AN: This chapter combines "Welcome to Storybrooke" and "Selfless, Brave and True"

Selfless, Brave and True

The next day Emma, Henry and Giselle were having breakfast at the loft. David walked out of his and Mary Margaret's sleeping area shaking his head, "Anything?" asked Giselle.

"She won't eat a bite," said David.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Henry, as he looked at his grandmother laying on the bed.

"Nothing. She's just a little sick," said Emma.

Henry looked at the adults around him and said, "You guys are lying to me, aren't you?"

"No one's lying."

"You are, just like you did about my dad."

"Henry, I…" Emma tried to touch Henry's shoulder but he pulled away. Emma looked over at her father, "He's right. No more lying."

"Emma…" said David.

"He deserves to know," she turned to her son and said, "Here's the thing, Henry. Cora's death... Mary Margaret was partially responsible for it, and that's why she's so upset."

"No. No, no, she couldn't," said Henry.

Just then there was a knock on the door, "I'll get it," said Giselle.

"She was trying to protect us," said Emma.

"But she's Snow White," said Henry, "She wouldn't hurt anybody."

Giselle opened the door and saw Gold was standing there, "You have a hell of a lot of nerve coming here. Get out!"

"I think you're gonna wanna hear what I have to say," said Gold "for her sake," he motioned over at Mary Margaret

David, Emma and Henry stepped toward the door, "What are you talking about?" asked Emma.

"Regina. She's planning to strike back - against your mother."

"What is she gonna do to her?" asked Henry.

"Oh, she didn't say."

"No," said David, "You don't get to come in here and just drop a bomb like that. You're gonna figure this out. And you're gonna help us."

"And, why should I?" asked Gold.

"Because aside from us being family now, Mary Margaret saved your life. Now you owe her a debt. And you always pay your debts, don't you? You're gonna help us stop Regina."

Gold, David and Giselle went to Regina's vault. They saw that there were various trunks open and their contents thrown around the room. "Well, it appears we just missed our dear Queen," said Gold.

"What is this?" asked David.

"These are Cora's belongings. Looks like Regina's planning to use one of her spells on Mary Margaret." Gold came across an opened box of spell ingredients. He brought the box over David and Giselle, "Something's missing. Chimera blood. And viper's eye."

"What kind of curse do you need those for?" asked Giselle.

"It's the curse of the empty-hearted."

LG

"What the hell does that do?" asked Emma, once the three of them were back at the loft and explained what they found to Emma, while Mary Margaret remained in bed.

"In theory, it has the power to make someone love you," said Gold.

"Doesn't that break magic laws?" asked Emma, "You can't bring back to life, you can't force someone to love you."

"This particular spell can make someone think they love you. And if you're as desperate for love as Regina appears to be, you just might believe it."

Just then, Henry came down the stairs, "She's using it on me, isn't she."

"Hey buddy," said Giselle, as she walked over to him, "why don't you go back upstairs, let us handle this."

"No!" He pushed past her and went over to Emma, "Emma! You said you were going to be honest with me. Now, why is Regina using this curse?"

"Because it's the only way she can get everything she wants," said Mr. Gold, "That she can get you."

"But if all she wants is me..." said Henry.

"Your mother is a complicated woman. She wants your love of course, but she also wants vengeance. On Mary Margaret."

"How does the curse give her both?" asked David.

"Because the last ingredient she needs to enact the curse is the heart of the person she hates the most," said Gold.

"You have to stop her," said Emma.

"Oh, I don't have to do anything. On the contrary, I believe warning you fulfills my debt."

"Not even close!" said David, "This is my wife's life we're talking about."

"Not to mention your grandson's!" added Emma.

"Well wars have costs," said Gold.

"Nice."

"Well this is a blood feud, dearie. One that goes back a long time. And the only way you can end a blood feud, is by the spilling of more blood. That is the only way I know to eliminate your Regina problem."

"How, by killing her?" asked Giselle.

"Is there no other option?" asked Emma.

"I'm afraid not," said Gold.

"Stop!" shouted Henry, "Listen to yourselves. You're talking about killing my mom! You used to be heroes. What happened to you?" he shook his head and ran out of the loft.

"Henry," called Emma, as she started after him. Before she went out the door she looked back at the others, "No matter how this plays out, we need to keep him as far away from it as possible."

"She's right," said Mr. Gold, "Cora is more dangerous because she didn't have a heart. Regina is even more dangerous because she does."

Emma took Henry to see Neal. They figured with everything that was going on it was best if Henry wasn't in Storybrooke right now. Henry seemed to agree and went to the bathroom. When Emma and Neal noticed that Henry took his backpack, they knew he ran away.

