone." The Huntsman protested as the wolf growled.

"I saved you, but rare is the magic that has no price. This is mine, you must go." Tinkerbell sternly said as she moved to look him straight in the eyes.

"I never asked-" The Hunstman began to argue.

"You may not have, but he did." Tinkerbell said pointing to the wolf who growled back angrily. It made Thessia smile and the Huntsman frown.

"Why does he want you?" The Huntsman asked resigned to the price.

"He is a creature of power, as most humans are. He is enslaved, while I am not. We draw power from the same place but the price for him is much steeper, it is why he has transformed into a creature, marked for all to see. I studied this power, the ability to wield it was in my blood but it was never in his." Tinkerbell explained.

"He means to kill you, for your blood." The Huntsman understood with fury.

"Yes, but he will never have it. Even if I must kill myself, as all the others like me have, I will not let him." Tinkerbell spoke and realized she had not shared this with anyone in such a long time.

"I can help-" The Huntsman said eagerly.

"I don't want it… but thank you. You're a kinder Huntsman than I have ever known to exist." Tinkerbell said with a genuine smile.

"Most aren't raised by wolves, most hunt them." The Huntsman looked down at the wolf with such loyalty it pained Tinkerbell to drive them away. Tinkerbell felt her eyes begin to water, and she looked up to see a tear fall from the Huntsman's eye.

"I will never forget your words… they were beautiful." The Huntsman whispered as he touched his lip, conveying he would never forget that as well. Tinkerbell's eyes flooded with tears and she lifted her hand and pointed in the direction they must go before she flew out of their sight. In the furthering distance, she heard the agonizing howl of a familiar wolf.

Goodbye my friends… keep him safe.

"When did your flashes begin?" Henry asked after he had flipped through his book

"Right after I kissed Emma." Graham replied instantly and Thessia put her hand on her forehead again.

"You kissed my mom?" Henry said disgusted by the idea

"Boys, can we focus on the major details please." Thessia said giving Graham an angry look as he gave her an apologetic one.

"What did you see?" Henry digressed.

"A wolf. I saw that I had a knife in my hand… and I was with Mary Margret." Graham said trying to recall the details.

"Where you about to hurt her?" Henry said with a small smile.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Graham asked astounded as he looked at Henry.

"Because Mary Margret, is Snow White, which make you, the Huntsman." Henry said confidently, pointing to his book.

"So you really think I could be another person?"

"It makes total sense. You were raised by wolves, that's why you keep seeing one. It's your friend, your guide. It's trying to help you." Henry said optimistically

"I'm remembering this because I kissed your mother, how is that possible?" Graham said confused.

"Well you two do have a special connection. She owes you her life." Henry said knowingly.

"How?" Graham wanted Henry to fully explain

"Snow white is her mother, and you spared her. If you hadn't my mom wouldn't have been born." Henry seemed sad, thinking about his mother never being born saddened him. Thessia bit her lip, Regina did not stand a chance against Emma in the mother department.

"What happened after I spared Snow White?" Graham raced to get his thoughts together, to understand the full story.

"The queen took your heart. She ripped it out, its kinda her thing. She never wanted you to be able to feel again." Henry said sadly, aware of the dangerous words he was speaking. Graham looked at Thessia.

"I began to feel something, with Thess. She made me realize that I hadn't felt anything in a very long time." Graham said keeping his gaze on Thessia, he looked at her as if she was magic.

"She's Tinkerbell. She had magic that no one else understood, the book only says how she saved you. You two were friends, both from the woods. It's a bond that not even a curse could break." Henry said smiling at Thessia, as if he was proud of her. Thessia returned the smile and went to sit on the other side of Henry.

"Henry, I… look if the queen is everything you say she is then you have to be very careful. You cannot let her find out, in fact to many people already know what you think of her. I don't want you putting yourself in danger." Thessia spoke urgently, willing Henry to understand the magnitude of his accusations.

"But if we don't tell everyone who will listen, then she will always win." Henry said bravely.

"There are other ways of making people believe than yelling it at the top of your lungs in the middle of the street. I won't see you get hurt, I care about you." Thessia said as she grabbed Henry's hand and kneeled in front of him.

"We won't let that happen. We will protect him, and Emma, if she can break this curse." Graham grabbed Thessia's hand as it rested on Henry's. She smiled at Graham, they were friends… maybe more, now that Thessia thought about it. She cared about Graham, more than she cared about her trees, for whatever that was worth.

"Let me see your book. What's that? I saw that too, the wolf was howling at it." Graham said as he flipped through the pages and recognized the symbol.

"That's her vault, that's where she put your heart." Henry said almost apologetically, as he looked at two new members of operation cobra, they were serious and Henry was beaming.

"The wolf wants me to find it. Thank you Henry." Graham said as he stood up and headed toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Henry said looking up at Thessia.

"I guess we are going to go and find his heart. Be careful Henry, we came to look for your mom, you seemed scared so the Sheriff looked around. I was never here." Thessia said slowly, so that Henry understood the story.

