I do not own Once Upon a Time nor any of its characters. I do; however, love to write them into some pretty terrible trouble that they have to find a way out of.

CHAPTER 30?! Can you believe it? When I'd started with this story I had no idea how far it would come. First, I want to thank each and every one of you – all of my favoriters and followers that have stuck with me over the years with this. Second, I hope everyone and their families are staying safe through these trying times. 2020 has been a year of fear for a lot of us, but also; hopefully, one of change. Change for the good.

On with the show.

—Y&M—

Deep in the forest on the outskirts of Storybrooke, Maine…

"Everything's going to be okay," David Nolan said out loud to himself as he scanned a portion of the forest for the third time today. "Everything's going to be okay. You're going to find your son. You're daughter's alright. You're going to defeat that witch and everything's going to be okay. It's fine. Everything's going to be just fine."

"David, who are you talking to?" Mary-Margaret, who came out of nowhere and startled her husband.

"How do you do that?" he asked as he collected himself a bit.

"Do what?"

"I didn't even hear you coming," David said as he threw his hands up.

"Well, that's probably because of the deep conversation you and yourself were having," she grinned, cheekily, as he just gave her a look.

"How can you joke at a time like this, Mary-Margaret?" he asked as she walked up to him, planted her hands on either side of his face and kissed him.

"Because, I have hope, David," she smiled a smile that did not quite reach her eyes though. "It's all I have left."

"We will find him."

Mary-Margaret just nodded and looked away. David could tell she was trying very hard to hold it together. How much of their happily ever after had been robbed from them over the years, he'd wondered? Was there really a true happy ending for any of them or were they all going to live in fear from one moment to the next that all of their happiness might be ripped away?

Not on my watch.

David went to reach out to his wife and was suddenly taken back as a wave of magic washed over the both of them. Everything stilled within the forest afterwards and he watched as his wife slowly turned around to face him. When she locked eyes with him, that was the moment…the moment where all of his memories that had previously been erased suddenly flooded through him. Every moment they had shared once Emma had left with Henry to escape the curse in New York came back with a sudden rush within his mind. David watched as Mary-Margaret's face gained at first a wistful expression as she, too, remembered what had happened in the time that had been lost.

Her eyes suddenly grew wide with horror, though, as her latter memories came through.

She remembered the birth of their son, a bright spot within the chaos and fear they had been in.

She also, however, remembered the curse…and how it was cast. Mary-Margaret let out a half-sob and David rushed forward as she fell to her knees.

"David," she said in a small voice, her hand instinctively coming to rest upon his chest after what she just witnessed within her memories. "I remember…I remember everything."

"Me too," he said breathlessly as he held her to him. "But how? How did this happen? How could the curse of been broken so quickly?"

As soon as the words escaped his lips it dawned on them both as they looked at each other and spoke simultaneously.

"Killian," David said.

"Emma," Mary-Margaret also said.

David stood up quickly with his wife in his arms at first and then fumbled frantically within his jacket for his cellphone. He dialed Emma's number and waited.

"Hey, I was just getting ready to call you," he heard Emma's voice answer on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, yourself. I see you're up and about. You okay?" David asked as Emma looked to Killian on the other end of the phone before she spoke.

Emma hesitated slightly before answering, "Yeah, yeah. Just seemed to be a fluke of when we were dropped on main street I'm fine."

Killian glared daggers at her, knowing she just lied to her parents about her well-being. She shook her head silently at him and placed two fingers over his lips.

Not now, she mouthed to him before continuing her conversation with her father.

"So…I'm guessing," David began and she could almost hear the smile in his voice, "that we have you and the pirate to thank for the curse having been broken?"

Emma knew the goofy look that had to of been plastered on her father's face as she shook her head and smiled, moving closer to Killian, "Yeah, I guess so."

Killian's eyebrow shot up, questioningly, at her and she merely half-grinned and leaned into his side.

"So…any luck with finding my brother?" she changed the subject as Killian looped his arm around her and they walked towards her vehicle.

"Not yet," David said and he also hesitated a bit before continuing, a suspicious look on his face on the other end of the phone as Mary-Margaret shot him a questioning look. "You sure you're okay, Emma?"

He heard her sigh into the phone, "Yes, Dad, I'm fine, okay. We really have bigger things to deal with right now with Zelena having my brother and all. So where haven't you looked?"

It was David's turn to sigh into the phone, worry setting in with the entirely too defensive tone that his daughter was using. He shook his head. Just as stubborn as her mother. David decided that he'd wait to question her more on her well-being when they were in person and it wasn't as easy to dodge the truth.

"I think the northwest side of town is all we have left. The whole town's pitched in and that's the last spot to look, really."

"But there's nothing out there," Emma said as she and Killian got into her car to finish the phone conversation. "Nothing but farmland anyway."

"Yeah, I know, but it's all we've got. Look, why don't you and Killian meet us out there? I'll see if we can get a few of the others there, too, since likely that's where she's at."

