Chapter 24 – Witch Hunt

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Helena finally asked Hook, David and Mary Margaret, honestly the strange looks were starting to piss her off. Unfortunately she didn't get her answer because Emma came to the room.

"Okay, Henry is asleep upstairs. If he wakes up, you two are helping me with the case." She says sitting down next to her sister on a sofa. "So, what the hell happened here? I mean, besides the obvious." She gestures toward a pregnant Mary Margaret.

"We don't know. We watched you drive over the town line with Henry. Regina started to cast her spell to take us all back to the Enchanted Forest and then...everything went black."

"And the next thing we remember is waking up in our beds like it was any other morning in Storybrooke."

"Except it clearly wasn't." She says and Elizabeth could see the way she was putting a protective hand over her own belly. She tried really hard to not show any emotions at that.

"Almost harvest time and you can't remember the planting. It's bad luck, mate."

"Clearly a year and 9 months have passed. We was in New York, we saw the time pass."

"And we don't know where the hell we were. We don't even know if we left Storybrooke."

"Aye, you did. I was with you."

"In the Enchanted Forest?" She asked Hook who was standing up next to her.

"Regina's spell brought us back. We've spent a brief time with a prince and princess named Phillip and Aurora. But I wasn't feeling the community spirit, so I ventured of on my own. The last I saw of you lot, you were making your way to Regina's castle."

"And now you're cursed. Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"Regina seems as clueless as the rest of us." Mary Margaret tells Emma she wouldn't do it. "I'm not quite sure she was involved in this."

"So she says."

"The only reason Regina would do a curse like this was to get back at Henry. And doesn't this curse need a heart? The person you love the most. Last time I checked Henry isn't mission one. Regina didn't do it and that means we need a list of possible candidates. Last time I checked only her and Gold, who is death, were capable of such thing. So my bet is on a new player." She says as they all stare at her. "What, I'm good." Somehow it looked like they knew. They aren't underestimating her anymore. That was not normal. Normally they know she is strong but still don't realize how good she is.

"I don't understand." David says turning to Hook. "If you left the Enchanted Forest before the curse, how did you know to find them and come to Storybrooke?"

"As I was sailing the realms a bird landed on my ship's wheel with a note instructing me to retrieve Emma and bring her back here. There was a small vial of memory potion tied to its leg."

"Who send it?"

"I assumed you did."

"A message via bird—that does sound like you."

"We can't have guarantees of anything." She tells them as there's a knock on the door. Leroy and Happy enter the room obviously stressed. "What is it?"

"We lost another one. We're five now."

"Four, actually. Bashful's not answering."

"Wait. What is going on? There are missing dwarfs? Who else is missing?"

"Thank God you're back, sister." Leroy says looking at her with a lot of respect and hope. They do realize that Emma is the savior right, not her?

"It's not just our memories that are missing. Ever since we woke up, people have begun disappearing."

"Whoever cursed us is picking us off, one by one."

"Who's exactly missing?" Helena asks making mental list on her head. She needs to memorize all of this before putting into the paper.

"Aside from the dwarves, we're not sure. There's been a lot of confusion over the past few days. It's been hard to keep track of everyone."

"Wait. Neal. Is he here?"

"Well, we haven't found him yet."

"So he might have been taken, too."

"Smart money is on yes."

"Leroy!" God she missed Leroy, when she gets a change she's introducing him to Tony.

"He'll turn up, Swan. He always does."

"Some folks have set up camp in the woods at the edge of town. Neal might be there."

"Or he may not have got swept up in the curse at all."

"There's only one way we gonna figure all this out. We have to get your memories back." Helena says because for now it's the only good plan.

"How are we going to do that?"

"Easy by figuring out who took them in the first place. And with that who cursed everyone."

OUAT

"Why is everyone looking at me strangely?" She asked Hook as the 25th person looked at her with the same look.

"While we were in the Enchanted Forest we would receive news on you."

"What? What news?"

"Books, like Henry's but with more pictures. I believe someone people call it comics."

"Wait, you got comics about me?" That can't be possible. He can't know what she been through, what she have done.

"In here they are those moving pictures."

"Movies."

"About you and the Avengers. Come here." He says as he watched him getting DVD's from his jacket and showing to her 'The Avengers' and 'Thor: The Dark World' where the tittles on them, in both she could herself as Black Swan in the cover. "These are the only ones with you in it. There are others however about Iron Man and Captain America."

