It was a late night at Granny's Diner. Sheriff Graham, off duty and a bit drunk, was throwing darts at a dart board. There was a picture of a stag on the bullseye, and he was hitting it in the sweet spots each time.
"Nice shot," Sidney commented. "I betcha twenty bucks you can't do it again."
Graham just took another dart and nailed the stag in the eye, much to Sidney's shock. Without missing a beat, Graham turned to Ruby and gestured to Sidney.
"Next round's on him."
Graham readied another shot, but stopped when he saw Emma walk in. The two looked at each other awkwardly.
"Emma," Ruby greeted. "What can I get you."
Her eyes never leaving Graham, Emma prepared a hasty exit.
"Nothing."
She then turned to leave. After standing still for a few seconds, Graham turned and threw a dart at the doorway, getting her attention. Emma gasped, then turned around in a rage.
"What the hell! You could have hit me!
"I never miss," he replied, approaching her while taking an offered 20 from Sidney. "You've been avoiding me since… well, since last night."
"You mean when I caught you sneaking out the window of the mayor's house?" Emma pressed, making Graham look away. "I'm not avoiding you, Graham. I just don't have any interest in having this conversation. It's your life, and I really don't care."
She then turned and walked out the door, prompting Graham to follow her outside.
"Then why are you so upset?"
"I'm not upset!" Emma called back as she continued walking.
"If that were true, you'd be at the bar with me having a drink and not running away," Graham retorted, catching up to her. "Can we please talk about this? I need you to understand."
"why?"
"I don't know… maybe so I can understand."
"You need analysis, go talk to Archie."
"I wanna talk to you."
"Well, your bad judgement is your problem, not mine."
Emma kept walking, and Graham grew even more desperate.
"You don't know what it's like with her! I don't feel anything! Can you understand that?"
"A bad relationship? I yeah, I understand a bad relationship. I just don't wanna talk about yours."
"Look, I know you and Regina have your own issues, and I should've told you about that before you took the job."
"Yeah, why the secrecy?" Emma demanded, finally stopping. "We're all adults, you can do whatever you want."
"Cause I-I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now."
"Why do you care how I look at you?"
"Because…"
Graham paused for a moment.
"What?" Emma asked.
Graham then just leaned in and kissed her. As he did though, numerous images began to fill his mind. He saw a massive forest, one that felt so familiar to him, and a large wolf with one red and one blue eye. The two broke and Graham stumbled back, gasping as the images continued to plague his mind.
"What the hell was that?" Emma let out.
"Did… did you see that?" Graham mustered in shock.
"How much have you been drinking? That was way over the line."
Graham was confused, the images refusing to go away.
"I'm sorry, I just…"
"What? You just what?"
"I need to feel something..." Graham finally admitted.
Emma sighed, shaking her head.
"Listen to me, Graham. You are drunk and full of regret, I get it. But whatever it is you are looking to feel, I can tell you one 're not getting it with me."
With that, she walked off, leaving Graham alone in the street.
…
Sometime later, in a desperate bid to feel, and with no other options, Graham made his way to the Mills house. He knocked on the door, summoning a surprised Regina. Upon seeing him, clearly drunk and out of sorts, she looked at him with concern.
"Graham?"
"Is Henry asleep?"
"Yes. why?"
Graham then proceeded to kiss her passionately, which Regina took to instantly as she closed the door.
In the Enchanted forest, a lone huntsman was out in the wilderness, flanked by his wolf companion, the very same wolf from Graham's visions. He had his sights set on a lone stag that was running through the forest. Sure of his mark, he fired his arrow, nailing the stag in the heart. It fell, and the Huntsman approached the stag, a tear in his eye.
"You have died so that I may live," he said with reverence and respect. "Your sacrifice is honorable. Thank you."
He removes the arrow, then turns to his companion. The wolf whines, clearly hungry.
"Don't worry, boy. You won't go hungry tonight."
Graham sat up, soaked with sweat and gasping for air. Next to him, Regina stirred and slowing got up to face him.
"What is it?" Regina asked.
"I had the most intense dream. I was in the woods hunting and I killed a deer… there was a wolf."
"A wolf?"
"Its eyes… one was blood-red and the other was black as night. The funny thing is… I think I've seen the wolf before."
