I want to apologize to my alert people, because yesterday when I was correcting some typos in the previous chapter, I put it as a new chapter by mistake, so you guys got an alert for a chapter that wasn't really there. Sorry about that. Please review! Your responses keep me writing!

With a wave of his hands Caleb froze the scene. The Henry in the martial arts outfit froze mid stride. The Emma leaning against the bug stopped mid-blink. Caleb turned to his younger self.

"Wanna have a look?" he asked, gesturing to the other Henry. "You've changed a bit by this point. Puberty tends to do that. Wanna see what's different?"

"Yeah!" Henry burst enthusiastically. He moved closer to his counterpart, and began walking circles around him, curious eyes taking in anything remotely different from his current self. "How old am I here?" he asked. The most overt change was his hair length. It had grown long and shaggy. He'd grown perhaps an inch and a half, and red spots dotted his face where the beginnings of acne had started popping up.

"Twelve and a half" Caleb said. "This is just a little bit more than two years on from the present. May twelfth, twenty-fourteen. The wedding day of David Nolan and Mary Margaret Blanchard, and the day everything changed forever."

"We get married again?" Snow asked as Emma too examined her older counterpart. Her voice was quiet, almost wistful. Caleb nodded.

"Yup. In the original timeline Pop broke up with Kathryn a few weeks from now. He moves out, gets a new job, and even moves in with you and Emma for a while. And about eighteen months on, you get engaged. Guess me being here has changed more than I thought. He broke it off earlier than he did before." He grinned. "It was only a matter of time really that you two got together. Even with your memories gone, you're always drawn back to each other. It's fate. Snow White and Prince Charming. A love written in the stars."

Snow smiled. Despite the physical differences between them, Caleb and Henry were obviously the same person. They had the same child-like eyes that believed without any doubt. They had the same sense of passion, and both seemed to enjoy speeking in a heroic, grandiose fashion. They obviously belonged in the land of fairy tales. This strange, mundane world they'd grown up in just wasn't right for them.

Both of them had a sense of optimism that the cynical world of Earth wouldn't allow. Snow loved that about them, how even in the worst of situations, for example, their current one, they always had hope for the future. Even when all hope was lost. And, with every passing minutes she spent with either of them, her love for her grandson grew and grew.

"If I'm here" Emma said as she looked over her frozen counterparts' hair. "Does that mean Regina-I mean the queen" she corrected, "let me see you again. Even without the hostage thing to make me look good?" The stoniness had faded from her features, and emotion had slowly started to return. She believed now. Even if she didn't know how she was supposed to deal with it yet.

"Oh yeah" Caleb answered. "That didn't last that long. She couldn't keep us apart forever. When I start Taekwondo schueduling made it so that the queen dropped me off and you picked me up. Today" he gestured to the frozen scene. "I had to take the early class so you had time to get me before the wedding. Today was the first day I ever saw you in a dress."

Emma arched a brow. She didn't do dresses very often. And when she did, it had to be a really special occasion. She pointed to her mother.

"She managed to get me in a dress? That can't have been easy. I'm stubborn about what I wear." Caleb snorted.

"I know you are. You kinda had to wear a dress, seeing as you're the maid of honor." Emma blinked, dumfounded.

"I am?" she asked weakly.

"You're my best friend in this world, sweetheart" said Snow, squeezing her shoulder. "It makes perfect sense. I'd be proud to have you as maid of honor." Emma didn't say anything. Every few seconds she seemed to forget that Snow wasn't just her friend, but her mother. Being her maid of honor was almost surreal. She was her best friend? She'd never had a best friend before. Her high school years had been spent as a loner, looking for herself and only herself. Having friends, and the warm, unfamilar feeling they filled her with, were...nice

"Thomas, well, Sean, is the best man." Caleb added. "Part of Operation Cobra was to get the two of them to hang out again. See if any memories turned up. Didn't do much, but they hit it off pretty good. They're best friends again in no time. You done, Henry?" he asked the boy. "You can do some more looking later, but we gotta get moving if I'm gonna show you guys everything."