"Are you telling me my life outside Storybrooke is you own fairytales?"

"Something like that."

"I need a drink. And cigar."

OUAT

She saw Regina walk outside Granny's completely dazed and upset. She already saw Henry.

"Hey Regina."

"Helena. I hear you were back."

"Got any idea who could have done this?" Regina doesn't look surprise she didn't accuse her right away.

"Emma told me you defended me."

"You doing this would be stupid because Henry doesn't remember and you couldn't crush the heart of the person you love the most. Now, any idea."

"I don't know anyone who could put this off. But I was going to my office try to find something."

"Good idea." She says as then sees people stare at her and she rolls her eyes.

"I can see you been put to date to your stardom status. It doesn't show anything to bad."

"I will worry about that later."

"We have a problem." Emma says approaching them with David.

OUAT

"This is where he was taken." Robin Hood, Robin Freaking Hood, tells them as they stand next to the town border. She is so calling Clint.

"I wouldn't step over that line, if I were you."

"You think Little John was carried away because he attempted to cross that line?"

"Makes sense. The dwarves were out checking the line to see if anyone was coming or going when they disappeared."

"What exactly took Little John?" She asks still testing the name on her lips. Yep Little John was also real.

"We didn't get a good look. Some manner of a beast with wings."

"That sounds a lot like the monster who attacked me in New York."

"Walsh." She says with hatred in her voice. He so got it coming.

"The monster you were gonna marry?" Hook says in a teasing tone and Helena gives him a cold stare.

"You're gonna marry someone?" David says clearly not pleased. Good it makes two of them.

"Did you just miss the part where he said "monster"?" Helena could feel the grin of Hook's face even if she wasn't looking.

"We need to find Little John."

"It may lead us to those who've gone missing. David, take him and the rest of his-"

"Merry Men." She finished what Emma said before Robin spoke.

"Right." Emma says giving her a 'ok you're scary' look. "Them. Run a search grid and see if you can find any sign of their missing guy."

"You're not joining, Elizabeth?" Hook asks her when he notices her walking away from the group.

"Not yet. Regina was right. I'm not gonna figure out who's behind this curse by talking to people one by one."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna talk to everybody."

OUAT

"I can't believe you're about to make a public speech."

"Yeah, Steve would be proud."

Unfortunately, it didn't go as planned since everyone started to accuse Regina, expect her, who didn't say anything but didn't defended either.

OUAT

"An earthquake? Really Regina."

"I had to make a statement. And you're fine." She says coming closer to Helena. She had not plan for an earthquake, maybe a little fireballs, but ok. "So, do you think they bought it?

"Of course they did."

"Good."

"Nice work by the way. Now let's see who really cursed this town and make them pay."

"You know. I really enjoy working with you."

"I bet if you remember you would admit you been miserable without me." She sasses Regina back. Ok she might have missed this too. Regina and her. They understood each other- maybe were close to being friends in some way.

"Please if someone was miserable it was you." She sasses back but both knew they really missed each other.

OUAT

"How long do you think we have?" Regina asked Helena knowing she would know the strategic part better than her.

"Until whoever cast that curse realizes you're not actually on the run from me? But, until then, no one is suspecting we're working together."

"Let's see it" Helena gives the memory potion she took from Emma's bag. There was still a bit on the bottom.

"Is that enough?"

"Ah, to use? No. But to applicate? I think so."

"We can start waking people up. Figure out who send all people back here. And we can make Henry remember you."

"Thank you." She says with so much honestly that takes Helena by surprised. Helena didn't realize how much those last words meant to Regina, since she was thinking that herself.

"For what? We haven't done anything yet."

"You saw how quick this town was to blame me. But you, you believe I didn't cast that curse. I know that wasn't easy for you."

"Sure, it was. I knew you're telling the truth."

"Even so that everything that has happened has put me right next to Henry? Maybe this was some super complicated and genius plan."

"Except it clearly wasn't. I might not have Emma super power. But with you, Regina, I always know when you're lying. This time you're not. You didn't do it."

"Even though you know I can't live without him?"

"Here you go. Telling the truth again." She says with a grin as Regina sends her a thank you for trusting me smile.

