Chapter 8: Operation Cobra

The Enchanted Forest. Past. The Castle. Snow White and Prince Charming's wedding.

The 4-year-old girl stands in the crowd in her light-yellow dress twirling out of boredom. She thought she and Pinocchio could play. Instead, they were both stuck inside orders by both their parents. A hand came on her shoulder, halting her to be still. She leaned back, shoulders slumping as she gave a bored sigh.

"And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband, and love him for all eternity?"

"I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

The hand moved away from the girl's shoulder as the audience cheers. The girl gaged as the newlyweds were about to kiss, but immediately jumped when hearing the doors slam open. She looked over and saw a woman in black standing with a smirk.

"Sorry I'm late." The woman crosses the room, dispelling guards with magic. When she saw the little girl, the woman gave a wink, her smirk broadening before reaching the newlyweds.

"It's the Queen! Run!" the girl heard Doc yell.

Two powerful arms pulled the girl back, and another came across her body. Interest replaced the girl's boredom. She heard stories from her family about the Evil Queen and wasn't sure if they were to scare her, but they fascinated her.

The girl watched the event unfold as Snow drew Charming's sword and pointed it at the Queen. "She's not a queen anymore! She's nothing more than an evil witch!" The girl flinched. She has heard that tone before.

"No no no, don't stoop to her level, there's no need." Charming lowered the sword before addressing the Evil Queen. "You're wasting your time, you've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding."

"Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift."

"We want nothing from you." Snow said.

"But you shall have it. My gift to you," the Queen started pacing in front of Snow and Charming. "Is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love," she addresses the crowd before turning her attention back to Snow, "will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do." The Evil Queen turned and walked towards the door. She gave the girl one last glance. The arms stiffed around her.

"Hey!"

The girl jumped at Charming's yell and watched the Queen turn. She saw Charming throw his sword at her. The girl's little eyes grew enormous when the Queen and the sword disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Storybrooke. Present.

Aliyah laid her head down on the counter, waiting for Ruby to return. The clock struck, causing her to jump straight up. That didn't do well with her fog brain and headache. She shook her head, then heard the bell on the door ring. Ruby came around, filling Aliyah's mug with hot water.

Aliyah's eyes tried to perk up. She pulled her tea pouch out, plunging it into the warm water, and placed her head back on the counter. "Thanks Ruby," she muttered. She felt Ruby in front of her, then lifted her head back up.

"I didn't think we drank that much." Ruby said. "Thanks again, by the way. It's embarrassing, but if it puts Granny at ease." She shrugged her shoulders before grabbing some menus. She left one in front of Aliyah before heading toward the door, the bell finally going off. Ruby came back, pulling the sugar out, leaning on the counter.

"It was no problem." Aliyah said, pouring the sugar into her tea. "I stayed up long after we came back. I needed to email my client and download some photos." She took her spoon, slowly stirring its contents. "I didn't really go asleep."

"What do you do?"

Aliyah placed the spoon down, grabbing the menu. "I am a jane of all trades, but I mainly focus on my photography and illustration business."

"Sounds cool."

Aliyah smile, "thanks."

Another ring of the bell took Ruby away. Granny filled the empty spot. "Have you seen this yet?" She placed a paper in front of her. It was the Storybrooke Daily Mirror with Emma's face on the front. Aliyah picked it up with a huff, scanning its content. Ruby came back, followed by Henry. Aliyah quickly flipped the paper over and placed it inside the menu before Henry caught a glance.

She looked back at Granny. "Blueberry pancakes with sausage and scramble eggs, please?" She asked with a smile. Granny rolled her eyes and left to place her order.

"Hey kid." Aliyah pulled the tea bag out of her mug, draining it before placing it on a napkin. She took a cautious sip, savoring the flavor and enjoying its heat, before turning back to Henry. "Let me guess, you are here for Emma."

Henry smiled. "Yes, but right now I am here for you."

She looked at the clock, "Okay."

Henry glanced at Ruby, then back at Aliyah. "I wanted to talk to you about..." He leaned towards Aliyah, then whispered, glancing at Ruby with caution. "I wanted to talk to you about the curse."

Aliyah smiled at him. She noticed Ruby was trying to look busy, but knew she was listening. "You can trust her. She won't tell your mom." Ruby smiled in return as Henry nodded, then sat on a stool.

"We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one: identification. I call it, "Operation Cobra"".

"I like it. It has nothing to do with fairytales."

"Exactly, do you think it will throw the Queen off?"

Aliyah thought for a moment. "It may for a while, your mom is a smart woman."

"True, but" Henry pulled his backpack around, unzipped it, and pulled out a stack of papers placing them on the counter, "right now, we have the advantage. My mom doesn't know I took out the ending. The part with Emma." Aliyah and Ruby looked at the pages and illustrations. One contained an illustration of Prince Charming placing baby Emma in the wardrobe, the name "Emma" clearly visible on the baby blanket. "This should be enough proof for Emma, see? Her parents are Snow White and Prince Charming! That's why we need her. She is the only one who can stop the Curse."

"Kid,"

"What exactly is this curse about?" Ruby asked, placing the pages back on the counter.

Henry and Aliyah exchanged glances as Granny came over, placing Aliyah's order in front of her, looking at the three suspiciously. Granny grabbed the menu, pulling the paper out, placing it next to the plate, then left. Aliyah glanced at it, huffed, flipped it over, and placed it under her plate before Henry caught on.

