"Who were you before the curse?" Henry slammed his book on the counter and flipped through the pages, "I always guessed you were a witch or hermit in the Enchanted Forest."

Priscilla smiled, "I'm not from the Enchanted Forest originally. I'm from Wonderland, but worked as a realm-hopper for many years. I used my hat as a portal, but I don't have it anymore, unfortunately."

"Your hat," Henry considered it for a moment. "You're the Mad Hatter!"

Priscilla grimaced, "Just a hatter, thank you."

"So what does a realm-hopper do?" Henry asked.

"I would travel through realms for people who couldn't or didn't want to; sent messages, delivered packages, collected items; sometimes I even had passengers. It's dangerous work and making enemies is far too easy." Priscilla explained, as she tried to keep the disgust out of her voice. In truth, Priscilla couldn't have claimed to be much more than a common thief, but she didn't want Henry to think of her that way, so she spun him the same tale she had told Grace as a small child. No one knew of her past except the Dark One and as long as she kept out of his way, he wouldn't have much interest in exposing her.

Henry stopped on a page of Alice standing beside the Queen of Hearts. "Did you ever come to our world?"

"I thought traveling to the Land Without Magic was impossible: you need to channel magic from both realms too create a portal between them. That's what worries me about your mother, the fact that she's breaking a lot of rules about magic."

"She cast the curse by killing her father." Henry stated solemnly.

Priscilla nodded, "All magic comes with a price. And I get the feeling Regina isn't the only one paying."

"Paying for what?" Emma emerged from the back of the diner wearing a wrinkled, light blue top that looked lovely against her brown skin. She has pulled back her blonde hair in a ponytail.

"The spell she cast." Henry stated.

"But that's not fair!" Ruby cried from the back of the store. The whole diner, Emma, Henry, and Priscilla included, paused and looked up. After several moments of a tense, unintelligible exchange, Ruby stormed out of the kitchen, tossed her notepad to the floor, and threw her apron into someone's chest as they walked inside. Granny emerged from the kitchen and told everyone everyone to ignore what had just happened.

Emma raised an eyebrow at Priscilla, "Okay. C'mon kid, we gotta go."

Henry rolled his eyes and packed the book back into bag, before he gave a Priscilla a hug. "I'll see you later."

As Emma and Henry approached Emma's car, she asked him, "Who's suppose to be watching you right now?"

"What do you mean?" Henry got into the passenger seat.

Emma clarified, "You're mom's at work. She doesn't leave you home alone all day, does she?"

"Yeah, but it's fine. It's nice having the house to myself." Henry shrugged.

As she drove off in the direction of his house, Emma stated, "I don't really feel comfortable leaving you there by yourself."

"If you wanted, you hang out with me." Henry suggested.

"As much as I'd love that," Emma sighed, "Granny just kicked me out and I have to find somewhere to stay."

"I bet my mom had something to do with that," Henry said.

Emma reached over and ruffled his hair, "Look, it's not something you have to worry about. Don't worry about your mom; I can take care of myself."

After arriving at the imposing mayoral mansion and scribbling her cell phone number of an old receipt in case he needed anything, Emma headed to the pawn shop. Ruby, Storybrooke's fount of knowledge, had suggested that she go to Mr Gold for an apartment since he owned almost every building in town. Pawning was just a hobby. Emma parked across the street and entered, a little bell twinkling to signal her presence.

"I'll be there in a minute!" Mr. Gold called from the back of the shop, irritation evident.

The shop was dim, clean, but disorganized. Not much light made it into the room due to the heavy, yellowed blinds, with everything appearing filtered through a brown lens. Various odd and ancient-looking objects covered the tables: a brow and arrow; a couple of creepy, remarkably human-like puppets; a pair of women's shoes that seemed to be made of gold and glass. Despite the clutter, everything seemed reasonable clean.

Mr. Gold emerged from behind a heavy velvet curtain and smiled when he saw her, the same smile that had made her uncomfortable before. "Ah, our latest guest. How may I be of service, Miss Swan?"

"Hi. I'm looking for a place to stay because...of some issues with Granny's, and I was wondering if you could help me out." Emma explained.

"I'm afraid all my properties are leased, Miss Swan, but one of my tenants has been looking for a roommate."

Emma shook her head, "I'm not moving here; I'm only staying the rest of the week."

"Pity." Frustration showed in his eyes. "Storybrooke is a lovely town. I'd hate to see you leave before you saw everything it had to offer."