"Sure, we can—" Emma started before she was suddenly interrupted by someone knocking on her car window.

"Emma?" she heard her father's voice on the other end of the phone as she turned to see Belle and another individual she'd never seen before standing outside of her car, waving.

"Yeah, Dad, I think I'm going to need to let you go," she began as he father began to object and question what was going on. "See you in a few."

Killian could hear the prince's voice shouting something at his daughter on the other end of the phone before she turned it off and got back out of the car.

"Emma!" Belle began. "Are you alright? I'd heard when I went looking for you and your father that you'd had some sort of accident and were here at the hospital. What happened?"

"I'm fine, Belle, thanks for your concern," Emma lied, yet again, which gained her another disapproving look from Killian as he came around from the other side of the car and stood next to her. "What's up, though? Why were you looking for me and David?"

Belle did a quick glance around before leaning closer to Emma and speaking quietly, "It's about the witch. I think I've got a way we can defeat her, but I'm not sure it's safe for us to talk in the open."

Emma's eyes grew wide as she also scanned the area around them. Belle was right. The witch was powerful and she could have eyes anywhere in town. For a moment, Emma wondered now that they were on the other side, if Walsh was here and whether he would have been in monkey form or…? Any of her henchmen could be disguised as humans in this world, she thought, as she gave a distrustful look at the folks outside walking about the town. She felt Killian place his hand on her arm, pulling her back into reality a bit.

"Perhaps we should take this on the road," he said as he motioned to the vehicle.

"In that? But where are the horses?" Lumiere asked and spoke for the first time to the group.

"Yes," Emma said as she sized this new person up a bit. "And who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, where are my manners? Emma, this is François Lumiere. Lumiere, this is Emma Swan. She's the daughter of Snow White and Prince David," Belle explained quickly as Lumiere's eyes grew wide.

"Mon dieu! Where are Lumiere's manners?" the man said as he bowed with a flourish. "It is an honor to meet you, Princess Emma."

Emma blushed and waved her hands at him, "Oh! Oh no, there's no need for all that. I'm no princess. I mean, I am, but I'm not really—oh I don't know. You just don't need to do that really, is all."

Lumiere gave a questioning look to Belle who mere grinned at Emma's discomfort at being treated like a royal. After a few awkward moments to follow, eventually the four were able to get into Emma's car as they traveled in the direction to meet her father and the others. Lumiere seemed fascinated the entire way as he silently watched outside the window as they traveled in the vehicle that he was sure must have been of magical design. In the meantime, Belle filled in Emma and Killian on what had happened to her up to this point. They were both horrified by the details of what happened when she and Neal had attempted to resurrect Rumpelstiltskin.

"He attacked you?" Emma asked while keeping her eyes on the road.

"Zelena had his dagger. He's powerless to its call, no matter who wields it or what they have him do," she said sadly. "I've not seen him since."

"Yeah, well, we sure have," Emma said wryly. "He did a number on the both of us, but even with her having the dagger in her control, he still tried to help us, Belle. I want you to know that."

"At least, we think he was trying to help," Killian amended as Belle rolled her eyes and leaned forward to be between the two of them.

"Hook, I know you and Rumple have a past, but he sacrificed himself for all of us. He's not responsible for what that witch is telling him to do. You and I both know neither you nor Emma would be here if he really wanted to do you harm. He's too powerful. And she's definitely too powerful," she finished as she then sat back in the seat, remembering everything she'd read about how Zelena had really acquired the power she now had. "I wonder if Rumple even realizes the power she now has."

"What are you talking about?" Killian asked her as he turned to look at her behind Emma.

"Well," she began as she tapped her fingers on the book in her lap, "the Zelena that Rumple, apparently, briefly taught, later gained even more power when she met the other three witches of Oz."

"There are three more of these witches?!" Emma asked with a worried tone.

"No, not exactly. I don't think the other three are around anymore with how the book reads and the definitely weren't wicked. They were actually good witches, for the most part. They were there to help keep the four corners of Oz, safe."

"Go on," Emma said as she spied that they were nearing their destination and spotted her father in the distance waving at them. "We're almost there. So what do these other witches of Oz have to do with Zelena and why did she turn out like the bad apple?"

"Her envy," Belle stated simply with a shrug. "Every bit of the story that mentioned Zelena's past: how she was abandoned multiple times, how she realized she was magical, how she met Rumple, everything led to her time and time again of being envious of one person or the other for having what she didn't have. She was devoid of love and attention her entire life and thought power could fill that. It's a sad story really. I feel…I actually feel sorry for her."

Emma pulled the car up next to where David's was parked and stopped. She then took off her safety belt and turned around in her seat to speak to Belle.

"Belle, she's almost killed us several times—" Emma started before Killian cut her off.

"She killed Baelfire."

Everyone stared at Killian Jones, their mouths agape in shock.