Thessia left Henry with a smile on his face, she knew she would be loyal to that kid. She ran out of the house to find Graham speaking to Emma, she hurried to stop Graham from saying anything… well anything creepy.

"Im fine." Graham said as he tried to continue to walk.

"No Graham you're not fine, you just went to see a ten year old for help." Emma said exposing the ridiculousness of his actions

"He's the only one making any sense." Graham said defensively.

"Why are you encouraging this? I'm talking to you!" Emma said as Thessia put her arm on Graham and tried to lead him back to the car. Thessia was not going to answer her.

"What's going on? What's, really, going on?" Emma spoke in an understanding tone, proving she would try and understand.

"It's my heart Emma, I need to find it." Graham said intently and Thessia put her hands up in defeat, Graham was master of inappropriate statements today.

"Okay, so how are you going to do that?" Emma said following his logic.

"I just need to follow the wolf." Graham said honestly.

"What? What wolf?" Emma asked incredulously. Thessia laughed, a missing heart she would try and understand but a wolf was just too much to not question. Thessia saw both of them gaze at her surprised, maybe she was the one going crazy.

"From my dreams… he's going to help me find my heart." Graham said explaining to Emma as Henry had explained to them.

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought we were talking in a metaphor here. You really don't think you have a heart?" Emma said realizing the level of crazy she had just walked into.

"It's the only thing that makes any sense. It's the only thing that explains why I don't feel anything outside those woods, outside of Thess." Graham said and Emma looked directly at her.

"Emma, I have seen the wolf. Graham is obviously in pain, isn't that worth following this through?" Thessia asked since she was brought into the conversation.

"Listen to me Graham, you have a heart. I can prove it." Emma said as Graham shook his head from side to side. Slowly, and with a small look towards Thessia, Emma placed her hand over Graham's chest, under his vest.

"See, its beating. It's real. Feel that? That is your heart." Emma said with a smile of relief. Graham continued to shake his head and she grabbed his hand to place over his chest.

"No, that's the curse." Graham said as he shook Emma's hand off of his.

"You can't really believe that's true?" Emma said astounded. Looking at Graham between Graham and Thessia. Thessia turned her back towards them and ran her fingers in between her hair as she closed her eyes. What did she believe? Was she hurting Graham by allowing this to continue instead of taking him straight to the hospital or home? Her thoughts went back to the waterfalls, with the way everything changed when she was in the woods, or with Graham, or Henry… How could she believe Henry when his own mother did not?

Thessia opened her eyes and her breath was caught in her throat. Across the lawn the same wolf she had seen in the woods stood to face her. She froze, but there wasn't any fear, not like there had been before.

"What?" she heard Graham ask and Thessia turned to see both Graham and Emma looking at the wolf. Graham looked at Thessia right in her eyes and she nodded because now she was sure. Thessia ran towards the wolf that was now turning back and she heard Graham run next to her. To her delightful surprise, she heard Emma running behind them.

The wolf led them through the woods and into the cemetery, only on occasion turning to see they were properly chasing him. It stopped and turned to look at all three of them in turn.

"Graham, Graham! Be careful!" Emma yelled as she caught up with them.

"It's my friend, it won't hurt us." Graham said knowingly and Thessia smiled, he believed in Henry, unequivocally. The wolf howled loudly and continued through the cemetery. Thessia was the fastest, but as it turned a tomb she lost it. Thessia looked around, confused.

"What is it?" Emma asked and Thessia turned to see what Graham was staring at.

"It's my heart, it's in there." Graham said in disbelieve as he looked at Thessia who walked over to see the very emblem from Henry's book.

"I have to look in there." Graham said as he took his flashlight out.

"Oh no, stop, stop." Emma said as she put herself in front of his path.

"I have to get in there." Graham spoke in a mixture of an order and a plea.

"Graham, come one, you really think, that your heart is in there?" Emma continued to try and talk about it. Graham nodded and Thessi went in between them and faced Emma.

"Listen, I know this is crazy, and I know you don't believe your own kid. But right now, we need to do this, Emma. He needs to get in there, to see for himself." Thessia said willing Emma to understand.

"Okay, lets find out." Emma said as she went to open the doors herself. When they resisted, she kicked them open. Thessia followed Graham and Emma into the tomb.

"It's got to be in here, somewhere." Graham said as he began to frantically look around the mausoleum that belonged to the Mills. Thessia helped, searching the vases and walls for anything that may have looked out of the ordinary.

"There's gotta be a hidden door, a lever. Thess, check outside, look for any trees or plants that look unnatural. I trust you." Graham said as paused his search to look at her directly in the eye. She nodded and squeezed his arm as he held her hand.

"No, there is a wolf out there you should be there alone." Emma said blocking Thessia from the door.

"It's my friend too, Emma. I'll be fine." Thessia said as she moved quickly around Emma with a smile.

Thessia looked around the mausoleum, checking the trees and tombstones for anything that would stand out. She looked farther into the trees, hoping to spot a false branch that could be a lever. But she found nothing, everything here was perfectly normal

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" A chill voice stopped Thessia right on her tracks and she ducked behind a tombstone. She peeked out and saw Regina holding white flowers and Thessia put her hand over her mouth. Could they really have broken into someone's tomb?