"What is it with people wanting me to stay in this town," Emma placed her hands on her hips. "First Henry - he's the only reason I bothered to stay; then Priscilla; now you."

Mr. Gold looked surprised, "Priscilla Jefferson? Miss Jefferson asked you to stay in town?" When Emma nodded, he added, "Why?"

She shrugged, "How should I know?"

Mr. Gold's eyes drifted to a painting on the wall behind him, then back to Emma, looking more nervous now. "In any case, my tenant, Miss Blanchard, might be happy to take you in for a few days."

"I don't do roommates," Emma stated. "But thanks anyway."


Pregnancy wasn't anywhere near as easy as she'd thought it would be. Snow rose from bed to relieve herself for the third time that night, wishing she could just give birth already and be done with it. When she returned to bed, Snow couldn't get back to sleep, so instead she lit a candle and took a walk through the palace.

In the dark quiet of the early morning hours, she floated through the corridors like a ghost until she gazed out of a window and noticed a small figure standing on a balcony, leaning far enough over the bulstraude to catch the spray of ocean waves on their face. The balcony projected from Charming's study. Curious, she went down several flights of stairs and entered.

As she suspected, it was one of the boys, Leo specifically.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Snow ran a hand through her son's damp hair and smiled when he frowned sternly.

He shook his head, "I miss Papa. Why'd he have to leave?"

"You know he's coming back soon." Snow assured him. The six year old boy didn't look convinced, so she continued, "He just had to go to the neighboring kingdom to take care of something. He's just trying too keep all of us safe."

"Safe from what?"

Snow took her son's hand, led him inside, and sat on a couch with him. "One of our friends said a dangerous person was seen in his kingdom, so now your father's trying to find and stop this person before they can hurt us."

"You mean the Evil Queen?" Leo guessed.

Since there was no point trying to lie to him, Snow nodded, "Yes, her."

Leo crossed his arms and scowled again, "Just great. Now Papa's gonna miss my horseback riding lesson because he had find the stupid Evil Queen!"

Snow made a sound that was somehow both a laugh and a sob. If only that were the worst thing that would happen if Regina had truly returned! Leo had no idea what Regina was or what she could do. And certainly not what she had already done to him and his brothers.

Although she tried not to, Snow thought back to that horrible day, to the horrifying sight that would haunt her for years.

The door clicked open and Snow threw her arms around her son defensively. Charming entered his study, exhaustion painted clearly on his strong, handsome features and his clothing splattered with mud and sand. He blinked and his lips stretched in a lazy smile when he realized his wife and son sat before him. "I thought you'd still be asleep."

Leo removed himself from his mother's arms and hugged his father, not caring that he'd soiled his clothing, and Charming kissed the top of his head.

"It's been a rough night," Snow explained. Her heart felt so full after seeing her husband for the first time in almost a month that tears fell from her eyes. "I'm just so glad you're alright. You go freshen up and I'll put Leo to bed."

Leo protested, "But I'm not tired. I want to spend time with Papa."

"And you can do that tomorrow, but I've already let you stay up too late." She got up from the couch.

Charming ruffled Leo's hair, "Listen to your mother," he warned, sensing more resistance.

Leo huffed, but acquiesced and let his mother lead him back to the bedchamber the boys all shared. The castle had enough room for them all sleep separately, but they preferred being together, all curled together at night like puppies. Snow dried his hair, helped him change into a clean night-shirt, and put him to bed with the others. Despite insisting he wasn't tired, Leo fell asleep moments after lying down his head.

She spent a long watching her boys, thinking of who they used to be. They'd had to tell them, eventually; hopefully later rather than sooner.

After closing the door behind her and retreating to her own bedchamber, she waited in bed for Charming. He emerged an hour later, bathed, shaven, and wearing soft, satin robes. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I nearly fell asleep in the tub," he smiled sheepishly.

Snow laughed and pulled on his sleeves, dragging him down into bed with her. Laughing as well, Charming took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, causing Snow to smile. They lay in each other's arms, relishing each other's presence.

Snow whispered, "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," Charming kissed her temple, "and you." Then he kissed her baby bump, and when his lips left her skin, the baby inside kicked, almost as if responding to her father. He looked up at his wife in joy and adoration.

"Not going to be much longer," Snow mused. "I have to admit, I'm terrified."

"Of what?" Charming wore Snow's favorite smile, the one that made his eyes so soft that looking into them made her lighter, "We handled raising seven baby boys in the middle of a war. I don't think parenthood can get much scarier than that."

