II

Chapter Eleven

II

Present day

II

It is never a pleasant task to report failure, but even more so to this boss, Smee finds.

"You were meant to keep Mary Margaret Nolan imprisoned until further notice," his boss says darkly, and Smee clutches his red hat a little nervously.

"She... You said she was meek and timid and no threat. I didn't expect her to free herself."

"Clearly."

"I'm sorry."

"You would be, if I didn't already get what I wanted out of it."

"What's that?"

"Why, Emma Swan staying in Storybrooke, of course."

"What's so important about her?"

"Everything."

Truthfully, Smee isn't sure what is more frightening – the boss finding you not important enough to notice or too important to miss. Mr. Gold is like that. There is a lot of fear from uncertainty and he's a master of exploiting that.

But actually, Smee does know what the most frightening option is. That is that the boss finds out he's not working for him at all and that letting Mary Margaret go was entirely on purpose. Smee doesn't need to know what Mr. Gold would do reacting to that; all the options are equally bad.

II

Even with the permission of the Nolans, Emma still feels like an intruder as she steps into their home with Henry as the eager guide. He chats on and on about everyday things as she gets a better look at what is clearly a home. So many mementos everywhere, pictures and things and toys. Even the slightly run-down state of it adds to the homeliness. It may not be royal living, but it still seems something to envy.

"All right, kid," she says as he takes a breath. "Get what you need for the night and tomorrow and we'll head for Granny's."

"Okay!" he says happily, skipping up the stairs. She can understand being happy his mom is safe, but realizing part of his happiness is from her being here makes her strangely uncomfortable and happy at the same time.

To feel wanted is a powerful thing indeed. Henry clearly is.

She walks over to a framed picture a bit absentmindedly. It is Henry as a toddler, placed in Mary Margaret's lap while she is in David's, the whole family laughing at the camera. Strange though, David and Mary Margaret don't seem any younger than they do to her now.

"I started noticing that," Henry says behind her, and she turns around to see him look seriously at her with his backpack on his back. "They don't age. No one ages."

"That's when you started suspecting this curse?" she asks, keeping her voice as neutral as possible.

"No," he says firmly. "That was the book. The one Regina gave me. She's mom's boss. She isn't always very nice to people but that's because she was the Evil Queen and she's not used to being nice again yet."

"The principal is the former Evil Queen?" Emma raises an eyebrow slightly. "Is the Mayor in this book too?"

Henry nods eagerly. "He cast the curse. He's the Dark One."

"Of course he is," Emma murmurs, putting a hand on Henry's shoulder and guiding him out. "So who are your parents in this curse thing?"

Henry tilts his head and looks at her for a long time. "I'm not sure you're ready for that yet."

"Oh yeah? What will it take to make me ready?"

Henry looks at her very seriously, and for a moment she could swear she sees something of David Nolan in that expression, in him. Which is crazy since it's Henry's adoptive father, but she still can't shake the similarity. Maybe children do take after parents regardless of DNA.

"Time," Henry simply says.

II

FTL, the past

II

Carving is a fine art. Geppetto has always found solace in shaping wood, carving extraordinary art out of simple shapes. It is a sort of magic, a magic with a price he can name for he is a master of it.

To carve this wardrobe that will carry the savior to safety he has named the price of his son's safety as well. Little Pinocchio, the son that he carved out and then witnessed become a real boy. For his son he will do this, carry out this terrible deception. The prince and his wife do not know, will not know, that the wardrobe takes two.

"Parents shape their children, but I guess in your case you took it literally," a voice says behind him. He whips around to see the Evil Queen – former Evil Queen now, he supposes – regard him and Pinocchio.

"What are you doing here?" he asks, holding out his tool as the only weapon he can think of.

"Relax," she says. It makes him do nothing of the sort. "If I was still the Evil Queen this little deception of yours would probably amuse me, knowing the heartache it must cause Snow and her beloved."

He lowers his head, knowing it to be true.

"As it is," she continues, "I have no interest in stopping you. In fact, I have something for your son to bring with him."

"He will take no gifts from you," Geppetto says hotly.

"Gift?" Regina says, smiling without any warmth. "It is not a gift. It is a loan. One he will return to me."

"I don't understand."

She ignores him, leaning down to meet Pinocchio's curious, honest gaze.

"I have a book for you, Pinocchio. One you are to take with you to the other world. You will take it and you will keep it safe and one day when you find where I am in this other world, you will return it to me. It is very important. Do you understand?"

"No," Pinocchio says honestly. "But I will do it anyway. I promise."

II

Present day

II

Regina can't sleep, watching the clock tower a touch absentmindedly. It is moving again now, another sign the curse is weakening. It will continue weakening, she supposes, losing its grip on the town until Emma does whatever she needs to do to break it.

But then what? Rumpelstiltskin always plays the long game, he must intend for something beyond the curse breaking. She must find out what.

She will need the things she arranged to bring to this world for what is to come. The book has in a sense fulfilled its purpose already, even if it wasn't the one she intended. She thought it would make her remember reading all their stories that she had written down, making Pinocchio send it to her in this world. Instead she thought it merely fairytales and gave it to Henry, sweet little Henry, and it made him see the truth and bring Emma here.

The other things she must still reclaim, but carefully. Rumpelstilskin must not know, must not suspect. He will be watching her quite closely, that is a given. She knew he would start to the moment she went to Belle.

That was the whole point, after all. Do the things the Evil Queen would do. Make him see her, the role he carved for her as expertly as a master woodcarver could.

He still has no idea what Regina is capable of.

She'll teach him.