Tamara was nervous as she looked up from the calendar on her phone. They'd been here for months, and she hadn't heard from August yet today, and Marco – Gepetto, she mentally corrected – hadn't seen him either. August had been helping his father out with his handyman work and was always on time. Perhaps it was part of the guilt for what he did to Emma, or perhaps Pinocchio was growing up, but either way, he hadn't been seen yet today and it had her on edge.

"Excuse me, Granny?" Tamara asked as the older woman passed by her table in the diner. "Have you seen August today? He isn't answering his phone."

Granny frowned. "You know, I haven't. He usually requests a wake-up call so he can get to Marco's early to help him with his work. He never requested one yesterday for this morning…"

Tamara bit her lip. "If it isn't too much trouble… do you think I could maybe… get a key to his room to check on him?

Granny sighed and rubbed her chin with her hand. "Well, I suppose that wouldn't be a problem. Let me get this order in and then I'll head to the bed and breakfast to get you that key."

"Thank you," Tamara said, taking a last sip of her coffee.

She didn't know August that well – quite frankly, she only used him to get to Storybrooke so she could see her family again, but she knew it couldn't be good that he was missing. She was far from a hero, but even an idiot would do the right thing in this case.

"Oh August," she whispered. "What's happened to you?"

It felt like it took forever for Granny to grab her keys, but eventually, the older woman returned, and Tamara slid her money onto the table as she followed her to the bed and breakfast.

Granny handed her the spare key to August's room along with a slip of paper. Tamara frowned and looked at the woman.

"It's Sheriff Graham's and Doctor Whale's numbers. Just in case."

She smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

Granny nodded and went back downstairs. Tamara could hear the door close, signaling the woman's exit.

Shaking a little as she opened the door, she stared as she found August laying on the bed, unmoving.

"August?! Oh my God, what's happened?!" she cried as she slammed the door behind her and rushed to the bed.

"Curse…" he whispered, the wood already up to his chest. "Needs to break… get Neal… or Gold, Charming… or Ali…"

Tamara hurried to his cell phone and flipped to the first number she saw – Ali's.

"Ugh – August, what do you want?" came a disgruntled voice at the other end of the line.

"No, no this isn't August! It's his friend, Tamara."

The line went silent for a moment before Ali spoke again. "Tamara. Is that really you?"

"Yeah. It's really me. Been a while Aladdin."

Agrabah, the day of the curse.

"I can't do this!" Aladdin shouted as he flopped down on the bed.

"Aladdin, you can, I know you can…" Jasmine said as she took a seat next to him. "You just have to believe in yourself, and know that the people of Agrabah are behind you in every step of the way… not to mention my father."

"Jasmine, I'm not meant to be Sultan when your father passes away," Aladdin sighed. "I mean, we couldn't even fully stop Jafar, and then he almost destroyed Wonderland!"

"That wasn't your fault, Aladdin. None of us knew that someone would find that lamp and open it. And he's been handled now so…"

"Your majesties, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Al, you have a visitor," Genie said as he quietly knocked on the door, standing awkwardly in the doorway. That was something he'd never thought he'd see - Genie being awkward.

"Who is it, Genie?" Jasmine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She didn't say her name. All she said was that she knows who you are, Al," Genie replied, stepping aside.

Aladdin looked up and stared at the young teen that had entered the room behind the Genie.

"Tamara? Is that you?" he asked, eyes wide.

Tamara smiled a little and nodded. "It's really me, Aladdin… or should I say, Prince Aladdin."

Jasmine looked confused. "Aladdin… who is this?"

Aladdin grinned and beckoned Tamara over to where Jasmine was seated on their bed. "Jasmine, this is Tamara. She was a friend of mine from when I was living on the streets. I hadn't seen her since the incident with Jafar."

His fiancée didn't seem convinced of this, but he saw her give Tamara a warm smile. "Well, welcome to the palace, Tamara."

"Thank you, Princess Jasmine. It's such an honor to meet you!" Tamara said with a giggle. "Wow, look at me, a street rat just like Aladdin, in the palace!"

"Yeah, look at you…" Jasmine said lightly. Aladdin could see Jasmine's eyes, full of thinly-veiled distrust, and his heart sank. While he knew that not everyone living on the streets on Agrabah was like him, with hearts of gold and whatnot, he trusted Tamara.

Looking over at Genie, he saw the same nervous look and frowned slightly. "Hey Tamara, why don't we go for a walk and catch up?" he suggested. If Tamara was going to show her true colors, he knew it wasn't going to be around Jasmine and Genie.

There was a flicker of disappointment on Tamara's face, but she nodded slowly. "Sure, Aladdin. I'd like that a lot." The tone was one of un-hidden disappointment from someone not as well-versed in hiding emotions as Jasmine, or any other royalty would be.

Aladdin shared a glance with Jasmine as he left the room with Tamara and led her outside the palace gates, toward their old hiding place at the edge of town.

