Storybrooke, Maine

Prince Charming sighed as he watched his grandson Henry sitting at the counter in Snow's apartment, just staring at a photograph of Snow and Emma. Henry had been doing this everyday when he got home from school, or from being out with himself, trying to help the town piece together everything that had happened to them in the twenty-eight years they were cursed.

"Henry," he said softly, kneeling down next to him.

"I know, I know. You believe they're alive, and you'll always find them, but…" Henry began, before he stared out the window, his mouth frozen in an 'o'.

"Henry?"

The boy pointed, and Charming followed his gaze, before he himself stared.

Blue smoke was billowing through the town, and Charming couldn't help but feel like this had happened once before, when Regina had unleashed the curse. He grabbed Henry as the smoke came nearer.

"Gramps! What's going on?!" Henry cried.

"I don't know Henry! Just hang on tight to me!"

Henry didn't hesitate, and Charming's arms wrapped tight around him as the windows shattered, the smoke enveloping them. Charming heard Henry cry out, and he tightened his grip, before he felt the boy shrinking, growing smaller and smaller until finally…

He vanished.

"HENRY!"

A.P.O.V

It was a familiar sensation that forced her to open her eyes in the… she supposed it was morning judging by the angle of the sun shining on her face.

Ariel groaned a little at a sharp kick, as if Melody was protesting being back inside of her again. Not that she could really blame the… well, now she was an unborn child. She sat up as well as she could, gazing around.

Their castle was fixed.

"Eric, wake up!" she said, shaking the man next to her. "It worked!"

Eric groaned, before slowly opening his eyes. "What? It did?"

Ariel nodded, pointing at her re-expanded stomach. She could hear the bustle of their workers in the castle, shock clear. Eric smiled, putting his hand on her stomach, chuckling as Melody kicked at his hand.

"She doesn't like being back in there, does she?" he remarked, before getting out of bed, going to her side to help her up.

"No, I don't think she does at all," Ariel replied, standing properly. It would be strange to re-adjust to this feeling again… and suddenly something occurred to her. "Eric… where's my father?"

Eric looked out the window, before frowning. "I don't know. He's not out there."

Ariel suddenly went pale. "H-he's not?" Oh no, this couldn't possibly be good. "Eric, we need to get outside… and make sure he's okay!"

Eric nodded, carefully helping Ariel down the stairs, to the ocean. Sea foam, aqua blue foam.

The color of her father's tail.

Her father was dead.

"FATHER!" she shrieked, shaking. Oh Gods, how could this happen? Rumpelstiltskin had said she'd only lose her powers, not die!

"I'll go speak with Rumpelstiltskin. We will figure this out Ariel, I swear," she heard Eric say, though just barely. She was still shaking terribly as she saw something glint in the water.

His trident.

Sniffling, Ariel went over to it, lifting it up and holding it close. "W-what should I do with this?" she asked.

"Give it to Athena…" Eric murmured. "She'll need it to run your father's kingdom. Now I'm going to go find Rumpelstiltskin, okay? Why don't you check up on Snow and James? Make sure it actually worked the way it was supposed to for them?"

Ariel nodded, clutching the trident to her chest, not wanting to let it go.

Eric was gentle as he took it into his hands. "Ariel, go," he looked up at their bewildered carriage driver. "Ready a carriage to Snow White and Prince James' palace."

The confused man nodded, carefully leading Ariel to their carriage. "Majesty…" he said. "What happened? Why are we back? Why are you pregnant again?"

Ariel swallowed. "My… my father cast a spell on the lands… to bring everyone back, and to r-reset everything the way it was before the curse hit."

Their driver gasped. "Really? So we… we're okay?"

"Regina will have to be stopped, but yes, we are safe for now. Her curse will never be cast. The spell will be sure of that."

"How?"

Ariel shrugged. "I don't know, but I know it will not work."

The driver whistled under his breath as the carriage moved down the road, Ariel staring blankly out the window as people adjusted to being back in their world.

Finally, they pulled up to Snow and Charming's castle.

Snow P.O.V

"Snow? Snow, wake up…"

The princess groaned, arm wrapping around the bulge in her stomach –

Bulge…

Snow's eyes flew open, sitting up quickly, well, as quickly as she could with her stomach.

It had worked.

"He did it…" she whispered, feeling Emma kick against her hand.

"Snow, who did what? Where's Henry? Why are you… why are we…?" Charming's voice said, clearly confused. Snow simply smiled and turned to him.

