David, with Hook's help, wanted more than anything to know who his father's killer was. He learned that the last place his father was in was Pleasure Island. Knowing the story of Pinocchio, the two men wanted to ask August a few questions. He remembered him from the coin. When he was a puppet, he remembered that his father was looking for his son, David's twin brother. He wanted to protect him from King George, the monstrous man who had adopted the child. Pinocchio had helped them escape.

August suddenly realized that his protection for Emma had started long before with her grandfather. The writer confessed to David that he had written his story on the Isle of Pleasure but refused to put it in the storybook. He agreed to seek them out to help them.

When they left, Hook ran into Regina. August was with his back, considering where the pages might be.

« Can we talk ? » She asked, worried.

He turned around, trying to be neutral in his reactions, he was silent

« August I'm sorry. »

« Sorry won't keep me coming back, Regina »

« But why the hell are you finally mad at me? You don't know anything about what I went through and you don't understand how bad and lost I felt having the Evil Queen who always stood out in me. You are not in a position to judge me by my choice. I did this because I was ashamed of my actions and was afraid of losing you again, you and everything that matters in my life. »

« You think that's what would have happened after everything we've been through, it's been four months, Regina, that doesn't matter to you. We had to face it all together. »

« It doesn't depend on you but on me, I don't see how I would manage to live again with the atrocities that I committed, in front of your father, in front of your daughter. »

« By telling me everything, by counting on me, by trusting me. I know it's not easy to trust Pinocchio but you know me, you know I've changed. You say I don't know anything about what you went through but obviously I do. Remember, I knew the evil queen, when I was a puppet, with my father I was one of the villagers that you tortured for information on Snow White. I have heard very often that you slaughter villages every day, I was present at Snow White's wedding when you threatened to destroy our happy endings and yet, at the height of my seven years you weren't my worst nightmare because I had a happier life and my innocence kept me from thinking about you, but now I remember it and very well. »

« And yet do you love me as I am? »

« Let me tell you a story, once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman who, to protect the family of the man she loved, had let him go. Later, she wanted to continue protecting an old man whom she had hurt a lot and for that, she decided to watch over his son and continued on and on. The son of this man, despite everything this woman had done in the past, recognized himself in her and wanted to watch over her and love her. They have always trusted each other. He urged her to destroy the author's page because he was convinced deep down that this would be him her happy ending and that he would help her overcome her fears. Does this story remind you of anything? »

« It's ours », she said with hot tears.

« It's up to you to tell me because after what you did when you separated from the evil queen, well I think you forgot it. I don't want you to be perfect. It's not the nice Regina I fell in love with but your change because the evil queen is still in you and Regina cannot exist without her. You are made of darkness and light. And it's still you, you have to accept it, finally. I understand that you are suffering, Lux told me, but you must finally understand that you are not alone, unlike the evil queen. And that if you trusted me a little, you would understand that a little darkness doesn't hurt me because I have known for a very long time that you will never go back to the person you were before. And it's not by separating your other half that all this will change, it's by trusting me as you have always done that you will manage to flourish and forget it. You trusted me when we barely knew each other when you destroyed the page of the book, you really showed brave because you didn't go to the easy situation and part with the evil queen , it's exactly the same, but there you failed »

« I can't change what I did, what exactly do you want me to do? »

« You are the magician, not me. Try to reason like her. »

« But August I love you », she said for the first time, touching his face, he threw up her hand.

« It may be better if you first learn to love you. It's time we stopped having secrets from each other. The woman I fell in love with would have understood that, she would have known that we had to face this together. This is the woman I accepted to love with my whole being, she was the kind of couple we were supposed to be. Until you're ready for that, there's no point in arguing so I think you should look in your mirror more often to think about it all and finally find a solution, your majesty. Now leave me, I have things to do. »

August wanted to test her. He wanted to know how far she could go for him. He didn't want to be a Robin or a Daniel twice, he wanted her to want him and to go all the way to show him her confidence. And he was ready to wait.

In the evening, he finally found the pages and on the road, found Hook and gave him the pages of the book. He was far from suspecting that he had given this story to the real murderer and that the latter, seeing the illustration of his innocent victim, hesitated strongly to propose his granddaughter.