"So, what brings you to the palace Tamara?" Aladdin asked. "It seems odd that you'd choose now of all times to show up."

Tamara shrugged as they climbed up to the lookout. "You seemed like you had a lot on your plate that's all. Besides, I've been traveling. There's a curse, have you heard?"

"Queen Regina's, from Misthaven. I've heard. Jasmine and I were at the wedding when she made her threat," Aladdin said, pressing his lips together and shivering a little. "I feel really bad for Snow White and Prince James. What a terrible thing to happen at their wedding." It'd be like if Jafar had the chance to interrupt his and Jasmine's upcoming wedding.

He'd have handled it the same way Prince James had.

"I've heard it's been cast and it's on its way," Tamara said.

Aladdin's eyes grew wide and he looked out at the horizon, seeing a faint purple fog barreling toward Agrabah.

"That's why I brought you out here, Aladdin."

"No. I have to get to her. JASMINE!" he shouted, scrambling down the lookout as the bells in town indicated the curse was imminent.

He didn't see the blue dome that was coming from the other side, only noticing it as it flew over his head and he crashed into it just as the curse covered the palace.

"No… NO! JASMINE! SULTAN! GENIE! ABU!" he shouted, pounding against the dome. "I HAVE TO GET TO THEM! LET ME THROUGH!"

"You always were a better street rat than a prince, Aladdin. You would have known that curse was coming long before I noticed it…" Tamara said from behind him as he watched in horror as the curse bounced harmlessly off the dome.

He spun, glaring at her. "You wanted this. You wanted me to be separated from her. Why?"

"I just wanted you to remember who you are, Aladdin. A street rat."

His eyes were wild. "Then this street rat is going to find a way back to his princess," he said, already beginning to walk away from her.

He could see the smirk on her face as he made his way through the desert with nothing but the clothing on his back.

Day 5,840…

He'd taken to ripping small sections of his clothing in order to tell time. Sixteen years had passed, and he hadn't aged a day.

Agrabah was completely desolate, as were the surrounding villages.

Aladdin had made it to a winter kingdom – Arendelle, from what he remembered, and yet that too was empty.

"I know what you seek…" a voice said from behind him as he stopped at a river to get some water.

He swallowed and looked up at the old man that appeared before him. "And what is it that I seek?"

"You seek answers. You wish to go to the place your beloved Jasmine is. And I know a way to get you there, Prince Aladdin."

Aladdin frowned as he slowly rose from his position. "How do you know my name?"

"I am an apprentice of the great sorcerer Merlin. I see your pure heart and your willingness to help others before yourself. And I see the desperation in you to get back to Jasmine," the man explained.

He frowned. "Yes. That's all true. But why would you agree to help me?"

"Because your ah… friend, was she? Tamara. She has found a way to the Land Without Magic, where everyone was cursed to."

He froze, his heart pounding in his chest. "She's already there? I have to get back to Jasmine, I have to save her!"

The man held up his hand. "Easy young man. She is in the wrong area, and will not get to that place for a few years yet. But you… I can get you there now. I can get you to another boy like you, trying to find his home. I have seen what your destiny is, Aladdin. It is a noble one indeed."

Aladdin stepped back as the man waved his hand and a doorway appeared to his side.

"There is a boy you'll find named Neal Cassidy in this world. And you both will direct the Savior to where your beloved Jasmine is."

Neal Cassidy. The Savior. He would help the Savior find Jasmine.

"Okay," Aladdin whispered. "Okay, I'll go. As long as I can see Jasmine again."

"Good choice."

The man snapped his fingers and Aladdin suddenly was dressed in an outfit he'd never seen before. "I don't – "

"It's the fashion of this world. Trust me. You will need it," the man said, snapping his fingers again and starting the portal. "Now go, hurry."

Aladdin took a deep breath and rushed through the portal, not knowing the world that lay ahead of him.

"Give me one good reason why I should help either of you?" Ali asked, crossing his arms as he stared at Tamara and August. Both of these idiots had hurt or attempted to hurt him or the people he cared about.

"Aladdin – " Tamara started.

"No. It's your fault I was separated from Jasmine to begin with. If you hadn't led me out to the hideout I would have been cursed with her."

"Are you sure you would rather have been cursed given how many couples have been separated?" August asked from the bed.

"It's certainly better than what Tamara did to me. When I was wandering from kingdom to kingdom for sixteen years trying to find where you all had gone. Whatever you want from me? You're on your own."

"Emma needs to break the curse!" August said as loud as he could. "Before I turn back to wood she needs to break the curse!"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't you think I know that? But I can't force her to believe what she doesn't want to believe, August. If Emma wants to believe in the curse and find a way to break it…" he moved over to the door and opened it. "She'll do it in her own time. Not yours."

Little did any of them know, that would be sooner than Aladdin expected…