Emma called David and Giselle and filled them in. Gold agreed to watch Mary Margaret while they were gone. They had Ruby use her wolf abilities trace Henry's scent and she led them to the Mines.

"Henry!" called David.

"Henry!" called Emma.

"Down here! He was in here," said Ruby, as she led them deeper in to the mine.

"Why would an eleven-year-old kid run away to the mines?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," said Giselle. She remembered when Henry came to the mine before the curse was broken and got trapped inside with Dr. Hopper. Luckily, Emma was able save them both.

"I think I know what he was looking for," said David, as he shined his flashlight on a box of explosives, "The dynamite the dwarfs use for blasting." David opened the box.

"What the hell would he want dynamite for?" asked Emma.

"To get rid of magic," said Neal.

"Wait, what?"

"At the diner, he said someone should get rid of magic."

"So, he's going to blow it up?" asked Ruby.

"Where would he even go to do that?" asked Neal.

"The Wishing Well," said Giselle, "Gold and Regina knew the portal was going to open there. It must be a center point of Storybrooke's magic."

"Let's go," said David.

David, Emma, Neal and Giselle headed to the Wishing Well. Henry and Regina were there, "Hey Regina!" said Emma, "Get away from my son!"

Regina turned and looked at them, "He's not yours. He's mine," she held up a small scroll, "And after I cast this, you'll never see him again."

"That's never going to happen," said David.

"If you want to kill Mary Margaret you're going to have to go through us," said Giselle.

"Okay," said Regina, she formed a fireball in her right hand. David and Giselle pulled their guns and stepped in front of Neal and Emma.

Henry ran between Regina and the others, "Stop!"

"Henry, get out of the way!" said Neal.

"Not until someone helps me destroy magic!"

"There's no way to get rid of it," said Regina, "You can't just blow it up!"

"Magic isn't the problem, kid. It's her," said Emma as she held her hand out to her son.

"It's not just her. It's everyone. Look what magic did to Mary Margaret," said Henry. He looked at Regina, "Look what it did to you! It's ruining everything." He looked back at the others, "It makes good people do terrible things."

"And bad people," said Giselle, as she looked right at her cousin.

Henry turned and looked at Regina, "Please. It's going to destroy my family. Help me get rid of it."

"I can't do that Henry," said Regina, "But there is something I can do. Regina dropped the scroll with the curse on it in the fireball in her hand. Then, she closed her hand to extinguished the fireball. David and Giselle lowered their guns.

"Thank you," said Henry. Then, he walked up to Emma and she wrapped his arms around him. Henry broke the hug then. Henry, Emma, Neal, David and Giselle walked away, leaving Regina alone.

The next day, was Giselle's day off. She was doing some cleaning around her house when she was got a call from Mary Margaret to meet her at Granny's right away. When she got there, she saw Regina talking to Greg Mendall, the man that hit Hook with his car. Then, she saw Emma and Marco siting at the counter. She walked up to Emma and said, "Have you seen your mother?"

"No… She called you too?" asked Emma.

"Yeah."

"She called me too," said Marco.

Giselle heard the doorbell open, she turned and saw Mary Margaret at the door as Regina was leaving. Giselle said as Mary Margaret walked up to them, "Hey. What's up? Why the urgent phone call?"

"It's August. I found him," said Mary Margaret.

"My boy? He's alive?" asked Marco.

"Yes, but... he's completely wooden. He's been living in an abandoned trailer down near the toll bridge."

"What can we do?" asked Emma, "Can we help him?"

"No," said Mary Margaret, "But I know someone who might be able to… Mother Superior."

"Yes. Yes, The Blue Fairy," said Marco, "She helped once. She can help again. She must!" Then the four of them headed out the door while Emma put some money on the counter.

They met with Mother Superior outside the convent, "I know about August," she said, "He came to me shortly after the curse broke and asked if I would return him to what he was."

"Why didn't you?" asked Giselle.

"Because what he was is what he is," Mother Superior looked at Marco, "Do you remember the morning I found you on that beach all those years ago? The day I turned your son into a real boy?

"Yes," said Marco, "It was the happiest day of my life."

"I told Pinocchio so long as he remained brave, truthful, and unselfish, he would stay a real boy. But I'm afraid he did not. That is why he changed back. And that's why there's nothing I can do for him.

"It's true he's done some things he regrets," said Mary Margaret, "We all have. But shouldn't he have another chance?"

"If there is still a path of redemption for August, it is one that he must travel on his own," said Mother Superior, "No one can force him, or it will not be true."