"Yep, we're done!" He and Arienna walked back over. "Ready." He looked up at Caleb. "When do I get as tall as you?" It was a serious question. Caleb was half a head taller than Emma, yet the twelve year old Henry had barely shot up at all in two years. Caleb chuckled.

"In a few more years. Don't worry kid, you'll get your growth spurt eventually. Remember though, size isn't everything. Well," he wrung his hands together. "If you're all ready, let's begin. Now, be ready, because it's a rather jarring change that's about to happen. I could let us watch everything like this, standing here in the scene, but I don't think i have that kind of energy. So, I'm gonna project us astraly so we can watch the scene from outside. That way we'll see everything, and I won't have to spend a week in a coma afterwards. Don't ask what I mean" he said at the confused looks Henry and Emma gave him. "You'll see. So, here we go."

Again Caleb waved his hands, and a moment later all five of the Kemigree participants disappeared. Well, not disappeared, they found themselves floating above the scene, free of their bodies. They could see the entirety of the memory, every detail was made clear, like their eyes had been replaced by digital cameras suspended above the ground. In fact, they couldn't even see their bodies.

"What the heck!" Henry cried. "Where'd we go? I can't feel anything!"

"Sorry about that little me," Caleb said into their minds. "It's just that this way we can watch the whole thing without me having to move our dream bodies all over the place every time we change memories. It's a sudden change, I know, but from this perspective I can narrate properly, and you guys'll see everything you need to."

"Can you warn us next time?" Emma grumbled. She'd been caught off guard, and her heart, well, wherever her heart was, it was beating rapidly.

"I agree" Snow said mildly. "Next time we leap into the psychic plane, Caleb, I'd appreciate a warning." She sounded winded and out of breath. Caleb chuckled.

"Gotcha, Emma, Nan. You okay Arienna? I know you've done Kemigree before, but astral stuff is kinda tough stuff."

"I am well" the fairy told him. Unlike the humans, she sounded calm and collected. "But still, a warning would be nice."

"Okay, I'll be sure to warn you guys next time then. So, when I have to I'll set the scene, and if you guys have any questions just say so. I can pause this thing any time I want. Just like watching a movie. Okay, here we go."

The scene unfroze, and the memory versions of Henry and Emma sprang back to life.

"Morning kid," the memory Emma said with a smile. "Good practice? You look beat."

"I am" Henry replied, brushing a wet lock from his eyes. He'd showered after practice. Which was good considering he had a wedding to attend in a few hours. "Had to do two hundred push ups. Master Geon wasn't kidding around. How was your morning? Get everything set up?"

"Yep" she said. "Got your tux from the dry cleaners too." She rapped a knuckle on the bugs rear window. Hung in the backseat alongside her dress was a charcoal black tux, complete with slacks and a matching bow-tie. "Here" she picked up the two cardboard cups at her feet. "Hot chocolate." He accepted it eagerly.

"Cinnamon?" he asked hopefully, sniffing at the rim, letting the chocolate infused steam fill his nostrils.

"Of course" she grinned. "Come on" she pulled open the drivers' door and slipped inside. "We gotta get going if we're gonna have time to change and stuff. That and I still have to make sure the flowers are in the right place. God knows Mr. French won't put them where I told him to."

"Mr. French managed to reopen his flower business" Caleb told the audience. "Not as nice as the old one, but it gets the job done. He walks with a permanent limp now, too. Mr. Gold did a lot of damage with his cane. I tell ya, that guy may look like a twig, but Gold can dish out a heavy hit when he wants to. For future reference, be careful around him. Not a good idea to mess with him if you don't have to."

"Right" Henry said. He stuffed his equipment bag into the trunk and took his place in the passenger seat. Reaching beneath the seat, he pulled out a blue spiral notebook with an intricate sharpie drawing, a cobra with red and gold scales. Turning to a page somewhere in the middle, he ran a finger down a passage of carefully printed text. "Hopefully they'll finally start remembering something. The queen threatened them with the curse at their first wedding. Maybe this one'll jog something in their heads." Emma gave a tiny sigh.

"You still didn't believe me at this point" Caleb put in. "I think you were getting tired of Operation Cobra, that you thought I was too old to believe in that stuff."