Regina woke up a bit more at that, fear in her eyes. Still, she layered it with a healthy dose of concern and tried to pull him back down onto the mattress.
"Come back to sleep. It was only a dream."
"It didn't feel like a dream," Graham replied as he got dressed. "It felt like a memory."
"Graham?"
Graham got up, already getting dressed.
"I need some air. I need to think."
"Graham please. Come back to bed."
"I left my car at Granny's anyway," he replied, getting his boots on. "I need to go get it. Clear my head."
"Graham," Regina pressed. "Listen, it's late. You're tired, and probably still drunk. Don't leave."
"Since when do you want me to stay?" Graham snapped, actually catching Regina off guard.
"You're not well."
"I'm fine," Graham reassured as he left.
…
A little while later, Graham returned to Granny's to collect his car. As he approached the vehicle, he dropped his keys due to his hands shaking. He bent down to pick them up, and when he straightened up again, he came face to face with the wolf from his visions. With a startled yelp, Graham fell to the ground, dropping his keys once more and scrambling backward. The wolf just stared at him, whining slightly and attempting to approach. Graham just shoved himself harder into his car, clearly scared out of his mind. Seeing this the wolf barked, then began trudging away towards the woods. Shocked, and feeling a strange connection to this wolf, Graham got to his feet, his car forgotten, and took off after it.
…
The next day at Mary Margaret's apartment, Emma came downstairs and was greeted by the sight of a large bouquet of flowers on the kitchen table. Thinking they were some form of apology or bribe from Graham, she rolled her eyes and snatched them up.
"Really?" Emma let out
Mary Margaret walked in, just in time to see Emma throwing the flowers quite violently into the trash can.
"Wait, what are you doing?" she pleaded.
"If Graham thinks flowers will work on me-"
"No, those…" Mary Margaret blushed slightly, "were mine."
"Oh," Emma said softly, now more than a little embarrassed. "From David?"
"No… Dr. Whale."
"Why would Dr. Whale-" Emma paused mid sentence, then realization suddenly dawned on her as Mary Margaret looked back at her with a mildly embarrassed look. "Are you serious?"
"I know, I know," her roommate let out, fishing the flowers out of the trashcan. "It's a disaster..."
"No, that's amazing. You're getting over David."
Mary Margaret sighed, unwrapping the flowers and trying to find a vase for them.
"First of all, there's nothing to get over. And second of all, it was just a one-night-stand."
"Not according to those flowers."
"Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have called him."
That caused Emma to look up in surprise.
"Oh my god, you called him? That's definitely not a one-night stand."
"Okay, okay, I'm still learning," Mary Margaret said defensively. "I've never had one before and… and I kinda felt guilty."
"Why? There's nothing wrong with what you did. Trust me. One nighters is as far as I ever go."
"That's because you''re-"
Mary Margaret cut herself off, then pointedly turned back towards her flowers. Emma wasn't about to let that pass and quickly moved into Mary Margaret's line of sight.
"Because I'm what?"
"Never mind."
"No, tell me. What am I?"
Mary Margaret sighed, then turned to face Emma once more.
"You're just protecting yourself. With that wall you put up."
"Hey, just because I don't get emotional with a man-"
"You don't get emotional with a man? The floral abuse tells a different story."
"And what story is that?"
"The one that's obvious to everyone…" Realization hit Mary Margaret, and her tone softened, "except apparently you. That you have feelings for Graham."
Emma scoffed, turning away.
"And there's that wall," Mary Margaret remarked, finally putting the flowers in their vase.
"That's not a wall..." Emma said bitterly.
"Really?"
"There's nothing wrong with being cautious."
"Oh, true. True. But, Emma, that wall of yours? It may keep out pain, but it also may keep out love."
With that little nugget of wisdom, Mary Margaret took the vase, and left.
…
Out in the woods, Graham was trying to follow the wolf he saw the other night. He could hear it howling in the distance, but had long since lost track of it. A sudden sound in the bushes caused him to stop in his tracks, looking around to see if it was his wolf. However, that's when Mr. Gold came out of the bushes. He was wearing a gardening apron, work gloves, and had a trowel in his hand.
"Good morning, Sheriff," he greeted. "Sorry if I startled you."
"Right. Sorry, I… thought you were a wolf."
"Did I forget to shave?"
