Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Never will.


03- Lady of the Lake

Probably the worst thing to come out of this whole broken curse thing was the fact that people believed that school should start up again. Even worse, Mary Margaret was missing in the Enchanted Forest, so they would have a different teacher. No one wants that.

Ally was sulking on her walk that morning to the bus with Henry, Rose, and they're grandfather David. The old Ruby who didn't mind a few mental health days off of school, is now more reluctant, almost against Ally being anywhere other than school, where she knows that her pup will be safe.

Henry for the most part didn't seem to be that bothered. Rose looked absolutely mutinous to be forced to go back to high school after everything that happened. David on the other hand looked a little desperate and worn down, having to had to parent a teen and a kid before.

"So, what' on the agenda for Operation Scorpion?" Henry asks looking at his grandfather expectantly.

"I still say it needs another name." Ally grumbles from alongside her friend.

"What's Operation Scorpion?" David questions confused.

"See!" Ally cries.

"The code name for our mission to find Emma and Snow. Do you prefer viper? That was my second choice." Henry says obviously, and Rose has to fight rolling her eyes.

"Not everything is a mission Henry." She grumbles, not looking forward one bit to facing people at school now that they have they're true memories back.

"Henry, we need to talk." David says stopping to turn to look at the young boy.

"Here we go, adults to the rescue." Ally grumbles under her breath.

"Yeah, I like scorpion better." Henry says oblivious to the mood change around him.

"No, it's not that its…" David starts before he's cut off again.

"We're not coming with you. But I… I thought we were going to find Jefferson." Henry says his voice getting smaller.

"I already did." David says with a hard look on his face. Ally fidgets remembering haven seen David run after a man that she assumes now had been Jefferson.

"What? Why didn't we know this? Is he going to help us?" Rose breaks out, looking desperately at her father.

"No. No, guys, he's not." David says looking half sad and half angry. Ally scoots a small step back for she's sure that the angry part is stronger at the moment.

"But why didn't you tell us that you talked to him?" Henry demands beginning to look hurt.

"Because I didn't want to disappoint you. I know you want to find your mom, but Jefferson can't help us. I need to find a way to restore the hat." David says trying to get the kids to believe him. Not for the first time does he wish that Snow had been the one to be here for she would know how to interact with the kids better than him. He'd been in a coma for twenty-eight-years for crying out loud!

"So, why can't we help you look?" Rose demands hotly, not liking that they're being kept out of the loop again. She's not like Henry and Ally, she's almost fifteen, she can help.

"It'll require magic Rose, and magic—" David starts again.

"Always comes with a price. We've read the book you know." Ally finally breaks into the conversation tired, of adults underestimating them again.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't let you anywhere near this stuff. Your moms will kill me if I did. If you really want to help me, you'll go to school where I know you'll be safe, okay?" David says looking at each of the three children equally. The two little kids are infamous for not doing what they're told.

"Okay." Henry sighs, and Ally nods along with him.

"I don't get why we have to go to school anyway. We're fake people, none of this really matters. This isn't even our world anyway, why do we have to even learn anything." Rose says hotly.

"Because we are still in this world, and getting an education is important for you despite whether you're from another world or not." David argues back.

"Says the man who never went to a day of school in his life." Rose fires back before stomping away to the bus. The younger two kids follow her until they notice that David has left. All three of the kids veer away from the yellow school bus that that time.

"Are you coming with us for Operation Scorpion?" Henry asks hopefully looking up at his older sister. Rose glances down at him and sees the hopeful look in Henry's face, and the sad one in Ally's. In makes her gut twist, there are too many emotions swirling around inside her at the moment. She's scared, angry, confused, and beyond frustrated with everything that has happened.

It doesn't help that David— Charming whoever he is… her father is not the easiest to get to know. Rose envies Henry with his hero worship of him. Rose is already dented though; she's battered from years of being Regina's oldest. Her heart isn't the warm and happy place that her fairytale parents expect it to be. Oh excuse her— parent, for one fell down the fricken' rabbit hole.

"Sorry kids, maybe next time." Rose says before walking away from the pair, desperate to get somewhere where she could forget everything that's going on in her life at the moment. Henry and Ally watch her leave worriedly.

"I don't think Rose is happy." Ally says.

"She's just confused. This is our happy ending, it will all work out in the end when Emma and Mary Margaret return, you'll see we'll all be happy. Now, come on, we have a mad hatter to go see." Henry says with a grin, and takes off down with alleyway with Ally hot on his heels.


It took the kids a while to figure out where Jefferson would be. Ally was grumpy because it had taken them a few hours to locate the man, and even Henry had to admit that they didn't plan this action out all the way, much to the amusement of Ally. The two kids found him at the docks, not somewhere that they were allowed to go without an adult present (like they ever followed that rule).