"Can you blame me?" Emma asked. "It took a fairy whizzing past my face for me to believe all this stuff, and even then I thought I was probably hallucinating." Caleb shrugged audibly.

"Nah, can't really blame ya. But let me say this at least. I told you so." Henry and Arienna shared a giggle. Snow smiled mentally. He'd told them all really. Before she'd gotten her memory back, he'd still insisted she was Snow White, despite all her attempts to let him down gently. He hadn't backed down. And look who turned out to be right.

"Look, kid" Emma said wearily. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Do you think you could...I don't know, leave that in the car when we get there?" He looked at her blankly. "I mean, I'm just as happy about this as you are. Mary deserves this. But...can the curse stuff wait for another day?" Still he didn't reply. There was an odd look in his eyes, a mixture of confusion, and just a little bit of hurt. She continued. "It's probably not a good idea to do any Cobra stuff in public, I mean. The queen may not be going, but she'll definitely have Sydney there as her eyes and ears. We wouldn't want her to find out they remember or anything, right?"

Henry groaned, flipping the notebook shut. It was an obvious attempt to spare his feelings. A nice one, but obvious. He knew by now she didn't believe him. Not really. And that most of Operation Cobra had been her humoring him for the sake of their relationship. But still, sometimes he liked to pretend she really did believe him. One day she would. For real.

"Fine. But when they start remembering you owe me another hot chocolate." Emma smiled contentedly.

"Fine by me" she agreed. They locked pinkies for a brief moment. This had become sort of a tradition between the two of them. Little promises made, sealed by the linking of pinkies. They made them casually, yet they hadn't broken one yet. Letting her son down was the last thing Emma intended to do.

The drive to the church was filled with idle chatter. What flowers had been ordered, what the sitting arrangements at the reception would be, and a topic that Henry just wouldn't let die. No matter how many times he was told no.

"Why can't I be the ring bearer again?" he asked for perhaps the seven thousandth time.

"You're too old, kid. Offer still stands if you wanna be an usher."

"I'm not too old!" Henry chimed in. "And what's an usher anyway?"

"You're not there, kid." Caleb said. "Twelve year old us is. And trust me, you don't want to be an usher. They have to make sure everyone's sitting in the right place, and if you're spending all your time doing that, you won't have any time to look around and have fun. There's a ton of kids at this wedding. Nan's everyones' favorite teacher." If her astral form had blood, Snow would be blushing.

"Oh stop" she chided her eldest grandson.

"Don't deny it, Nan" Caleb said. "Everyone loves you. Right, mini-me?"

"Of course" Henry agreed. "You actually make class fun! Especially birdhouse making, even if I'm not that good at it."

"Ah birdhouse making" Caleb said darkly. "My oldest enemy. I was always the worst in the class." Emma quirked a metaphorical brow.

"At birdhouse making?"

"Think about it" Caleb told her. "Everyone else in my class has been in the fourth grade for almost thirty years. They've made a lot of birdhouses in their time."

"I'll pass" Henry deadpanned, leaning his cheek against the window. Thirty seconds later they pulled into the church parking lot, and his mood was improved instantly. Despite the early hour the lot was more than half full. The bridesmaids, Ashley and Ruby, could be seen directing a small group of children in the long stretch of grass behind the church that reached from the backdoors to a forest entrance at the property rear. Here white folding chairs had been set up in long rows that bordered the aisle, at the head of which stood a white archway woven with red roses. Bunches of colorful flowers ran the length of the aisle. Snow white lilies, violet freesias, sun kissed daffodils, and pale, cream colored orchids.

"Wait," Henry said, examing his classmates. "They look...different. Older!"

"Emma's made the curse weaker, kid." said Caleb. " Her pressence alone weakens it. This is two years in the future, but most of them have only aged between a year and eighteen months."

"I make that much of a difference just by being there?" Emma asked. This perturbed her. If she was supposed to be the Chosen one, what exactly did that entail?

