Had anyone at the hospital bothered telling Henry that he would be seeing Helena on Wednesday morning, he probably would have caused himself hours of stress over what he would say to her or how he would explain his actions during the course of the past few days before he was locked up. But now, holding his little sister in his arms for the first time in what felt like months, he was overcome with relief. Actually, it felt more like she was holding him, as he was sitting up on his cot and she was standing next to him, with him leaning against her shoulder. It reminded him of the times that she had nightmares when she was little and he'd wanted to comfort her but hadn't been able to lift her up out of the crib, so he'd just leaned over it and talked to her. He'd been the protector then. Back then, he'd still believed he had it in him to fix everything.

"I'm so sorry," he mumbled after a minute. "I've…"

"Shhh, it's okay," whispered Helena. "It's okay. I'm getting you help. I promise."

"No," he pleaded. "Don't worry about me." Helena swallowed a lump and forced a smile that let him know that of course she was going to worry about him. Helena's presence wasn't nearly as much of a comfort to Henry as knowing that she and Kayla were a safe distance from Storybrooke would have been. Henry looked around the room. There were three nurses in here for once, two guarding the door and one more over by Daniel. He found them a little unnerving, but at least the fact that this was obviously being treated as a supervised visit meant there was likely no chance that Helena was going to be locked down here with him. The mayor either didn't know she was in town, didn't know she existed, or didn't see her as a threat.

"How's Kayla?" he asked.

"She's doing okay. She misses you."

"I miss her, too." Helena gulped as Henry continued. "Don't worry about trying to get me out of here, okay?"

"Don't be ridiculous," whispered Helena. "I'll see you on Friday, okay?"

"Okay," Henry mumbled. She released him, he laid back down on the bed, frustrated, and watched her walk away.


"So, what's wrong?"

"Huh?" Helena looked up at Virginia, who sat across from her in a booth at Granny's. "Nothing. Why?"

"You just put four packets of sugar in your coffee."

"Oh."

Virginia squeezed her friend's hand as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"How's he doing?" asked Virginia softly.

"I can't even tell how he's doing mentally because his body is such a mess right now. He has his first session with Dr. Hopper later today, and they'll let me see him again on Friday, but I can only visit him for twenty minutes at a time right now."

"If he's half the man you've described to me, I'm sure he'll prove to them that he's not a dangerous psychopath soon enough." Virginia was obviously trying to be encouraging, but the very words "dangerous psychopath" were unnerving to hear. Speaking of psychopaths…

"You know, I was thinking that maybe we should go get your things from your mother's house." Virginia's face clouded over with fear. "I mean it. It's your stuff. What's she going to do about it?"

"Technically, it's her stuff," Virginia protested. "I don't remember how I got it, but she told me she bought it with her money."

Helena thought about that for a moment. "And how much money did she pay you for the five days a week you were working at City Hall?"

"She told me that my payment was getting to sleep under her roof and eat her food," said Virginia. "It's always been that way."

Helena wondered what the mayor must have done to Virginia to make her feel like she had no choice in the matter for so long and into her late twenties. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind at this point that there was some level of emotional abuse involved.

"Think about it. If you could have one thing from your mother's house, what would it be?"

Virginia thought for a moment. "There is one box of treasures that I keep hidden in my closet. And a few of my outfits are nice and not too over the top dressy, especially this one…" she stopped when she realized Helena was smiling. "But I can't have them back. It's too dangerous."

"Maybe not," said Helena. "Not if we have the law on our side."

"I'd say your friend has a point, Virginia."

Helena looked over her shoulder and saw Mr. Gold standing beside them. Wasn't the pawn shop supposed to be open?

"If you don't believe me you can go ask at the sheriff station, but if all you feel you need are your own personal belongings, it doesn't seem to me that your dear mother has the law on her side. If she tries to sue you to get them back, I'll be more than happy to represent you. But that would be more than a little overboard even for her, wouldn't you agree?"

Helena and Virginia both gave Mr. Gold a strange look. "I didn't know you were a lawyer," Virginia finally said.

The man smiled. "There's a lot more to me than people know, dearie. If you're ever in need of my services, you know where to find me."

"As much as we appreciate your generosity, Mr. Gold," said Helena tartly. "I'm just curious…what's in this for you?"

"As long as Virginia has her own place, you have somewhere to live in Storybrooke." Mr. Gold leaned close to Helena for a split second. "And let's just say…I'm invested in your future." He flashed a hint of a smile, then exited the restaurant without having actually eaten anything, not giving Helena or Virginia a chance to respond. The two women looked at each other but didn't say anything, then headed out themselves. Helena was definitely disturbed by the pawnbroker's final statement, but the short walk to the police station from Granny's didn't allow much time to analyze it.


"So, tell me about yourself, Henry," Dr. Hopper began. He was sitting in a chair next to Henry's cot with nothing but a notebook. At the therapist's insistence, they were alone in the room. Even Daniel had been moved to someone else's cell for the time being.

"I'm thirty-two years old, I used to be a detective in Massachusetts, and I've been in Storybrooke for about two weeks." Or so. He had lost track of the date since being brought down here.