"What are you doing here?" Emma's voice was slightly muffled but cleared up after she walked out of the mausoleum behind Graham.

"Bringing flowers to my father's grave like I do every Wednesday." Regina sounded offended by the mere question of her presence… Thessia couldn't blame her in that respect.

"Don't blame her, its my fault, I wanted to look in there." Graham confronted Regina, it seemed Thessia wasn't the only one sobered from Henry's ideas by Regina's presence.

"Really, why? what were you looking for?" Regina asked so calculating.

"Nothing, it was nothing." Graham answered, sure in the fact that it was the right answer but not the truthful one.

"You don't look well dear, let's take you home." Regina sounded so condescending it made Thessia very angry.

"I don't wanna go home, not with you." He said pulling away from her.

"Oh? But you will go with her?" Regina asked unkindly.

"Hey, this is between you two, leave me out of it." Emma said surprised by the insinuation and looked around, she obviously felt that remark needed to be addressed to Thessia.

"She's right, it's between us and things have to change." Graham sounded resolved.

"And I wonder why that is, all of a sudden." Clearly gazing at Emma, who in turn looked around for Thessia.

"It has nothing to do with her. I've realized that I don't feel anything Regina, and I know now it's not me, it's you." Graham was as serious as Thessia had ever seen him, it was harsh, even for Regina.

"So your leaving me for her?" Regina always brought it back to Emma, she was really threatened by her.

"I'm leaving you for me." Graham said as if he had just been free, Thessia felt her heart flutter.

"Graham you're not thinking straight." Regina said and Thessia wanted to run and stop Graham, that was a threat not an observation.

"Actually for the first time I am. I'd rather have nothing than settle for less. Nothing is better than what we have. I need to feel something Regina and the only way to do that is to give myself a chance." Graham said as he turned to look in Thessia's direction, she smiled back at him proudly.

"Graham-" Regina said as she approached him nicely.

"I'm sorry. It's over." Graham made if final as he stepped back from her. He was done with her, for good. He turned to look at Thess again, with a smile on his face that mirrored hers.

"I don't know what I ever did to you miss Swan to deserve this. To have you keep coming after everything I hold dear." Regina said with sorrow in her voice.

"I told you it's not her." Graham said truthfully, it was the easiest truthful answer he could give her.

"None of this happened until she got here." Regina said angered, as if thinking she was wrong was worthy of her rage.

"I'm sorry, you ever stop to think that the problem isn't with me, but with you?" Emma was fed up with the Mayors accusations, especially when they weren't even somewhat true.

"Excuse me?" Regina said indignantly.

"Henry came and found me. Graham kissed me. Both were miserable. Maybe, Madame Mayor, you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that is. Why is everyone running away from you?" Emma said as if her words were digging a metaphorical knife into Regina's ribs.

Regina smiled as she punched Emma so hard it knocked her into Graham and knocked Graham to the floor. Thessia pulled herself back behind the tombstone, her feet wanted to move towards them but her mind kept her hidden in the shadows.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop." Graham yelled as he pulled Emma off of Regina and took her to the side. Regina was holding her lip, it was bleeding.

"Not worth it." Emma said as she walked past Regina with the most disgusted look on her face.

"Graham." Regina approached Graham as he walked right past her as well.

Thessia met up with them at the entrance of the cemetery, looking rather bashful at her lack of appearance against the Mayor.

"You would have just gotten mixed up in crazy, I wish both of you had not been there." Graham said apologetically as they walked down the street.

"Graham, you are crazy if you think this is over! It's Regina, did anything she said back there sound like it was over to you?" Thessia said concerned as both Graham and Emma shrugged it off.

"Emma, your eye is starting to swell. We need to take you to get that looked at." Thessia said worried as Emma instinctively put her hand over it and winced.

"I will, soon as I get you home I will take care of it at the station. It's about time we use our first aid kit." Graham said with his old humor coming back. Thessia looked up at him, surprised that he was giving her a curfew. She arched her eyebrow inquisitively as Emma got into her bug.

"It's been a pleasure but perhaps, we should never do this again." Emma said as she smiled at them outside her window.

"Goodnight Emma, I hope you feel better." Thessia said as she drove away and got into the Sheriff's car.

"I wanted to thank you, for coming along with me. I know anybody else would have had me put away in my own cell." Graham said with a guilty smile.

"I don't know, Emma seemed liked she would have." Thessia said as she bit her lip subconsciously.

"No, she wouldn't have. You were my only light in a dark room..." Graham said as he leaned in to kiss her. Thessia felt that she could relate to Graham, though her heart wasn't gone she had never truly felt anything until now.

Thessia felt like she had to tear herself out of Graham's car. With a final kiss, she stepped out and walked towards her building.

"I will be here later, leave the key under the mat." Graham instructed and it put a smile on Thessia's face.

"Here, why don't you keep it. That's why I have a door man." Thessia said as she took her key out of the ring and tossed it on the passenger's seat. Graham picked it up and immediately joined them to the rest of the keys. With one final grin, Graham drove off towards the station.