"Is Regina back?" Snow demanded. The moment shattered.

Charming lay silent for a long moment. "No," he said at last, as his soft-eyed smile shifted a tense look.

"David, I swear-"

"She's not!" He insisted, "We spent weeks in the countryside hunting for signs of her and questioned every single person we came across. Nothing."

"Someone claimed to see her." Snow pushed.

"And they were either lying or wrong." Charming took his wife's hands in his, "She terrifies me too, but she's gone, Snow. And if she ever does come back you know I'll do everything in my power to protect you and our children, just as you would."

Snow took several deep breathes, "Maybe you're right and I'm just being paranoid."

"We're not scared teenagers on the run anymore. We've got experience, an army, powerful sorcerers on our side."

"And a lot more to lose," Snow added quietly, placing a hand on round abdomen.


Just as Flora finished scrubbing the bathtub, the smoke detector went off and, horrified, she scrambled into the kitchen. Her pasta had been burned beyond repaired, which meant eating out. Which meant dipping into the saving's fund for Conner's birthday present. Speaking of Conner...

"Conner!" she yelled into the direction of his room, "I told you to watch the stove!" When she got no reply, she marched to his room and banged on the door. "Conner! You in there?" The door was unlocked and the room was empty.

'He is so grounded,' Flora fumed.

She heard the quavering shrieks of a baby and a hard, fast pounding on her front door. Her next door neighbor, Dawn Thorne, stood on the other side with a deep frown and dark circles under her eyes, holding a wailing seven month old baby on her hip. Her red-brown tresses were caught in a messy bun, through her daughter, Phillipa, keep trying to tug them loose, which would have cute if Dawn didn't have pure murder in her eyes.

"Do you mind keeping it down?" Dawn hissed. "I set Pippa down for a nap two minutes ago but you woke him up. What are you even doing in here?"

"I've had a long afternoon." Flora replied defensively.

Dawn rolled her eyes, "And you're the only one? You and Conner are a nuisance to the entire building."

"Shouldn't you be trying to put your kid to sleep, instead of coming here to insult me?" Flora glared at her.

"I can't put her to sleep because you keep making noise," Dawn returned the glare. The baby's cries increased in volume as if to emphasize her mother's point.

Flora clenched her jaw, then relaxed it. "Trying giving Pippa a warm bath; some babies find that soothing."

"Whatever," Dawn scoff and began turning to leave.

"I'm sorry," Flora admitted once her frustration had cooled enough to let her see that she was being a huge jerk. "Look, I can make something to help her sleep better. My little brother had a lot of trouble sleeping as a baby and our mom used to give it to him all the time."

"Fine," Dawn agreed, her eyes softening. "Was your son a difficult baby too?"

"My what?"

Dawn clarified, "Conner."

"Conner's my little brother, not my son. Yeah, I've been raising since he was six, but..."

Dawn suppressed the urge to ask more about Flora's family because she didn't want this conversation any more uncomfortable than it already was. "Oh, okay."

"I'll get it to you tonight. And I could show you how to make it yourself, if you want." Flora offered with a small smile.

An odd feeling spread through Dawn's chest when she saw Flora smile for the first time. "Yeah, I'd like that," she nodded. Pippa yanked hard on a lock of her hair and Dawn once again became cognizant of the fact that she had a fussy baby in her arms. "I should get going."

"Before you go, have you seen Conner around here lately? He wasn't in his room." Flora admitted, "That's what the yelling was about."

"I saw him going somewhere with the Zimmer twins about an hour ago." Dawn stated, "I assumed you knew. Lord knows you keep him on a tight leash."

"I do?" Flora blinked, "Whatever, that's not important right now. Did you see where they were headed?"

"Uhh..." Dawn tried to picture what she had been from her balcony. "North-east, I think? I don't really remember."

"Thanks anyway," Flora's shoulders sagged. "I should let you get back to whatever you were doing."

By now Philly had begun to calm down. Strangely, Dawn didn't want the conversation to end, but she had nothing else to say.

Flora seemed to notice her dilemma, because she offered, "But I could show you the recipe right now; for putting babies to sleep."

Dawn perked up, "Yeah that'd be great."