"What are you doing out here so early?
"I uh… I was looking for-"
"A wolf?" Gold chuckled slightly. "I think I understand. However, to the best of my knowledge, there are no wolves in Storybrooke. Not the literal kind anyway." He leaned forward, a curious smirk on his face. "Why are you looking for one?"
"You'll think I'm crazy."
Now Gold's smirk was becoming a genuine smile, his eyes sparkling slightly at the prospect of what the Sheriff had to say.
"Try me."
"I… saw one in my dreams, and then I saw one for real. Just a few hours ago."
"Did you now?" Gold replied, mulling over this information as he made his way down the hill. "You know, Sheriff, they say that some dreams..." he smirked a bit, "they're memories. Memories of another life."
Graham paused, unsure how to take such information.
"W-what do you believe?"
"Me? I never rule out anything. But if you want answers… I might suggest talking to Miss Flemming."
"The hobby shop owner?"
Gold laughed a bit.
"You'll find that there's more to her, and to a lot of this world, then meets the eye." With that, he began heading back towards town. "Good luck, sheriff. I do hope you'll find what you're looking for."
Graham nodded before heading off himself.
…
Graham continued making his way through the woods, following that distant howling once more. He actually managed to catch a glimpse of the wolf's fur, then finally caught up to it in a small clearing. It seemed to be waiting for him, mismatched eyes boring into Graham's soul.
"What do you want?" Graham questioned, sounding almost desperate.
The wolf just turned and began walking away.
"Hey!" he called out.
When the wolf didn't react, Graham let out a whistle. This made the wolf turn, backtracking and approaching the sheriff. Resisting the urge to run, Graham watched it come right up to him and sit down, dipping its head as if asking for pets. Hesitantly Graham reached out and began petting the wolf, the thick fur feeling so familiar to him. The wolf let out a large yawn, then met his eyes. As the sheriff locked gazes with the massive beast, more visions filled his mind.
Visions of a forest, where he saw himself giving chase to a beautiful black-haired woman. He saw himself raising a knife to her, then saw her face, realizing it was Mary Margaret. Along with these visions were images of a stone tower covered in vines, and a woman in gold that radiated protection. Finally, he heard the howl of his wolf, and the Evil Queen's vault symbol.
Finally, he snapped out of it. Graham looked around to see that the wolf had disappeared, confusing him even more. Seeing that he would find no more answers there, he decided to heed Gold's advice and talk to Eve.
…
At her shop, Eve was getting some new inventory on the shelves, marking prices and arranging them as best she could. When she heard the door open, she did her best to get to a stopping point.
"I'll be with you in a second!" she called before descending the ladder she was on and approaching her counter to see who it was. "Ah, Sheriff Graham. Need some new darts for the station's dart board?"
"Uh… no. I was hoping I could talk to you about something."
"Sure, what is it?"
"I think…" Graham hesitated, as if unsure how to word his thoughts. "I think we know each other."
"Well I should hope so," Eve chuckled. "You are the Sheriff after all."
"No, no, no. not from here. Not from Storybrooke."
This seemed to get Eve's attention. She leaned forward, a glimmer in her eyes.
"From where then..."
Graham let out a breath, flinching slightly.
"Another life?"
Eve's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. Stumbling slightly, she went over to her door, locking it and flipping the sign to Closed. After closing the blinds for good measure, she gave Graham her full and undivided attention.
"Tell me everything."
"Well… it started when I kissed Emma.
"You kissed Emma?" Eve questioned, mulling that over before realization dawned. "Of course, that makes sense."
"What does?"
"Not now, keep talking. What happened after you kissed Emma? Don't leave out anything!"
"I kept seeing these… images. Then later I had this dream about a… a wolf."
"Wolf? What kind of wolf?"
"A… a grey one. One eye was blood-red and the other-
"As black as night…" Eve gasped.
Graham perked up in realization.
"You've seen it before. Haven't you?"
"Yes… when you would visit my tower, trading furs and game for medicine. I was one of the only humans you liked or trusted."
The tower from his earlier vision flashed in his mind once more.
"I… I think I… remember…"
"You're starting to at least..." Eve said, leaning against her counter and rubbing her face in complete and utter shock. "I can't believe this… After all this time… someone else remembers..."