"And why did you decide to move to Storybrooke?" asked the doctor. He already knew the answer, of course, but he wanted to know how Henry would respond.

"Can we start with something else?" Henry pleaded.

"Alright. How have you been feeling lately?"

"Kind of depressed that I failed to save Storybrooke from the evil witch." Henry was too mentally and physically drained to come up with anything but the truth, and even if he had, the doctor would have seen that he was hiding something.

"Why did you want to save Storybrooke?"

Henry gave the doctor an odd look. "Because the mayor is an evil witch."

"I understand that," said Dr. Hopper, settling into Henry's comfort zone. "But what I'm asking you is why you wanted to save Storybrooke, not what from."

"Because I'm the savior. That's what I'm supposed to do."

"How long have you felt that way?"

"Since I was a kid," said Henry after taking a second to think about that, too. "The last thing my mother ever said to me was that a monster was going to cast a curse that only I could break. That curse turned out to be Storybrooke."

Henry spent the better part of the next hour telling Dr. Hopper about the curse, and the events leading up to it that he remembered, and his parents and their farm, and the book. It felt surprisingly nice to be able to talk about it all without having to be careful about what he was saying, even if the person he was talking to was obviously not going to believe a single word. Dr. Hopper said very little while Henry was talking, and managed never to give the slightest indication that he thought Henry was delusional or in any way wrong, even though that was what he must have believed.

"So what happened to you after the curse?" Dr. Hopper finally asked when they had ten minutes left of their session.

Another surprising question. Henry didn't see how what had happened to them in the years between the curse and Storybrooke was important. But he answered anyway.

"Helena and I were put in foster care. And I somehow managed to stay with her in the system for about ten years."

"Did you feel it was your responsibility to make sure the two of you stayed together?"

"I guess so. I mean, Helena's nearly five years younger than me, so whatever went wrong couldn't be anyone's fault but mine."

"By 'whatever went wrong' do you mean actions that could have led to you being separated from your sister, or bad things that happened to either of you in general?"

Henry was quiet for a second. "Both."

"And why do you feel that way?"

"Because I'm her big brother," said Henry sharply. "Because I was supposed to take care of her and protect her."

"You told me that the last thing you remember your mother telling you was that, someday, you would be responsible for breaking a curse that was affecting everyone you care about, and the last thing you remember your father telling you to do is take care of your baby sister. It seems to me that you've spent your entire life feeling like feeling you are responsible for fixing things that are beyond your control. Am I right?"

Henry just looked up and glared at the doctor. How this had suddenly gone from story time to a real therapy session he didn't know, but he didn't like it.

"That's enough for today," Dr. Hopper finally said. "But Henry, please don't make me your enemy. We may not always agree on anything, but right now, I'm the only person who can or will help you." Dr. Hopper left Henry alone to fight off the piercing fragments of truth that had been exchanged between them; to rationalize the doctor's thoughts and falsely remind himself that the man, being cursed, couldn't possibly truly understand him.


Virginia still had a key to her mother's house with her, so technically, there was nothing physically or legally keeping her from walking through the door. Graham drove them there in his patrol car and came along as backup, just in case. Mayor Mills's house was every bit as ostentatious as City Hall if not more. Every piece of furniture was of the finest quality, and every surface of the place was absolutely immaculate.

Virginia whipped around to face her. "Shh!"

"No one's here but us," Helena reminded her. She carefully set the keys back down where she'd found them. Then the three of them went up the stairs. Helena noticed Virginia was shaking and stayed close to her.

"Are you nervous?" Helena asked quietly.

"Not nervous. Guilty. I know she'll have no reason to care that the things we're taking will be gone, because they're mine. I've just always had this irrational fear of doing things without my mother's permission."

"I think everyone who lives in Storybrooke has an irrational fear of trying new things," Graham gently cut in. "None of us have ever known life any other way."

The trio reached the top of the staircase, where a massive portrait of Mayor Mills loomed over them. Slightly farther down the hallway was another portrait of her with Virginia. The mayor had a possessive arm draped around Virginia's shoulders. Both of them had broad fake smiles pasted across their features.

When they reached Virginia's bedroom, she immediately retrieved a half-full cardboard box from the closet and began tucking some of her outfits into it. She packed exactly one dress, a simple but bright red sundress, and some of her more casual blouses and skirts. Then she threw in a pair of flats for good measure, and stood up so quickly she almost slipped.

"Would you like me to carry that?" Graham asked.

"No, I've got it." Virginia wrapped her arms around her things possessively, only allowing Helena to place a steadying hand on the box as the three made their way down the hall. Virginia's heart dropped down to her knees when they heard a click, and then footsteps, then the clinking of her mother's large keyring.

"She's here," whispered Virginia. "Where do we hide?"

Helena kept her left hand on the box and squeezed Virginia's arm with her right. "We don't." Helena took a step forward, and Virginia followed suit. Helena glanced at Graham over her friend's shoulder, and he met her gaze for a split second. He nodded, then continued walking down the stairs alongside Helena and Virginia, maintaining a steady, professional demeanor. Helena forced herself to concentrate on the mission, gave Virginia a supportive smile, and kept making sure the box didn't tip.