Mary Margaret looked at Marco and saw he was worried, she said to him, "Don't despair, Marco. I know there's still hope for your son. There has to be."

They headed to the woods to talk to August. Mary Margaret was leading the way. As they walked Marco said, "This is all my fault."

"Our children make their own decisions, Marco," said Mary Margaret, "You can't blame yourself for anything that's happened."

"Yes, I can. And you should blame me, too,' He walked past Mary Margaret and stood in front of the three women, "The wardrobe I built for you. The one that transported Emma to this world… she did not go alone."

"Of course she did. The wardrobe only had enough magic to transport one person."

"No, that was a lie I made The Blue Fairy tell you. It had enough magic to transport two, and it did… your daughter... and my son... Pinocchio."

"I could have gone with her? With Emma?"

"There is no apology I could give that could ever make up for what I did. But I am so sorry," said Marco. Then, Mary Margaret slapped him hard across the face.

Emma and Giselle were stunned. Mary Margaret looked surprised that she did that, "Mary Margaret!" said Giselle, "What are you doing? He's apologizing."

"No, no, that's okay. I deserve that."

"No, that wasn't me," said Mary Margaret, "Marco, I am so sorry. I'm not myself. You just made a mistake. I would have done the same thing for my child. I forgive you. You were protecting your son.

"No," said Marco, "I burdened him with a weight no child should have to bear, and I called it love."

Soon, they got to the August's trailer and went inside. But, August was nowhere to be found. As they walked back to town Emma's phone rang, "Emma Swan."

"Emma, it's August," said the voice on the other end.

"August."

"Listen to me. I have to warn you." Then the line when dead.

"August..." asked Emma, "Warn me? Warn me about what?"

"What's going on?" asked Giselle.

"I don't know…" Emma looked at her phone. "August just called me from the station and now the lines dead. We better get back."

Emma called David and filled him on what happened. He and Henry met up with the others, as they walked toward Town Hall. "If August is still at the station, he's not picking up," said David.

Just then August burst out of the front door, "August!" said Emma. Then the group ran to him as August fell to the ground, "August!"

Marco helped Emma roll August onto his back and said, "My child. My boy. My boy. What happened to you?"

"I'm so sorry, papa," said August.

"No. There is nothing to apologize for. Everything is gonna be all right."

August looked and saw "Emma."

"August," said Emma.

"Emma..." August strained to speak, "She's... She..." Then, August stopped talking and was now just a large wooden puppet.

"Oh, no," said Marco, as his voice braked, "Not again." Then he started to sob.

"August?" said Neal, as he arrived on the scene.

"No," said Mary Margaret, "It can't end this way. He was supposed to get a second chance."

"What happened?"

"Someone killed him to stop him from telling us something," said Emma, "He used his last dying breath to warn us. I will not let that be in vain."

"Brave... truthful... and unselfish," Henry said to himself. Then out loud he repeated, "Brave, truthful, and unselfish. Don't you see what this means? That's what Pinocchio was supposed to be. There's still hope. We need The Blue Fairy."

"I'm here, Henry," said Mother Superior.

"What does Henry mean?" asked Mary Margaret.

"I was able to turn Pinocchio into a real boy after he sacrificed his life for Marco's. If his actions today were indeed brave, truthful, and unselfish, then you're right. There's a chance I can do it again."

Marco looked up at her, "Please, I beg of you… Try."

Mother Superior pointed her wand and August. He was bathed in white light and in a flash, he was transformed into a 7-year-old boy. "Father?" he asked.

Marco stared to cry happy tears, "Pinocchio. Look. Look."

"I'm a real boy," said Pinocchio, "I'm a real boy!" Then father and son hugged and everyone around them smiled.

Just then Neal's fiancé, Tamara, walked up, Neal looked at her and said, "Hi."

"It's... it's true," Tamara was stunned.

"Do better this time, Pinocchio," said Mother Superior, and she lightly tapped his nose with her finger.

"Pinocchio? That's..."

"Yeah," said Neal.

Emma stepped forward and asked the boy, "Pinocchio? I have to ask you a question. I need you to think real hard, okay? Before you turned into a little boy, you were trying to tell us something very important. Do you remember? You were trying to warn us about something."

Pinocchio thought for a moment, "I... I don't remember. If I did, I would be truthful. I promise."

Then, Marco, Mother Superior and Pinocchio walked away. Emma, Mary Margaret, David and Henry all hugged and they walked away, with Giselle by their side.

None of them knew, not even Neal, that Tamara was the one who had tried to kill August. And that she had even more devious plans for the people of Storybrooke.

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