"Eve..." Graham let out. "What's going on? What am I remembering? Please… I'm so confused."
"I promise, I'll explain everything. But first, I need to make a call." She grabbed a phone off her desk, dialling a number. "Henry? Is your mother home?" she paused. "Perfect. Come by my shop as soon as you can. And bring the storybook."
...
At the Sheriff's Station, Emma was passing the time throwing darts at a dartboard. So far, she lacked her partner's skill, hitting everything but the board. He groaned as another dart struck the wall and clattered to the ground.
"Our tax dollars hard at work," Regina remarked dryly, entering the room.
Emma stifled a groan, picking up the fallen darts without even glancing in Regina's direction.
"Graham's not here," she said in a cold tone. "I assumed he took a sick day." Now she turned to Regina, a sneer in her voice. "With you."
"Oh, so you're aware of us?" Regina retorted, her voice equally cold. "Good. That's why I'm here. Because I'm also aware of your relationship with him."
Emma scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"I don't have a relationship with him."
"Oh, so nothing's ever happened between the two of you?" Regina smirked, shaking her head slightly. "You forget, Miss Swan, I have eyes everywhere."
"Nothing happened," Emma insisted, throwing another dart and hitting the outer circle. "Nothing that meant anything."
"Well, of course not. Because you're incapable of feeling anything for anyone." Emma actually tensed at that, and Regina decided to twist the knife further. "There's a reason you're alone, isn't there?"
"All due respect, Madame Mayor," Emma all but growled, "the way I live my life is my business, not yours."
"It is when it infringes on my life." Regina stepped closer, getting into Emma's face. "Stay away from Graham. You may think you're doing nothing, but you're putting thoughts in his head. Thoughts that are not in his best interest. You are leading him on a path to self-destruction." She turned on her heels and began walking off with one last parting shot. "Stay away."
Emma watched her go, then turned back to the dart board again. She threw the dart, and this time, it hit the bullseye.
…
Henry knocked on the door of Intrinsic Things and Eve let him in, quickly closing the door behind him.
"Thank you for coming so fast, Henry," she told him. "Did you bring it?"
"Yeah," Henry replied, pulling the book out of his backpack. "So what's the emergency?"
Eve led Henry up the stairs to her apartment, where Graham was waiting in her living room. Upon seeing him, Henry looked confused.
"What's Sheriff Graham doing here?"
"He's remembering," Eve answered.
"Really?" Henry asked, perking up. "How?!"
"Well, he kissed your mother."
"Which one?"
"Well… both, but we're focusing on his kiss with Emma."
"Right," Henry replied before turning to Graham. "What happened when you kissed my mom?"
"I, uh, I saw these… flashes. Of a wolf… and me with a knife. I was with Mary Margaret."
"Were you about to hurt her?"
"I- I think so."
"Makes sense," Eve remarked. "Graham here is the Huntsman, the very same one that spared Snow White."
"That's right," Henry recalled, turning to a painting of the Huntsman with his knife. "But how do you know him Eve?"
"Where do you think the huntsman sent Snow White after electing to spare her?" Eve replied with a smirk. "She was sent right to my tower. It's how Snow and I met, and how we became allies."
Graham was still having a hard time taking all this in at once.
"So… you honestly believe all of this? Being another person, these other lives, being… fairytale characters?"
"I do," Eve told him. "You see, everyone in this town is a character in this book. We were all brought here thanks to Regina, and our old lives were erased. I managed to hold onto my memories, but I was the only one. Until now, at least..."
"Regina..." Graham repeated. "Who- Who is she?"
"The Evil Queen," Henry answered. "The worst of the worst."
"Well, she's in the top five," Eve corrected. "But that's neither here, nor there."
"Then… Mary Margaret… She's Snow White?"
"Exactly!" Henry declared, smiling happily.
"But- But why is all this happening now?" Graham questioned. "All because I kissed Emma?"
"Well, Emma is the product of true love," Eve explained. "A kiss from her can be quite powerful. More than that though, you two do have a deep connection."
"Right," Henry nodded. "She's only alive because you spared Snow White, her mother. If you hadn't, then she would never exist."
A sinking feeling hit Graham at that moment.
"If Regina is the Evil Queen, and I didn't do what she wanted… then she must have done something to punish me. What did she do?"