"You're the savior, Emma" Caleb told her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The antithesis to the curse. Ever since you came to town peoples problems are being solved. Their happy endings are coming back, and they're on the brink of remembering everything. Today, at this wedding, it's weaker than it's ever been before. It parallels what happened before, see? Anything might jog their memories. Like, for example, true loves kiss to seal a marriage?"

In an oak tree behind the archway half a dozen blue birds sat together on a branch, head cocking to the side as they observed the preparations. Henry grinned at the sight of them. Snow and Charming may not remember who they were, but their feathered friends did. They'd come to watch their friends get married. Even if their friends didn't recognize them. Grabbing the hanger that held his tux from the back Henry flew out of the bug, tux sleeves flapping behind him like banners.

"Hey, hey hey!" Emma called after him. "No running kid. Too much stuff to knock over. Take it easy." He grinded to a halt beside Ruby's car. Her lucky wolf charm sparkled in the sunlight.

"Got it, sorry" he called back. Glancing back up at the blue birds, he whistled a few notes. No one would believe him if he said so, but he could've sworn they'd whistled back.

"Go and get dressed pal" Emma told him as she passed, dress in hand. "I might need a hand in a minute."

"'Kay" he gave the blue birds a little wave before turning towards the back entrance of the church. It was a rather small church on the inside. The sanctuary only seated about a hundred. That was why they'd moved the ceremony outside. Most, if not all of Storybrooke was coming. And if they weren't coming to the wedding, then they were at least planning to drop by the reception. There weren't many weddings in Storybrooke. The only one anyone could remember was Sean and Ashley's about a year back. Henry knew of course that was the only wedding Storybrooke had ever had. Time hadn't moved forward until Emma's coming, so no one had ever gotten married.

It took him only a few minutes to slip into his tuxedo. The vest was blue as the sea, and the jacket was a perfect fit for his slender shoulders. Only the bowtie gave him any trouble. Rather than try to tie it himself and tangle it beyond repair, he walked towards the church kitchen in search of help. There, he found exactly who he was looking for. Granny was busy cooking at the stoves, wondrous fumes spilling out the open window. Sean and Archie were stepping in the backdoor, lugging with them the last of the food boxes. Heaving with the weight, they deposited them against the wall.

"Hey Sean, hey Dr. Hopper" Henry greeted them.

"Hey Henry" Sean said back. "Can't stay and chat, Ashley needs me to take Alexandra for a while. See you in a bit." He stepped past him and disappeared down the hall.

"Morning Henry" Archie greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Good," he held up the tie. "Can you help me with this?"

"Of course" Archie smiled, tugging at his own. "I used to have all sorts of trouble with these. Here, let me show you." He stepped behind the boy, pulled the tie taught against his neck, and began walking him through the process.

"I never did get the hang of that" said Caleb. "Never really needed to. After this, bowties weren't really in fashion. That's okay though. Never really liked them. Got a friend who loves them though. Thinks they're the coolest thing ever."

"Archie?" Henry asked. Archie almost never went without one. He was almost as attached to them as he was to his lucky umbrella.

"Nope. Different friend. Didn't meet him until about a year ago. Maybe you'll meet him when this is all over. He likes kids, the Doctor. He acts like a kid most of the time, anyway. Crazy old man."

With his bowtie tied securely Henry thanked Archie and crept of down a narrow hallway towards the multipurpose room. Emma had said she'd need his help, but that could wait a moment. First, he wanted to pay someone a special visit on her special day. Crouching at the end of the hall, he carefully removed the iron cover of the wall vent. Most if not all of the towns children knew of the church's vent system, and how the vents were large, boxy, and could support a kid's weight. On Sundays kids were in and out all the time, their parents vainly trying to get them to stop. But now it was deserted. Which was just as well. He wanted the element of surprise.

"You crawl around in the vents?" Emma asked. As a kid she would've loved to do that. It'd be like living in a spy movie.

"Everyone does it" Caleb and Henry said together.

On his hands and knees Henry crawled the length of the vent before turning left and pushing out of another wall covering. He emerged in the multipurpose room, which in lieu of the big day had been converted into a dressing room. Various racks of dresses were wheeled against the walls, and a large mirror and make up table had been set up in the center. And sitting on a stool before the mirror, garbed in purest white, was Mary Margaret. Snow White. She sat staring ponderously into the mirror's depths

"You look beautiful, Snow" Emma told her mother quietly. If anyone was meant to wear a wedding dress, it was her.