The man is sitting on a bench starting down at a paper in his hands, not even caring that the wind is sending his messy hair every which way, and that the paper in his hands is getting battered around. Henry and Ally exchange a glance a few feet away from the man. Ally shakes her head, while Henry nods strongly, and turns to face Jefferson. Ally sighs and follows behind her friend, for someone is going to have to keep him out of trouble.

"Jefferson… right? The Mad Hatter? I need your help." Henry says coming to a stop in front of the man, and getting a good look at the crudely drawn missing papa picture on the paper.

"Look, I already told your grandfather. I can't do anything." Jefferson says not even looking up from the paper.

"I know. But, there must be something that we can do." Henry says balling his hands into fists. He's beginning to get fed up of all the adults in his life telling him what he can and cannot do.

"I'm the wrong person to talk to, kid. Magic's not my thing. Try your mother. Maybe she's got something in that vault of hers she can help you with." Jefferson says finally looking up from the paper to the kids.

"Vault? Her vault is here? In Storybrooke?" Henry asks excitement beginning to lace his voice again. Ally gives him a weak grin in return when he turns to look at her. Ally is not sure that she likes magic at all. Everything seems to turn out badly when magic is involved.

"It's none of my business. Talk to her." Jefferson says quickly. Ally eyes the man warily, knowing that he has more to tell them, but that he won't.

"What's that?" Ally questions pointing to the paper. Jefferson jumps a little at her voice and quickly shoves the flyer into his pocket.

"Your daughter is looking for you, isn't she?" Ally asks softening her voice a little. She knows that some people weren't as lucky as she was to get to still be with her family when the curse hit. Parents and children should always be together, in her opinion.

"What would you know about it?" Jefferson snaps, standing up from the bench and attempting to get away from the kids.

"We read your story. We know how the two of you were separated. Why are you here? She's at school." Henry says, looking confused.

"I've got to go home kids." Jefferson says starting to walk away from the pair. Henry and Ally quickly run in front of him to stop him though.

"She probably wants to see you." Ally says, trying to convince the man to go to his daughter. Ally knows that if she had a father, she would want to see him as well.

"Get out of my way." Jefferson snaps, moving around Ally, only to be blocked by Henry.

"Get out of my way." He growls again, looking more desperate this time.

"Why aren't you trying to find her?" Henry demands, a hard look settling onto his face. If there is one thing that he doesn't like, its families not trying to find a way to be with each other. Jefferson leans down and grabs Henry by the shoulders.

"Because I left her! And she'll hate me!" Jefferson cries, before being shoved back by Ally who had gotten in between the pair, and was growling at him softly, much to the shock of Jefferson. Henry seems oblivious to what is going on, and before he can notice it, Ally snaps out of it, her face paling drastically.

"How do you know that?" Henry demands, not letting up on Jefferson.

"I was on my way… and fate reminded me that I shouldn't." The man mumbles looking out at the water.

"You should. I've been left, too. Anything's better than nothing. She'll spend her whole life wondering why you left her. Not knowing is the worst." Henry says, before sighing, and grabbing Ally by the hand to pull her away from the man.

"He just needs some time." Ally says softly, still slightly shaken up by her earlier aggression.

"I hope so, nothing is worse than being abandoned." Henry repeats again.

"Well good thing that's never going to happen to you again! Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ally says with a grin. Henry smiles back at her, and not for the first time thanks whoever is out there that he has such a good friend on his side.


So as much as Henry hates to admit it, it was Ally's plan for him to call his mother and ask her to have lunch with him at Granny's so that the pair of them could sneak back into her office to steal her keys for their next adventure. Regina jumped at the chance at having the opportunity to have lunch with her son, even though it hurt her that her daughter wouldn't be joining them as well.

Ally and Henry had been hiding out in the town hall, and as soon as they were certain that she had left the building, the pair of them sneak into her office and go directly to one of the filing cabinets, opening the drawers until they find the ring of skeletons keys again. It was a good thing that she hadn't changed their location since the last time the pair had broken in there to prove that Regina had set Mary Margaret up.

Of course the book is a handy guide in telling them where Regina's vault would most likely be, so with Ally holding the book, Henry leads the way through Storybrooke's cemetery.

"I hate cemeteries." Ally says with a shudder, following Henry as they weave through the headstones.

"They're not that scary Ally." Henry says scanning for the Mills mausoleum.

"Says the boy who's walking all over the graves of dead bodies, like this is just a regular walk in the park." Ally counters.

"I thought that werewolves were supposed to be brave and scary." Henry taunts. Ally grits her teeth at the obvious jab.