Both Eve and Henry winced, looking at Graham with sympathy.
"She took your heart," Henry answered. "She ripped it out. It's kind of her thing. She never wanted you to feel ever again."
"She's done it to countless people over the years, and she uses those hearts to control them," Eve added. "She's got them all stashed away in her vault, where only she can get them."
At the word vault, the image he'd seen in his vision returned.
"Wait… let me see that book," Graham requested.
Henry handed him the book, allowing Graham to flip through the pages. After a bit, he came to an illustration of the vault, including the crest, which was branded into Graham's skull.
"That… I- I've seen that. The wolf was howling at it… Is that her vault? Is that where she's put my heart?"
"I think so," Henry nodded.
"It is," Eve confirmed. "And, I've seen that crest before. I never had the guts to check it out before, and I was almost certain I'd be arrested if I did."
"Unless the Sheriff was with you," Henry pointed out.
Eve looked over at Graham, who was nodding vigorously, desperate for any chance of regaining his heart. Eve took a breath, then grabbed her poncho.
"Thank you, Henry," she told him. "Go on and head home. Graham and I got this from here."
Henry nodded before heading out the door.
…
Just as Henry exited the shop, he ran into Emma as she came up.
"Hi Emma," he called as he ran down the road.
Emma watched him go in surprise, then turned to see both Graham and Eve leaving the shop.
"Hey!" she called out, approaching Graham. "I hear you're having a rough day."
"Who says?" Graham replied, a might defensively.
"Pretty much everyone. Maybe you need to go home and rest."
"I can assure you, the Sheriff is just fine," Eve insisted.
"Forgive me for being skeptical about that. No offense but I just saw Henry leave here, and where he goes, his fairytale theory tends to follow.
"Yeah, well it's the only thing that makes sense right now," Graham responded.
"Graham, what's going on? What's… really going on?"
"I've got this under control, Emma," Eve insisted, knowing that this was one instance where she couldn't waste time adjusting for Emma's nonbelief. "There's just something we need to find."
"And what's that?" Emma challenged.
Eve hesitated to answer, knowing Emma wouldn't believe her. However, Graham held no such qualms.
"My heart."
"O… kay," Emma replied in surprise. "So, how are you going to do that?"
"At first, I was going to follow the wolf, then-"
"Whoa, whoa, wolf? What wolf?"
"Oh dear..." Eve let out, feeling this entire situation fall downhill.
"The wolf from my dreams," Graham went on. "He wants me to find my heart."
Emma blinked, stepping back a moment.
"Wait, hang on. I thought we were talking in metaphors here. Do you honestly believe you don't have a heart?"
"It's the only thing that makes sense. It's the reason why I don't feel anything."
"Listen to me Graham," Emma insisted, walking up to him. "You have a heart. I can prove it."
She placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat.
"See? It's beating. It's real." Emma then placed his hand on his chest to prove her point, and Eve just winced, realizing one detail of the curse's effect on the Sheriff. "You feel it, don't you? Your heart is beating. It's not gone, it's right there."
Eve wanted to speak up, but nothing came to her. No words could fix this situation, and she feared that Graham would no longer believe her. However, Graham quickly pulled away from Emma, shaking his head.
"No, it's not real," he insisted. "It's the curse."
"You can't really believe that's true."
Suddenly, Emma stopped, her eyes falling on something behind Graham. Slowly, Eve and Graham turned, eyes going wide at the sight of the wolf. Mismatched eyes locked on all three of them before it turned around and began trotting off. Eve and Graham exchanged looks, then wordlessly took off after the wolf. After a moment of shock, Emma did the same.
…
The three followed the wolf to the Storybrooke Cemetery, where it made a beeline to a particular mausoleum.
"Graham," Emma called out as she ran up to him. "Graham be careful."
It eventually stopped in front of the mausoleum, where the wolf sat down, panting slightly and just waiting for them.
"It's my friend," he told her. "It won't hurt us."
As the three got closer, the wolf howled, then began just walking off.. Rather than follow it this time, Graham and Eve looked up at the mausoleum, where the familiar crest of the Evil Queen's vault was etched.
"This is it," Eve declared. "This is the place."
"I can see why you were hesitant," Graham told her.
"Why?" Emma asked. "What's in there?"
"My heart. I have to look inside."
