Baelfire's eyes were wide with surprise and curiosity as he rode through Storybrooke in Emma's car. His father had gone off somewhere to work on breaking the curse and Killian had disappeared shortly after, so that left Baelfire alone with Emma and David as she drove the three of them to the hospital. Baelfire could tell that he was in some sort of town, but it was unlike any other town he had ever seen before. The streets were paved with a strange dark material that he was completely unfamiliar with, rather unlike the cobblestone and unpaved streets that he had known back in the Enchanted Forest. The buildings were fashioned in an architectural style that he had never seen before. The whole place felt both familiar and alien at the same time. He wondered if he would have to live here now, if the curse cannot be broken. Maybe, if they manage to get rid of Regina, it wouldn't be so bad to live in a town like this.
The hospital was a large boxy building with huge glass windows and doors. Baelfire felt a little uneasy stepping inside, as though a lead weight had just been dropped into his stomach. A sharp strong smell hit his nose, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
"Do you smell that?" he whispered to Emma.
"It's just the antiseptic," Emma replied. "That's something that they used to keep this place clean."
David looked at them and said, "Why don't I take Baelfire to see Belle, so you can see Ava?"
Emma nodded solemnly, "Okay. Is that all right with you, Baelfire?"
"Sure. I wouldn't want to keep you from your daughter."
David raced through the forest atop his horse, his heart pounding in his chest from this fear that he was too late to save snow White from her mother, the Evil Queen. For the past several months, there had been rumors circulating that Snow White and Regina might end up going to war over the throne. Snow White could not fully forgive Regina for killing her father and Regina certainly would never forgive Snow White for killing her son. David had been so worried about the possibility of War and what that would mean for the people of the Enchanted Forest, but he had not anticipated Regina going after Snow White on a one-on-one basis. Perhaps he had been too narrow-minded, perhaps you did not know Regina as well as he thought he did, but David knew that he had made a grave error and under estimating her and he had to read Snow White before she paid the price for that.
The trees and bushes put it past him so fast but the world to his left and right became one great green blur. David was still focused on getting to Snow White, but he can barely hear the slamming of the horses hooves against the the dirt road, or feel the Light sprinkle of rain falling from the sky. Ye Xian had sent him a secret message warning him that Regina had been seen researching various types of horrible curses and spells that she could use to torture Snow White. David could only imagine what sort of horrors she had in store for her older daughter.
David has been on a spying mission to try to figure out what Regina was up to. He had been able to sneak into the palace disguised as a servant - one of the instances where his comment had served him well - while Regina was away and managed to get into Regina's office. He scoured the place for clues about her plans and how much of a threat she posed. There he had found a letter she had written it to you one of her advisors, detailing how she plan to blackmail Snow White into taking a sleeping curse. Regina had taken sadistically in detailing the effects of the curse, how it would drop Snow White in a never-ending torment with a variety of intense physiological tortures while her body was immobile and her mind unresponsive. Regina was the one behind Rose Red's disappearance; she was threatening to kill her younger daughter unless Snow did what she wanted. Snow would never risk her sister's life for anything, so as long as Regina held Red captive, she could coerce to know what you doing anything. David took off from the palace had a very same night because he knew Regina planned to carry out the curse soon, which is why she had not been at the palace in the first place.
Eventually David reach the familiar spot where he had planned to meet up with Snow before he had gone on his mission. As he reached the safe house, what he saw took the breath from his lungs. Nagaraj was outside of the safe house pacing. He looked up when he noticed David approach, his face sad and serious.
"What happened?" David demanded as he leapt from his house and began running inside. He didn't even pause to give his friend the chance to answer. Inside, David found Snow lying on a bed with Ye Xian holding her stiff hand and crying silently.
Despite his best effort David was too late.
Baelfire entered his mother's hospital room. She looked even worse than she usually did, so thin and weak it was a miracle that she was even still clinging to life. It felt so profoundly unfair that she should have to suffer over things that were completely out of her control. Baelfire just stood in the doorway, irrationally afraid to enter the room but at the same time feeling very strongly that he should.
"You okay, bud?" David asked.
Baelfire nodded stiffly.
"I understand," David continued. "My wife was under a sleeping curse once. Seeing her like that...I know how hard this is for you."
"Did your wife's curse ever break?" Baelfire whispered, half-hoping and half-scolding himself for being hopeful.
"Yes," David answered, "With true love's kiss. I just wish something like that could work in this situation.
An idea came to Baelfire, so absurd he tried to banish it from his mind immediately, but couldn't. His hands clenched as he agonized over the decision.
David looked concern again, "Are you sure you're okay? Because if this is too much for you-"
"No," Baelfire interrupted. "I know what I had to do."
Baelfire took a shaky breath and stepped into the room with purpose. Another step, then another, until he was at his mother's bedside. He could remember the last time he had been so close to her. Had he ever been this close to her? Perhaps this was foolish, the feverish wish of a lost little boy who just wanted his world to make sense again. Before he could talk himself out of it, Baelfire leaned forward and kissed his mother on the forehead.
Ye Xian let go of Snow hand and stood up to hug David. "I'm sorry," she whispered in his ear.
David pulled back, his eyes already filling with tears. "Don't blame yourself for this... I know...Can I be alone with Snow for a moment?"
"Of course," Ye Xian answered. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her dress and step out of the cabin.
David sat down in the seat Ye Xian had vacated. Snow's face was oddly pale and lifeless. He had seen her when she was asleep, but this was different. It unsettled him.
"Oh Snow," David sighed, "I promise, I'll find some way to break this curse and save you."
Without thinking that this action would have any significant impact, he leaned forward and kissed Snow on the forehead.
On the other side of the hospital, Emma had gone into Ava's hospital. Everyone else had left the room to give her a little time alone with the girl she already thought of as her daughter. Emma had never felt so helpless in her life. She was parent now and parents were suppose to be able to protect their children. Yet, there was nothing she could do to help Ava. Only an hour ago she thought it was be so easy to find the anchor and destroy, breaking the curse and saving her daughter. But then the anchor turned out to be a person - a kid! - and she could bring herself to kill another person like that.
How had she ended up in this position? Why was the universe so strange and cruel? If nothing else, Ava did not deserve what was happened to her. She was such a good kid and had a huge heart. She had her whole life ahead of her but now...Now Emma had no idea what would happen.
With a crushing sadness words couldn't even begin to describe, Emma wiped her tears, leaned forward, and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