"Thank you…" Snow whispered back. It was odd seeing herself in a wedding dress again. The last time she'd worn one her stepmother had burst in and ruined everything. That was the day everything had started. She found herself feeling hopeful. Just a little bit. Perhaps this wedding would go off without a hitch. But if Caleb was showing it to them, something had to have happened on this day. Knowing fates' devious ways, this wedding would be ruined as well.

"You look very pretty, Miss Blanchard" Henry said. Mary Margaret gave a start, spinning round to face him.

"Oh, Henry. You startled me." Her surprise melted into a smile. "Thank you. You look good too. Very handsome. Did Archie tie that?" she pointed at his bowtie.

"Yeah. I couldn't tie a knot like this" he tugged at it. "Good thing he's here or I'd probably end up wearing this on my nose or something." They shared a laugh.

"So what's up? Does Emma need something?" she asked, peering at the door.

"Nah. Just wanted to wish you luck. Nervous?"

Her smile faded just a tad. She blushed.

"A little bit. Just pre wedding jitters. Nothing to worry about." She paused for a moment, pondering. "It's funny. I'm nervous, but there's part of me that feels like I've done this before. It feels familiar," she tugged at her dress. Henry grinned.

"Of course it's nothing to worry about. You're marrying Prince Charming for crying out loud! Even if something goes wrong it can't end that badly. You two are made for each other." Mary's face softened. She loved the way he said things like that. Though she no longer taught him, Henry remained perhaps her favorite student ever. It was the way he talked with such certainty. His fairy tale theories were so much more than that. They were a religion, almost. A faith that couldn't' be smothered by therapy or even his tyrannical mother. She opened her arms.

"Oh Henry, come here" she pulled him into a warm hug. The fabric of her dress ghosted over the back of his neck. It was soft and fine, like freshly plucked feathers. "You're going to make some girl very happy someday. She won't need a Prince Charming when she's got you." Beet red blush filled her former student's cheeks. They broke apart. "I need to get ready, but thanks for visiting me. I'll see you out there, okay?" Henry nodded, still blushing.

"Okay. Good luck, Miss Blanchard." He kissed her cheek.

"Oookay" Caleb said, clearly embarrassed. The scene froze, broke apart into a thousand colorful shards, and slowly began to reform. "Enough of the heartwarming mushy scene. On to the ceremony."

"I thought it was quite cute" said Arienna.

"I agree" Snow giggled. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about Caleb. A boy can have a moment with his Nan if he wants to."

"Moving right along!" Caleb said rather loudly. He could hear Emma chuckling in the background. It was only embarrassing with witnesses. Even if those witnesses were his friend, younger self, mother and grandmother. Funnily enough, it was only embaressing looking back on it. Had his mother been present at the time, he wouldn't have found it awkward at all. Caleb continued.

The colored shards swirled in an infinite void of white. They were like glass caught in a wind storm, the breezes carefully manipulating each shard into a specific spot. Light flashed across the glassy surface, and a new scene began to form.

"There's more to see than this" Caleb told them as the scene fell into place piece by piece. "I talked to some people, played some tag with Gretel and Jack. Oh yeah, Mini-me? You know Rob, the really tall kid in the eighth grade? He turns out to be Jack, like Jack and the beanstalk. A good friend, Jack. A better climber you'll never find. But going back to what I was saying, we don't have time to see that now. We have to get to the important stuff. Namely, the ceremony."

The scene finished forming with glossy flash, and those watching gasped at its beauty.

Melodious organ music across the churchyard, serene notes pulling ears and warming hearts. Gathered in the folding chairs Storybrooke's residents stood in their finest. Mr. Gold sat beside Ms. Harver, a lizard faced woman wearing an abundance of jewelry. Marco sat next to Archie, and Mary Margaret's students sat with their assorted families. A swift wind carried the flower's luscious aromas, and the sky was painted a deep shade of blue. David stood before the archway, Sean by his side. His smile was one of the utmost happiness. Bliss, brought to life.