He stepped towards the door, and Emma quickly got in his way.
"Oh no you don't. I am not about to let you desecrate a tomb!"
"I have to get in there."
"Graham, come on. You really think your heart is in there?"
Graham gave Eve a small glance, who returned it with a barely perceivable nod. Emboldened by affirmation of his beliefs, Graham gave Emma a nod as well. Realizing that she couldn't deter either of them, she sighed and turned towards the door.
"Alright," she reluctantly decided, trying the door only to find it locked. "You want to see what's in here? Then let's find out."
With that, she kicked the door to the crypt wide open. Doing so revealed a small stone room dominated by a single sarcophagus. On the sarcophagus was a plague that read "Henry Mills, Beloved Father". Aside from that, and a few scattered urns, there was nothing. Eve even cocked an ear, trying to listen for the faint sound of heartbeats, but all she heard were crickets in the distance.
"No..." she let out, feeling her hopes crashing.
Graham was in a similar state, rushing into the crypt before searching frantically.
"It's got to be here somewhere," he insisted, feeling along the wall. "There's got to be a hidden door. A lever. Something."
Emma walked inside, taking Graham's hand in hers to stop his frantic movements.
"Graham," she said softly. "There's nothing here."
"There has to be. If there isn't, then-"
"It's okay. It's going to be okay."
Eve leaned against the door, her face in her hands at her latest failure. Because of this, she didn't see that they were no longer alone until it was too late.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Regina shouted from outside the crypt.
Hearing her voice, the three of them exited the crypt, seeing Regina standing there with a scowl on her face and a bouquet of roses in her hand.
"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.
"Bringing flowers to my father's grave. Like I do every Wednesday. What are you and..." her eyes narrowed at the sight of Eve, "her doing here?"
"Don't blame them," Graham spoke up, surprising Regina. "It's my fault. I wanted to look in there."
"Really?" Regina questioned, sounding mildly nervous. "Why? What were looking fot?"
"Nothing. It was… uh, nothing. It was nothing."
"You don't look well, dear. Let's take you home."
She took his hand and was about to lead him off when he pulled away.
"Regina, I don't want to go home," he told her. "Not with you."
Regina was stunned, as were Emma and Eve. When the mayor managed to recover from her shock, she turned to the women, eyes narrowing at Emma.
"Oh, but I suppose you'll go with her."
"Hey, this is between you and him," Emma insisted, stepping back and pulling Eve with her. "Leave us out of this."
"She's right," Graham insisted. "It's between us. And things have to change."
"And I wonder why that is, all of a sudden," Regina pondered, still eying Emma while also side-eying Eve.
"It has nothing to do with Emma, or Eve," Graham declared, emboldened for perhaps the first time in his life. "I don't feel anything Regina, and I know now that it's not me… it's you. We're done, and not because of either of them. I need to do this for myself. I need to stop being your pet… so this is me breaking out of my cage. We're done, Regina."
Regina was beyond words, barely able to comprehend what she was hearing. Grasping at straws, and desperate to maintain the illusion of her curse, she spoke up again.
"Graham… you're not thinking straight. Do you even hear yourself? You're not well..."
"Actually, for the first time I am. I'd rather have nothing than settle for less. Nothing? Is better than what we have. I need to feel something, Regina. And the only way to do that is to give myself a chance."
Eve cracked a tiny smile, happy for the sheriff. Emma also felt a bit stunned by what she was witnessing, though she too felt a sense of pride on the sheriff's behalf. She knew a thing or two about toxic relationships, and even if she didn't know the full story, it was clear that took a lot of guts to do. Regina, on the other hand, looked completely devastated. Her eyes were glistening as she turned to the two women, her hands tightening on the bouquet in her hand.
"Don't think I will let this slide, Miss Flemming," she snarled, eyes blazing with hatred before turning to Emma. "And you… I don't know what I ever did to you, Miss Swan, to deserve this. To have you keep coming after everything I hold dear."
"I told you, it's not her," Graham repeated.
"None of this happened until she got here!"
"I'm sorry," Emma finally spoke up, though her voice was anything but apologetic. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe the problem isn't with me, but with you?"
"Excuse me?"
"Henry came and found me. Graham kissed me. Both were miserable. Maybe, Madam Mayor, you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why that is. Why is everyone running away from you?"