"Well I'm not a werewolf yet, but you might want to start sleeping with one eye open, when I do become one." Ally snarls. Henry can't help but laugh at that.

"Like you would ever hurt me. You love me too much!" He cackles, and Ally slams the book shut in frustration. Henry can certainly be a brat at some times. Ally bumps into Henry when he suddenly stops in front of a crypt that has HENRY MILLS carved onto it.

"Okay, and that's not creepy at all." Ally says a shiver running down her spine. She does not like thinking about Henry being dead at all, even if it isn't her Henry.

"You know that I was named after her father." Henry says simply before pulling out the skeleton keys and jamming it into the lock. It takes a few tries, but he finally gets it open, and the gate swings with a creek to allow them access.

"Look for anything that's out of place." Henry instructs Ally. The pair scan the room, finding nothing off, until Ally looks at the floor, and taps Henry's arm, and points at the scrape marks around the sarcophagus. Henry grins at Ally and the pair move over to the heavy stone sarcophagus and with all their might push it to the side. Ally still can't believe that they're doing this. It feels like they're inside one of those Indiana Jones movies that her mom loved watching so much, because of the adventure. At least in those movies, there wasn't magic involved.

"Yes!" Henry exclaims as soon as the passageway down has been revealed. Henry starts down the stairs to Regina's vault, but Ally hesitates at the top. She clutches her arm, remembering the last time that she went underground when she wasn't supposed to, and she nearly died then.

"You can wait up here Ally… I won't mind." Henry says softly, recognizing the fear for what it is. Ally bites her lip, glancing between Henry and the light that she can still see coming from the doorway. If she stays up here, she's safe, but then Henry is unprotected down there. Going against her common sense, she quickly jumps the few steps until she is level with her best friend.

"Come on, before I change my mind." Ally mutters grabbing onto Henry's hand and pulling him down into Regina's vault.

Ally immediately wishes that she had decided to wait upstairs. It is beyond creepy and terrifying to be faced with Regina's wall of hearts. Ally can't tell how hard her own heart is beating from the sound of the heartbeats coming out of the boxes. Henry tugs on Ally's hand and leads her further into the vault away from the heart thankfully.

There are several vases and chests strewn about the inner room, and Henry lets go of Ally's hand to approach one of the chests. Ally warily watches him go. There is something off about this room, which makes the hair on the back f her neck stand up. Good things don't come out of this place.

Henry bends down to slowly open the chest in front of him with the keys. Ally creeps closer as the lid is opened, all of her attention focused on the boy in front of her. The box springs open, and two very deadly snakes spring out, and Ally tackles Henry to the floor, while David forces them back into the chest and locks it. He looks down at the two panting kids on the ground, honestly not sure what he's going to do with them.

"Maybe we should've gone with Operation Viper. You two alright?" David asks helping the kids onto their feet. He can see that they're both shook up, but that there is still a terrified gleam to Ally's eyes. He starts ushering the pair to the stairs.

"Yeah. How did you know we were down here?" Henry asks, looking up at his grandfather.

"Your mom said you asked her to lunch and, when you stood her up, she checked her office, saw her keys missing, figured out the rest. She would've come herself, but she didn't think you'd go with her. Henry, what were you thinking?" David demands looking at the boy. He knows that this was Henry's idea, for Ally would go along with it.

"I just want them back. It wasn't supposed to be this way. I should be over there with them. Riding horses, learning how to sword fight." Henry says looking the most miserable that Ally has seen him in a while.

"I know. I know. It's okay. Because we're going to do this together. Come on, now. You got to get to school, and I got to make sure no one else finds this place. I'm not looking forward to explaining this to your mom kid." David says looking down at Ally, and the girl pales even more. Ruby is now more Red than Ruby, and Ally doesn't have enough experience with how Red will react to her stunt today.


So it turns out that while Red and Ruby share the same propensity for adventure, they definitely go about the treatment of adventure and their kid different ways. Ruby would have just shook her head, and been upset with Ally, but Red— Red was downright angry that Ally had gotten involved in anything magic and Regina related.

She had stormed back and forth in front of Ally trying to think of all the synonyms for stupidity that she could come up, with before declaring that Ally and Henry needed a little break from each other, and that Charming— David agreed with her. When Ally had burst into tears at the idea of never seeing Henry again, Ruby assured her daughter, that it wouldn't be forever, just for a little while.

Later that night when Ally was woken up by a nightmare of hearts in glass boxes beating out a rhythm all on their own, she couldn't help but think that maybe her mom was right, about taking a break from all the save Emma and Mary Margaret magic stuff. The disquiet in her head was only silenced when she crawled into bed beside her mother, and felt a secure arm wrap around her, not pushing her away.