OUAT

"Did it work?" She asks Regina after the woman finishes the memory potion.
"There's only one way to find out." She says taking a sip of the potion.
"Do you remember?" Regina responds to her by throwing the bottle containing the potion at a wall "I am sure that wall didn't do something to you in the past year so I'd say it didn't work."
"I must have missed an ingredient."
"Can't we try again?"
"I've already used up what was left of the potion Hook gave you. There's nothing left to applicate. I can't live in this town if Henry doesn't remember me. It's worse than any curse I ever could have cast."

"What if we can still find the person who cursed the town?"
"Haven't you been paying attention. I can't make any more potion."
"You don't have to make anything. We can still catch the person."
"How?"
"We've been running avon by making this potion in secret. What if we're running the wrong con?"
"I'm sorry. I'm not well at phrasing cons. Unlike your sister, I've never spend time in prison."

"No, that has nothing to do with prison. It's an old school spy trick. You smoke out the perp by making them think you're on them."
"How does that help us?"
"If the person who'd cast the curse starts worrying we're about to make a memory potion."
"They wanna stop us."

"Yes, and then we set a trap on him when they do. We just need to get the word out that you're close to manage all this work."

"I know just who to tell."

OUAT

"Hey sister where have you been?" Leroy asks her as soon he 'finds' her in the docks.

"Looking for Regina."

"Any luck?"

"She was holed up in her office working on a memory potion. She wants to prove to anyone she didn't cast the curse by giving everyone their memories. Looks like she did change." It didn't take longer for the rumor to spread

OUAT

"So, do we just sit here and wait?" Regina asks her as they sit in her car, hidden in a corner.

"Until the person who'd cast the curse makes a move on your office."

"Is this really what you do for a living?"

"Occasionally, it's called a stakeout. I was more of the stay in the rooftop with a riffle pointing at the target type waiting for the signal to shot type of woman."

"And you don't get bored?"

"I don't know. I've learnt to pass time. Stakeouts means. Eat. Talk. Mostly watch, that's what we should be doing. Mostly I put my conversation with my Clint up to date."

"Does he have friends?"

"Clint. Mostly me and Tasha are the only ones who can deal with him." She gives Regina a look that showed what knows that she meant Henry. "Yeah, he's got a lot of friends. No girlfriends, yet. At least not one I know about. Or Emma for that matter."

"So, he's happy? His life is good there?"

"I believe so. I almost didn't tell Emma the truth back because of that. They both were."

"Then, why did you?"

"Because he may not remember all this. Emma might just remember it know. But I do. I always remember. And I know what he would say. A hero would come back."

"He would say that." Regina says with a smile at Helena soon copy.

"You're sure you don't want to meet him? We could just tell him you're an old friend like Mary Margaret and David."

"It would be too hard."

"I can't imagine" Helena doesn't get too finished because she notices a movement in the window of the house. "We got them."

OUAT

"They are being turned into flying monkeys?" Mary Margaret is the one to ask after, Hook, David and Emma tell her, Helena and Regina the news.

"Yes, he took a simian form with a pair of wings."

"Did you think this is what happened to the missing dwarves, too?"

"It would explain why we haven't found any traces of them."

"And Neal?" Helena asked knowing Emma wanted to find him more than anyone.

"No sign of him, either. So, yeah, it's possible."

"Wouldn't be the first flying monkey I've dated." She says to Helena when she noticed the somehow worry look on her face.

"The person who escaped our trap disappeared in cloud of green smoke. And now, there are flying monkeys in this town? I think I saw this movie with Rogers way to many times to know exactly who cursed all of you."

"The Wicked Witch of the West?" Helena just nods a her sister. "Seriously? She's real, too?"

"Says the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Who is the sister of the Black Swan."

"What I don't get it. It's not like we're in Kansas. Why would the Wicked Witch of the West wanna come to Storybrooke?" Helena asks everyone but no one seemed to know the answer of course.

OUAT

"I still can't believe everyone in this town actually watched this." She tells Regina after they finished watching the first Iron Man movie.

"You don't seem to surprise of what you saw about Stark."

"He and I kept contact after New York. I know it was hard on him. What he saw."

"PTSD."

"Quite honestly I think everyone in the team suffers from that."

"You realize I saw that Avengers movie. When Loki spoke to you, I saw that look on your face. I have that haunted look too."

"For a second I considerate to say yes to him – to be his Queen. Just for the change to see my family again."

"Thinking that is what makes you human. Saying no, is that makes you a hero."

"We think we both have a long way to go before we truly become heroes."

elen