So glad to see that people are still interested in this story. Thanks to all the readers especially those who've reviewed, followed and/or favorited this story. This chapter starts out at Snow/Mary as the focal character then transitions back to Henry where we left him in the previous chapter.


When the phone rang and the voice on the other end told her that Leo hadn't shown up for school Snow sneered but was able to lie smoothly enough.

"I'm so sorry I forgot to call," She responded apologetically. "Leo's still having trouble adjusting, still having those delusions."

The school administrator was very understanding and told her they hoped to see Leo back soon.

Snow had to take a deep breath once she'd hung up the phone. This boy was becoming a problem. She had hoped that he could simply be locked away in the psych ward of the hospital as she had done with that fool Jefferson, but she had found out about his arrival in town too late.

There would be complications now if she got rid of him in the wrong way. She could be patient when she needed and ruthless.

"Rumplestiltskin!" Snow White had come to the Dark One's castle in search on answers. After the imp had given the dethroned queen the dark curse, she had cut out four of her men's hearts in attempt enact the curse but nothing had happened.

"Well, well dearie was wondering when you'd show up. It's been nearly four full moons since I gave you that curse and yet here we remain. The components should have been easily enough to collect."

Snow sneered. "If its so simply why didn't you cast it."

"The heart dearie," The Dark One noticed the twitch of the Evil Queen's face. "The heart must belong to the one you love most, and there is no one here that I love."

For a moment Rumplestiltskin's face seemed to soften a moment of regret perhaps. Snow had believed there was something between him and that girl he'd taken to clean his home but one day she had disapeared from his castle.

The Dark One pushed his feelings aside however and return to his more devious self. "Now go, you know what you love, so go kill it."

In a plume of red smoke Snow transported herself back to her own dark castle. With a scowl on her face she walked toward her father's room ignoring the questions posed by her loyal Huntsman. When she'd first seen him upon her return she thought maybe he could be the one, but she knew her feelings toward him were not love.

"Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?" The ailing former king asked his daughter.

"Yes." Snow hesitated. "I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most."

"Me?" Leopold nodded.

"Father, I don't know what to do."

"Take it." Leopold said resolutely. "I'm old, I'm sick, I've been sick for years now. I'm ready for this to end."

Snow's mouth dropped open. Her father the only one who'd always been there for her, had always promised to give her the world was now going to give it to her.

"You can have a new life." He whispered to her.

"Thank you father."

Her father was gone now, he couldn't help her, but there was someone in this world who might be able to help her. The curse had erased everyone's memories but the boy's arrival had changed things. Snow knew if the curse was weakening those memories of the past might be resurfacing and the first person who would be affected would be Mr. Gold.

When she reached the pawnshop Snow could tell instantly that Mr. Gold knew who she was and more importantly who he was and by extension what she would need to do to keep the curse intact.

"Well, you're going to have to be quite creative. We both know the repercussions in killing Miss Mills or the boy, if you do the curse will be –"

"The curse will be broken." Snow interrupted annoyed at the reminder that she couldn't easily rid herself of those who could break the curse. "You're the one who designed it, so just fix it."

The Dark One laughed. "This curse was designed long before either of them where even born, and even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Magic… well… magic is in short supply around here and dwindling by the minute."

"You want the curse broken." She realized and sneered in contempt but said nothing else. Rumplestiltskin would pay for this betrayal but first she had to deal with the boy and while perhaps unintentional as it was he had given her an idea. With one last look of distain Snow began to take her leave.

Mr. Gold smirked pleased to have got under his one time apprentice's skin, "I will give you a piece of advice before you go, free of charge. Soon enough, I'll be setting out on a little trip and I suggest you do the same, because, once people remember who you are and what you did to them… They are going to be looking for blood."

The Mayor of Storybrooke cringed, she knew it was true, if the curse did break and she didn't have magic to protect her she'd be in trouble. It didn't matter though, she had something she'd saved from the old world, something she'd never found the occasion to use once those twins had got it for her.

All she had to do was get it from the mausoleum.

Snow walked down the street and saw the boy, the one she'd called Leo. She had hoped naming him after her father would help her feel something for him but there was nothing. She had been warned that enacting the curse would take a toll, a void she could never fill. At the time she had welcomed the idea perhaps if she couldn't love than guilt wouldn't gnaw at her either because she had done some truly horrible things as The Evil Queen.

Henry didn't realize he was being watched as he exited Granny's Diner. He wanted to go with his mom when she tried to read to Daniel again but she told him to go home for now. Henry reluctantly agreed to let Virginia go to the hospital alone as long as she promised to go.

"Tomorrow, I'll go first thing in the morning."

"Fine." He studied her with squinted eyes.

Virginia laughed at the boy. She still didn't believe in fairytales but it would be nice to help that John Doe.

Henry had no interest in returning to the house on Mifflin Street. So, he decided to try to get to know this version of David, who wasn't really David but David's brother. He made his way to the law firm of Spencer and Spencer. He had never noticed the building before but perhaps that was just because of the curse.

"David?" He called as he walked in. "It's umm… it's Leo."

There was no response so Henry snuck further into the office but stopped when he heard an argument.

"If I had known you'd invite company, David I wouldn't have left you alone." An older man's voice could be heard through the cracked door."

"You're the one who hired her." David spoke and gave a look to the brunette sitting next to him.

"This firm is teetering on bankruptcy. We've got a very important case, given to us by the Mayor herself, your wife –"

David waved a dismissive hand paired with a roll of his eyes. "It feels like we've been working on at case forever. Besides, I'm not even interested in Mary, god knows why I even married her in the first place."

Henry frowned from his spot, this curse wasn't fair to anyone. Just as he was planning to sneak away the door opened and Henry stood frozen.

"Who is this?" The man Henry recognized Mary Margaret's trial from the first version of the cursed world glared at him.

David hopped up from where he leaned on the desk, "Meet your new grandson."

The older man grumbled and shot his son a look before leaving the room.

"You're cheating on her?" Henry finally spoke.

Walking up to the boy David tried to explain. "Look sport, Mary and I have been together for a long time now and well, there's just no love there, we don't really belong together."

"So she's your true love?" Henry looked to the woman who was trying to pretend she was busy.

"Who Max?" David chuckled. "She's just a friend, true love it doesn't really exist. Now, I think it would be best though if we kept all this just between us guys, okay?"

Henry nodded but didn't mean it. There may be no happy endings in this world but he was going to fix that.