Ruby looked between the two after coming back from refreshing customers' coffees. "Well?" She asked.

Aliyah took a bite of her pancake after pouring her syrup. She looked at Henry and nodded, encouraging him to answer. "Everyone in Storybrooke are fairytale characters, you all just don't know it."

Ruby smiled a little, trying to hold her confusion. "Fairytale characters?"

"Yes."

"And who would I be?"

Henry thought for a moment before answering. "I have an idea, but I don't think you are ready."

"Okay," she stated, refilling Aliyah's water.

Henry sighed, knowing the look Ruby was giving him. She didn't believe a word. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. You all are fairytales. The Evil Queen, my mom, placed a curse on all of you. Time's been frozen.. until Emma and Aliyah got here."

Aliyah silently ate as she watched Henry and Ruby. "Do you remember anything about your past?" She noticed Henry was getting upset and decided to lend a hand.

Ruby looked between the two in thought. "Uh, well….. there was Granny's heart attack. I was going to leave town until that happened."

"Do you actually remember it happening or do you think they happened?"

Ruby leaned on the counter in concentration. "It's a little hazy."

"That's the curse!" Henry exclaimed.

Ruby looked back at him "or it could be because it was a horrible time and I refuse to relive it."

Henry shook his head. "Nope, it's the curse you just refuse to believe. I have watched you all for a long time. Don't you think it's odd that I keep growing and changing grades and none of the other children have? You all don't age."

Ruby sighed and looked between the two. "Let me see if I understand this: everyone here in town has been cursed for decades and can't leave. We have been walking around, in a haze, not aging, with crappy memories. All this because of your mom, who you think is the Evil Queen?"

Henry grinned as Aliyah sipped her tea. "You got it! That's why we need Emma. She is the only one who can stop the Curse."

"Uh huh," Ruby stated before leaving to refill the coffees and check on the customers', but it was also because she needed to marinate what she heard.

Henry looked back at Aliyah as he grabbed the pages from his story book. "Do you think she thinks I'm crazy?"

"Kid, if you were in her shoes, wouldn't you think you were crazy? Like Emma, give her time. It isn't easy being told that part of your life is a lie."

Henry nodded. "I remembered what you said about helping Emma. I know the hero never believes at first, if they did, it wouldn't be a very good story." He places the pages back in his pack.

She smiled at him. "Exactly, and if you decide to let her keep those, remind Emma not to leave them out in the open. It can be dangerous if your mother finds out who Emma is."

Henry nodded. "I haven't looked for you yet, but I have been thinking about your part and who you are."

Aliyah smiled. "Just focus on Emma. I'm not important."

Henry cocked his head, thinking before turning to Ruby, who returned not too long ago. "May I have 2 hot chocolates with cinnamon, please? But hold off on the second one until Emma gets in?" He turned back to Aliyah, "She does like cinnamon on her hot chocolate, right?"

Aliyah smiled, "yes, you definitely got that from her side."

He turned back to Ruby and nodded. Ruby gave him a small smile while fixing part of his order. He placed his money down before grabbing his mug. "Thanks Ruby! And Aunt Liyah, you are important, at least to Emma and me." and ran toward an unoccupied booth waiting for Emma.

"He's cute." Ruby said. "I haven't seen him smile like that in ages."

Aliyah swallowed the lump in her throat before looking at Ruby, who grabbed her empty plate, placing it under the counter, and refilled her glass. "Oh?" She grabbed the forgotten paper, flipped it over, read a bit more, then flipped it back.

Ruby sighed, taking her spot back on the counter. "Let's say the Mayor has been treating him differently since Mary Margret gave him that book. I haven't seen it personally. Just what he showed you." She looked at Henry for a moment, then back at Aliyah. "I can see why the Mayor thinks there is something wrong though."

"Do you believe him?"

Ruby let out a small laugh. "About a town full of fairytale characters?"

Aliyah shrugged.

Ruby sighed. Before she could answer, Emma sat on the stool beside Aliyah while taking a bite into her apple. She reached over grabbing the paper glancing at Aliyah, "You look terrible."

"Hello to you too." Aliyah retorted, then smelt the chocolate before Ruby turned around giving her a smug look.

Ruby sat the mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon, Henry ordered in front of Emma. "Here you go."

"Thank you..." Emma looked at the mug, then at Aliyah and Ruby in confusion, "but I did not order that."

"We know. You have an admirer." Ruby said, her smile still on her face.

Emma looked behind her, then back at the two. She placed the paper down, grabbed the mug, and walked over towards Sheriff Graham.

"This may not go over too well." Aliyah muttered as she and Ruby watched the exchange.

"Poor kid." Ruby stated.

"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon in my chocolate, 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt, so, thank you, but no thank you." the two watched as Emma placed the mug in front of a confused Sheriff Graham.

"I didn't send it."

Henry turned in his booth, facing the two adults. "I did." He stated. "I like cinnamon, too." He added, walking towards Emma.

"Don't you have school?" Emma asked, confused.

"Duh, I'm ten." He retorted, pulling his backpack up. "Walk me." He led Emma towards the door. "Bye Aunt Liyah." He waved before heading out.

Aliyah waved back, laughing at the look on Emma's face. Ruby came back with the untouched mug of coco. "Want to share?"

Aliyah smiled and grabbed the offered straw.