However, no one noticed any of that. All their attention was focused on the bride's procession up the aisle. Mary was breathtaking. Her gown was of the purest white, a shade so white, it would put a dove's feathers to shame. Her hair was perfect, done up in an elegant style that told of royalty. Simply put, she was a goddess come to earth. An angel, beautiful beyond comprehending.

Emma and the flower girls walked behind her, dressed in robins egg blue.

Mary and David locked eyes, and in that moment, no one existed but them. In their eyes shone love, pure, simple, and eternal. Henry smiled in the front row. Everything was going were together again, reunited through the minstrations of fate. They were soulmates.

With both bride and groom present beneath the archway, the ceremony began. The minister spoke of love in the scriptures, and of god making man and woman one in marriage. Mary's face was aglow. Never before had she looked so happy. It was just like in her dreams. She and her Prince Charming, married at last.

"If there is any reason why these two should not be wed" the minister adressed the congregation. "Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

"I have one!" a shrill bark broke the majesty of the scene. And just like that, the weddings' perfection was shattered beyond repair.

"No!" Emma spat angrily. Hot rage filled her being. How dare she ruin Mary's special day! "What's she doing here?"

"She knows the curse is weakened" said Caleb. "True loves kiss can break all curses, most curses anyway. And there isn't a love purer than theirs. She's trying to fix it, put the curse back in place."

Snow, Henry, and Arienna said nothing. Sadness hung thick in the astral plane.

Dressed elegantly as ever, Regina stalked into the aisle, Sydney hot on her heels. An angry murmur pass through the crowd. With each step of her high heeled shoes, Regina clapped in mock applause.

"What are you doing here!" Emma hissed from Marys' side. Regina smirked smugly.

"Quite a lovely show you've all put on here, Miss Swan. A cake, good food, friends. A wonderful wedding. But" her expression went dark. "There's been enough of this foolishness. You've proved an interesting challenge, Miss Swan. But the game's over now. Everyone's to go back where they belong. You, Miss Blanchard, to your apartment and your classroom, and you, David, to your real wife, Kathryn." They weren't requests. They were demands.

"Our lives are none of your business, Madame Mayor." said David through barely controlled anger. "Leave. Now." Regina's eyes widened impishly.

"Oh, I think you'll find your lives are plenty my business, Mr. Nolan. Everything that goes on in this town is my business." She turned to Henry who sat but a few feet away. "You were right all along, Henry. I'm exactly who you think I am. Fortunately enough, I'm here to set everything right."

Flinging her hands upward, the evil queen sent a mass of purple, foggy tentacles from each of her fingers. The tendrils spread throughout the churchyard, bouncing and spinning their way around each and every person there. With the exception of Emma and Henry. The curse couldn't effect them. They were immune to it. Above them the sun seemed to go dim. A haziness that clouded all sight descended on them like a plague.

The people began to sway where they stood. Inaudible ramblings spewed from their lips, completely incomprehendible. Emma's jaw dropped past her knees. This was magic. Witchcraft. Regina was a witch, an actual, evil witch. She tried to move her tongue to form words, but Henry had already leapt from his seat and barreled towards the bride and groom.

"Wake up!" he begged them. "Wake up!" he shook them by the arms. The pair stopped swaying and buckled to their knees, holding their heads in pain.

"Henry" Mary mewed. "Whats...what's going on?"

"Kiss!" Henry screamed. He looked over his shoulder at the raging queen. Her eyes were murderous. "You've got to kiss."

Looking more than confused, she and David moved their heads together. They were barely conscious, barely aware of what they were doing. But still, their lips met.

With a series of shrieking sounds the purple tendrils snapped and fizzled out of existence. The crowd stopped swaying, and took on looks of confusion and befuddlement. Henrys' heart soared. It had worked. The kiss had worked.

"Here's where it all went wrong" Caleb said mournfully. "The curse was broken too soon, so it didn't break at all. It tore."