"We're back, Charming. We're back and we get a second chance to raise Emma," she replied. "Triton, he cast a spell. It reversed everything."

Charming stared at her. "This is incredible… so… Henry…"

Snow's face fell at the mention of their… now-former, unborn grandson. "Henry won't make an appearance for a while…" It was a depressing thought. She still had memories of being his teacher.

She remembered the sad, shy little boy in her fourth grade classroom. She remembered him spilling his life story, about Regina making him feel like he was crazy, and feeling so sorry for him. When she'd given him that book, he had lit up like the sun. It had been so sweet to see.

The fact that he was gone hurt… but she knew one day he would find his way back to them again.

Snow sighed and put a hand on her stomach. "It will be difficult Charming but… Henry will be able to be raised by Emma, and he won't have to know Regina." Regina would be taken care of before Henry was born.

Charming stroked her cheek. "So we must wait again…"

Snow nodded. "We still have our memories though… and Ariel promised we would have a book, so he will know his story when he is born, as will Emma."

Charming smiled a little. "Book… who would have thought that your book would have led to all of us being saved?"

"Snow," a confused Grumpy said, walking into the room. "Ariel is here. And she's pregnant again…"

Snow smiled. "Charming… I think you need to make an announcement to the kingdom, while I go see what Ariel wants… I know I'm normally the talker, but I know you can do it."

Her husband smiled again and nodded, brushing his lips gently against her cheek. "Have fun."

With that, he followed Grumpy out of the room, Snow hearing their voices as she made her way downstairs, not bothering to change out of her dressing gown.

"Ariel!" she said, beaming as she spotted the pregnant former mermaid.

"Snow…" the other woman replied hoarsely. "You… you're pregnant again. Good… it worked."

She could tell something is wrong. "Yes. I see you are too… is everything okay?"

Ariel shook her head, and Snow embraced her, leading her to a comfortable sofa. "What happened?"

Snow watched Ariel swallow tight. "M-my f-father… he is dead."

R.P.O.V

He couldn't help but cackle as he arrived back in his cell. He knew very well that he would be free soon. He knew Regina would be panicking tonight when the spell didn't work, and he knew that Regina would pay for what she did to Belle.

All he had to do was wait for someone to arrive so he could make a deal with them and get out of here so he could find Baelfire and free Belle from her nightmare.

Someone arrived quickly, and Rumpelstiltskin grinned when he saw Eric standing in the shadows. "No need to try and hide from me, dearie. I know it's you."

Eric frowned, removing the hood from his head. "We need to talk."

"Yes, I suppose we do. How is your wife?"

"Upset."

"Naturally," Rumpelstiltskin said. "It must be difficult, losing your magic." He would be losing his soon – Belle's kisses worked very different in this world.

"No. She wound up being forced out of the spell," Eric explained. "Her father cast it."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. "Triton?"

Eric nodded. "And when we woke up, he was dead."

The imp stared. That wasn't supposed to happen – even if it wasn't Ariel who cast it like their deal had been. Triton was supposed to have lost his magic, like Ariel would have. He wasn't supposed to die.

"Dearie, I can tell you that whatever happened was no fault of mine. Tell me… how was he health-wise?"

Eric frowned. "As far as we know, he was still very healthy. He had enough magic to cast the spell…"

"Perhaps he was dying anyway," Rumpelstiltskin said. "Even though he cast it, and not Ariel, he was not supposed to die – just pay the price Ariel would have. Ariel should speak to her sisters and ask them how their father was. Now… let's make a deal."

Eric pulled away from the bars. "No. No more deals."

"But dearie… all of the happy endings have been restored – including mine. Shouldn't I be free to get it?"

He saw the prince think it over, before speaking. "What about Thomas?"

"He should already be with his princess."

Eric bit his lip. "Alright. If I let you go to get your happy ending, what do I get in return?"

Rumpelstiltskin grinned. "My alliance to your side."

"Alliance? We aren't having a war."

"Oh no, not yet. But when Regina finds out that her spell won't work… she will not be happy, will she?"

Rumpelstiltskin could tell he had him.

"Fine. You'll be on all of our sides? Charming, Thomas, myself?"

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "Yes. Against Regina."

"You have a deal then," Eric said, going over to the crank, the bars going up. Even he had to admit – it was quite powerful. He had to give props to the fairies.

Stepping out, he grinned. "Thank you. I'll take you to your wife. Where is she?"

"Snow and Charming's palace," Eric said.

Quickly, Rumpelstiltskin grabbed the man's wrist, going to the palace.