As the bright white towers and gleaming orange windows of the winter palace peeked out from the dense mass of fir trees, Snow put out her torch to avoid being seen and traveling the rest of the way by moonlight. Returning to the palace, so close to her the woman who had destroyed her life, with a bounty on her head was the riskiest thing she'd ever done, but she had to see Red; she had to make sure her sister was alright. She hitched her horse to a tree near the Eastern Gate, which opened to a narrow path with rocky, uneven ground on either side. If Regina's soldiers tried to go after her, they'd have to go one at a time unless they didn't mind breaking their horses' legs.

Making sure to watch out for footsteps, Snow felt around the ground until she found the old, wooden trapdoor that led to a closed-off section of the basement. She moved with agonizing caution in the enveloping darkness, not only to avoid getting hurt, but to avoid making any sudden noise that might alert someone to her presence. She keep one hand to the wall to guide herself, doing her best to ignore the thick nets of cobwebs that became entangled themselves in her hair and on her clothes.

After walking for what felt like an hour, she reached the juncture where the basement met the kitchen. The familiar aroma of a royal kitchen nearly overpowered her: hot bread fresh from the oven, roasting meat loaded with spices, fresh fruit and vegetables, even the sweat of the cooks and servers as they labored in the unbearable heat. It brought her back to her days as a princess; hiding from her mother among the servants or playing with Red as the head cook scolded them to go outside or sitting by the ovens with the other palace children telling stories.

Snow blinked away her tears. That life was over.

Because everyone focused on supplying the feast with delicacies and alcohol, Snow slipped up on the back stairs unnoticed with the lightest footsteps she could manage. She crouched under a window and peeked over the edge. From there she could look into the mail ballroom where people danced and conversed. Red sat stiffly on their father's throne, her hands clutching its arms, wrapped in an ornate dark green gown and a mountain of fine jewelry. From the scowl on her face she seemed seconds away from ripped it all of. Regina, no doubt the true ruler of the kingdom, sat beside her wearing an equally dazzling black and purple gown and a satisfied smirked.

A young man bowed before them, presumably to ask Red for a dance, since she shook her head and Regina chastised her for it. Red and Regina had a short argument, which ended with Regina calling for guards to lead Red away. Red's shoulders relaxed; she must have been hoping to leave the party for some time. Snow's eyes focus on her little sister as she walked from the throne and passed through a side exit, out of sight.

She got what she had come for, a glimpse of her sister, but now that she had gotten it, it seemed woefully insufficient. There'd be guards watching Red at all time, so Snow had little hope of getting her sister alone and talking to her. Snow swallowed bitter disappointment and slip back into the shadows. As she retraced her steps, a shabbily dressed girl holding a candle appeared in the hall.

Snow's heart stopped.

The girl's eyes widened but her mouth didn't move for an agonizing moment, but then she said, "I believe you."

"What?" Snow asked. Hearing her our voice reverb through the dark, empty hall made her shiver.

"I know you didn't kill your father, your Majesty" the girl whispered. "Queen Regina lied."

Had she not been in such a precarious situation, Snow would have fallen to her knees weeping. Regina had taken her father, her crown, and her good name and until this moment, only she and those closest to her had known the truth. Everyone else in the kingdom took Regina's claims at face value and let her plop Red onto the throne as a puppet queen, alone and defenseless. Snow never imagined she'd been here, living as a bandit in the wood under an assumed name and breaking into her own home in the dead of night in hopes of catching a glimpse of her sister.

"How do you know that?" Snow dared to ask.

The stranger answered, "I always know when people are lying to me, your Majesty. You should leave before anyone catches you."

"Can you...can you make sure my sister is okay, as okay she could be under these circumstance? And let her know that I love her?"

"Of course, your Majesty," the stranger nodded. "I'd be honored to."

"What is your name?"

"Jun Li."

"I may need your help again someday. Can I count on you?" Snow asked.

"You are the rightful queen, and I'll everything in my power to serve you," Jun Li stated.


Mary found Emma sleeping in her car that night, while walking Albert Spencer's dog, and offered her a bed, which Emma, after a lot of coaxing, accepted.


Across town, Regina flipping through the storybook her son was so enamored with, wonder how she'd make him forget about all the awful things it had reveal and go back to being her sweet little boy.


AN: To Guest reviewer, making Emma and Charming people of color isn't hate toward the original actors. Jennifer and Josh are lovely, but I just felt like doing something different with the characters. In any case my version of Snow isn't white either: she just passes for white (this will be cleared up when I reveal more of her backstory) and doesn't look like Ginny. While not everything is different, a lot of things are: Ashley is Asian, Jefferson is a woman, Regina is older, etc. And there will be additional, more drastic changes later on.