Beneath them the earth began to shake. Chairs fell over, and the few people still standing toppled to the ground. Church windows shattered, cars shifted in the parking lot, alarms ringing out. The sky was stained blood red. Thunder boombed, and high above them, a long gash was torn in the air. Wind swirled in a tempest. People began to scream. The tear in the sky grew and grew, ripping a hole in the fabric of reality.

Along the middle of the aisle the ground fissured open. Throwing caution to the wind, Emma dove at Henry, wrapping her son in a desprate embrace. Then everything stopped. All went white.

Silence fell on the astral plane.

"What...what happened?" Henry asked in horror.

"Storybrooke doesn't exist anymore," Caleb explained. "The curse tore, so everyone was pulled back to the world of fairy tales. Pulled back to where they were right as it happened. The queen still has partial control, even without the town. She can shift the fairy tale world, turn it against us. But now, everyone remembers, and we can fight back."

Emma stumbled forward onto the ground, Henry still wrapped in her arms. They tumbled through a pair of carved wooden doors onto a hard stone floor covered only by a sparse rug.

"Oh my God" Henry gaped. "It's the wardrobe. We came out of the wardrobe!"

Indeed. Just as Emma had been sent away from the world of her birth, she was sent back. A few feet away Prince Charming was on his knees, a sword in his hand, wearing a tunic ripped by a wound his chest no longer held. None of them had any time to react. Before even a word could be spoken a group of three armored shoulders charged into the room.

Acting on reflex, Charming slashed upward, severing a soldiers arm at the elbow.

"Emma!" he cried desperately. "Here!" he tossed her his felled enemy's sword. Without thinking Emma hacked at the soldier nearest the door. The weapon felt heavy and unfamiliar in her grip She'd never used a sword before. Charming lunged, silencing the last of them. The soldiers lay crumpled on the ground, dead.

Charming knelt before the doorway and peered out into the hall.

"Come this way" he told the other two. He pulled them by the shoulder out of the room towards another doorwar just three steps down the hall. "Hide up there. More are coming."

Off in the distance, the apporaching sounds of armored feet echoed off the stone walls. Without arguing mother and son tore up the spiral staircase. Tapestries were hung along the tower walls, some depicting the changing of the seasons, others great battles of old.

A minute later they emerged at the towers top. They stumbled out onto the battlements, leaning against the waist high stone walls in exhaustion. Their eyes grew large as saucers. Henry's expression filled with glee. This couldn't be happening. And yet it was.

Spread out before them was the world of fairy tales. The enchanted forest rustled in the breeze. Sunlight sparkled on the old sea in the distance, and a hundred feet below them a black carriage thundered across the drawbridge into the castle courtyard. Emma sank against the wall. Her knuckles went white on the swords hilt. Blood dribbled off the blade, staining her dress.

"Holy shit" she breathed disbelievingly. "Holy shit!"

"Yes!" Henry whooped. "We did it! The curse broke!" He stared in wonder at the surrounding landscape, gazed up at the turrets and towers of Charming's castle. This was everything he'd ever dreamed. He'd been right!

"It didn't" said Caleb. "And here's where things get even worse. If that's possible."

"Get down kid" Emma tugged at his shin. "They could get up here any second!" She looked fearfully at the door through which they'd came.

"Just a sec!" he told her. He still hadn't seen everything. He just had to see it all. But as it turned out, that one second proved most unfortunate.

A black shadow, gargantuan and scaled dove at the tower. Emma screamed as a pair of huge bladed claws wrapped around Henry's waist and dragged him upward into the sky. She hadn't even had time to react. The black dragon roared victoriously. Green flames sparked from it's gaping maw of a mouth. Leathery wings beat against the air, carrying their owner ever higher.

"Maleficent" Caleb told his stunned friends. "She decided to kidnap me in the confusion. It was a brilliant plan, really. I was something both factions wanted. The queen, and you guys. With me in her grasp, she has a bargaining chip to use against both of you."

"Emma!" Henry screamed. He kicked his legs, trying to free himself as the shape shifting witch carried him away.

"Henry!" Emma shrieked. She called for him again and again, but to no avail. There was nothing she could do. Her son was gone.