Unable to contain her rage anymore, Regina punched Emma in the face, causing her to fall into Graham. The sheriff caught Emma, who recovered quickly and punched the mayor right back. She didn't stop there though. She pinned Regina to the side of the crypt with every intention of beating the stuffing out of her. However, both Eve and Graham quickly grabbed Emma, pulling her off Regina.
"Emma, enough!" Eve insisted. "Stop! Just stop!"
"Listen to her Emma!" Graham ordered. "Stop!"
Both combatants were breathing hard, Regina nursing a split lip and Emma with a cut under her eye that was already starting to swell. After a moment, Emma pulled herself free, adjusting her jacket.
"Not worth it..." she snarled, turning and walking off.
Eve quickly followed after her, and Graham went to do the same. However, he stopped for one last moment when he heard Regina call out to him.
"Graham."
Not even bothering to respond, Graham resumed his exodus, leaving Regina alone in the graveyard.
...
Later at the Sheriff's Department, Eve had already started for home, leaving the sheriff and his deputy alone.. Emma was sitting on her desk, holding an ice pack to her head as Graham got out a medical kit to tend to Emma's face.
"I'm sorry," he told her. "I don't know what came over me… I kind of lost my mind."
"It's okay. You were tired. And feverish. And heartbroken."
"I don't know why I let myself get caught up with her," Graham admitted, preparing iodine for Emma's wound.
"Because it was easy and safe. Not feeling anything is an attractive option when what you feel sucks."
Graham started to wipe Emma's cut, causing her to wince.
"Felt that," she told him.
…
Meanwhile, Regina returned to the mausoleum, going inside and shutting the door behind her. She laid the bouquet on the sarcophagus, then placed both her hands on it. Giving it a hard shove, she pushed it aside to reveal a hidden staircase beneath it. Once she had a clear path, she descended down the stairs into the very vault Graham and Eve had been searching for.
She walked down the stairs, making her way over to a wall covered in drawers. She scanned through them, her eyes hard and filled with tears as she opened one of them. It held a small, wooden casket that seemed to have a red glow emanating from the inside. She opened it up, revealing a beating enchanted heart, specifically, the Sheriff's heart.
With the heart in hand, Regina seemed torn, but she knew what she had to do. Before she did, she reached into her pocket, pulling out her cellphone and pulling in a call.
"Sidney, I need you to do something for me..."
…
Back at the Sheriff's Department, Graham had just finished tending to Emma's wounds.
"All better," he informed.
"Yeah…" Emma replied as Graham put his stuff down.
"What?"
Emma said nothing. Instead, walking over and leaning in to kiss him. The kiss, now fueled by mutual affection, was even more powerful than the first. All of Graham's memories returned to him in full force, the long dormant Huntsman finally rising to the surface. He gasped and pulled back, his eyes clear as he gasped for air, his eyes wide with shock.
"Graham? Are you ok?"
"... I remember," he told her.
"Graham?"
"I remember everything…" he took Emma's face in his hands, smiling perhaps his first genuine smile since losing his heart. "Thank you..."
He leaned in to kiss her, completely overcome with emotion.
...
In Regina's vault, the mayor hung up on Sidney and took a closer look at the Huntman's enchanted heart, as if steeling herself. Finally, Regina began to squeeze, the heart cracking in her hand as tears came to her eyes. She didn't stop until nothing remained by dust trickling through her fingers, knowing exactly what that meant.
…
The Huntsman suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching his chest as he and fell to the ground. He barely had time to let out a short gasp before all the life left his eyes. Seeing this, Emma's eyes went wide as she tried to shake him awake.
"Graham!" she cried out, desperation and sorrow in her words. "Graham! Graham! Come on, Graham! GRAHAM!"
...
Meanwhile, Eve walked through the streets of Storybrooke, returning to her shop. While she was upset about not finding the vault, she couldn't help but be happy for Graham. She walked into her shop, unaware of Sidney Glass slipping off into the night. She entered her shop, locking the doors and making her way up to her apartment.
"I can't believe he actually remembers..." she said to herself, grabbing her kettle to make herself some tea. "Maybe there's hope to break this curse after all."
She set the kettle down and flipped her gas stove on. The second she did, the entire building exploded, leaving her shop and her apartment engulfed in flames.