When they rounded the corner, Helena saw the mayor's lips curl into a victorious smile. "Virginia, sweetie…you've come home!"

Graham stepped forward. "Why don't you ladies go outside to the car?"

"Virginia, don't let these people take you away from me," said the mayor sweetly. "You need me."

"No I don't!" snapped Virginia. Helena accompanied her new friend out to the car. They sat down in the back of the police car together with Virginia's box.

"How do you feel?" asked Helena.

"More relieved than anything. It's all over now. I never have to go back there again."

Helena exhaled slowly. "I've noticed that when your mother isn't around you're terrified to go near her or do anything that she doesn't like. Yet the few times I've seen you actually faced with her, you've actually been pretty good about standing up for yourself."

"I don't understand that either," said Virginia. "I know she scares me more than she should. I always feel like when I'm around her, something horrible is going to happen."

"She didn't seem particularly angry," said Graham once he had returned to the front seat of the car. "Everything's fine. Would you ladies like a ride anywhere?"

"Would you mind dropping me off at the stables?" asked Virginia. "You can bring this box to the apartment, can't you Helena?"

"Of course."


After depositing Virginia's belongings at the apartment, Helena went out for a walk around town. Somehow, after about twenty minutes, she ended up back at the sheriff station. Graham was at his desk doing some paperwork. He looked up and smiled when he saw Helena. She smiled back, then looked away when the unfiltered thought popped into her mind that Graham looked even better when he smiled. Even better. Since when had she thought of Graham as good looking in the first place? She told herself to shut up.

"I just wanted to say thank you for coming with us, and…everything."

"Anytime, Helena."

"Do you think the mayor will…do anything now?"

Graham hesitated. "Honestly, there's little to nothing I'd put past that woman. She threatened to fire me if I ever help you or Virginia again without her permission."

"But she can't actually do that, right?"

"I suppose I'll have to take a look at the town charter," said Graham. "She might have some control, but maybe not as much as she thinks." His face had a hint of the look of amazement that Helena had seen on Dr. Hopper when she'd pointed out to him that the mayor had no say over whether or not he practiced at the hospital. It felt strangely good to shatter the illusion the mayor had created that she had absolute power over everyone and everything in Storybrooke.

"How's your brother?" Graham asked.

"He just had his first session with Dr. Hopper. He's as good as can be expected, I guess."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Graham. "I like your brother. Working with him was nice while it lasted." Helena looked away and her face lit up with an unintentional smile. "If there's anything I can do for him you'll let me know, won't you? Whatever Henry did, I don't believe he would ever truly harm anyone. I helped the hospital attendants bring him there from City Hall, and he did absolutely nothing to resist us even though he knew what was happening."

Helena made a mental note of that. "I'm not sure there's anything you can do. The people taking care of him won't even listen to me. But thank you. It's nice to hear good things about Henry for once."

"Of course." Graham set down his paperwork. "I was actually just about to leave for Granny's. They're having a birthday cake for Ruby."

"Cake is always a good idea."

Helena walked with Graham the brief stretch to Granny's but stayed only for a few minutes. Everyone there hugged her and silently asked about Henry with their eyes. She avoided the conversation but welcomed the support. Even David, whom she barely knew, told her to stop by the animal shelter if she needed anything. She left with a smile on her face and licking cherry icing off her lips.

When Helena arrived back at the apartment, she pulled the book of fairy tales out of the box and leafed through Henry's sketches looking for Dr. Hopper's picture. "Dr. Archie Hopper, a.k.a. Jiminy Cricket a.k.a. puppeteer's son". Helena glanced at the drawing of the therapist, and it occurred to her to wonder how Henry felt thinking he was being treated by Jiminy Cricket. The thought amused her for a moment.

Then, just out of curiosity, Helena looked for Graham's picture. "Sheriff Graham Humbert, a.k.a. The Huntsman." That seemed like a random connection. Most of the fairy-tale counterparts Henry had chosen seemed to be based off of personality as well as physical appearance. And thus far, it seemed he had been able to find those things in the same person with a disturbing level of ease. Helena brushed the thought aside and decided to look up the Snow White story in Henry's book. Snow White's tale was a mere anecdote to the big picture, but very unconventional. Like this book's version of Cinderella, the classic parts of the story-in this case the dwarves, sleeping curse, and prince-appeared not to have happened yet. Apparently when Snow White was twelve the woman who was supposed to marry her father had run away, devastating the king and princess. As a result, the king was very possessive over the woman he did eventually end up marrying and never allowed her to leave the palace unless she was with him. When she was discovered to have an infatuation with a man who snuck into the palace at night to steal some of the king's jewels, the king locked her up in her chambers and told her she would not be coming out until the other man was dead.

The last paragraph of the Snow White story read, Unbeknownst to all, the huntsman was called to the palace mere days before the curse was to be cast. He was chosen to be the huntsman because he was thought not to value human life, but in reality he was one of the kindest souls in the realm. He agreed to be the huntsman only because he was promised his family would be protected if he succeeded in killing hie prey. No one ever saw the huntsman for the compassionate man he was. Not even himself.