(3rd POV)

Marco, Pinnochio's father was walking in the woods not far from town. Back in the Enchanted Forest, he would sometimes go out to collect random pieces of timber from the forest floor and carve them into toys for his boy. However, Pinnochio is all grown up now and often, Marco would still miss the bubbly energy of his young child.

As he was strolling through the trees, he got lost in thought about the curse. Where is home? The memories that the Queen had given him made it seem like he's always lived in Storybrooke. When he got his real memories back, a constant longing for the Enchanted Forest resided in his heart.

Marco felt it comforting to come into the forest to bring peace to his mind so it certainly gave him the fright of his life when a cloud of purple smoke appeared in front of him. He stepped back as the smoke subsided to reveal some people on the ground. When he saw who they were, he couldn't believe his eyes. They were back!

The town handyman immediately rushed over to Snow and Emma, helping them up. Afterwards, he patted Henry on the shoulder as the boy beamed back with happiness, knowing that they had returned to Storybrooke.

Snow saw Marco and remarked with a smile, "Marco! What are you doing here in the woods?"

In his heavy accent, he replied, "Nothing, just taking a walk. But you're back! Were you hurt? Your husband and all of us were so worried! Your disappearances have been the talk of the town!"

Snow gave Emma a look and replied simply, "Oh, it was complicated, but we managed to find Henry and Daniella. There were some...interesting moments."

Marco chuckled, "You'd have to tell me all about it. After I take you out of here and to your husband of course." Then, he looked up and continued, "I'll lead you out of these woods. We're not far from town. I unfortunately don't have my phone with me so I cannot call David."

Emma replied, "Oh that's fine. Thank you Marco."

"Anything for you. You saved us from the curse!"

"I, well, it's my pleasure." Emma stuttered as she started a small conversation with Marco. Meanwhile, Snow went over to Henry and Daniella. She remarked, "Look, the portal has even changed your clothes back to what they were!"

Henry and Daniella looked at each other for the first time, in realisation. Then, Henry commented loudly, "I miss wearing a hoodie and jeans!"

Daniella sniggered but she was given a dirty look by her brother. Then, Marco called out to them, "Hey, shall we go?"

Snow replied, "Of course, I can't wait to get back to my apartment."

As the group started to move through the forest, following Marco's lead, Daniella glanced uneasily between everyone. She fell behind a little after seeing that the four were engaged in a lively conversation that excluded her. Checking that they weren't looking, she raised her hand and created a small fireball in her palm.

She smiled, knowing that she still had her magic. However, her relief soon got outweighed by the heavy feeling in her chest. She bit her lip as she contemplated whether or not she should ask Marco the question clouding her mind. They were walking through the streets of town when she finally gathered her courage and came up to the man.

"Marco?"

The old man jumped a little as he didn't see Daniella come up beside him. He observed her eyes and answered, "What is it, Daniella?"

Marco hadn't seen Daniella many times in the Enchanted forest. He'd always be wary of her since she was the Evil Queen's daughter afterall, but there would always be a small amount of pity whenever he caught her sad or pained expressions. The first time he'd seen her was in a village. It was the time she was hit with an arrow. He remembered the huge commotion after she had left. Black guards scoured the area, looking for the person who had tried to assassinate the Queen. Even though Marco, along with many others, were disappointed that the monarch wasn't killed, he felt sorry for the princess.

The second time he'd seen her was at the Queen's execution. Even he thought that it was cruel Snow and David had forced her to be present. Pinnochio had been there too, but Marco had covered his eyes when the guards shot the arrows. In fact, everyone had been there to witness the Queen's death that never came. The image of the princess struggling away from the guards to approach her mother as they untied her from the execution stake played in Marco's mind as Daniella asked the question in a small voice, "Is my mother still locked up?"

Marco shook his head, "No, no. Haven't Snow and Emma told you? They let her out so that she could find you and Henry."

"So, she'd be with David now?"

"Maybe. I believe they're working separately but David assured the town that he will be keeping a close eye on her since they returned her magic to her."

Daniella's interest perked. "They did?"

Snow cut in, "Yes, but the deal was that she'd help us, and nothing else."

Daniella smiled to herself but didn't want to ask any more questions, fearing that they'd lead to a worse outcome regarding the situation that she and her mother were in. Even though Snow had apologized back when they were in the past, she didn't trust her to keep her promises. Daniella hoped that they would work everything out with her mother. She was tired of having the Charmings control her life.

Soon, the group started walking through an area that they recognised. Marco, seeing that Snow and Emma grew comfortable with where they were at, bid them goodbye and walked away.

As they came into the centre of town, many heads turned their way. It was Leroy who alerted nearly the whole street of their arrival as he walked out of Granny's with a lunch bag in hand. "Sister, you're back!"

Snow chuckled, "Leroy! How are you?"

"The real question is how are you? You have to tell us all that happened."

"I will, but do you have your phone on you? I must call Charming."

"Of course," the dwarf answered as he fished out his phone and handed it to Snow. Whilst she was dialling away, Leroy caught Daniella's glance. She immediately looked away awkwardly but in his typical gruff tone, he said to her with his head inclined to the diner, "Hey girl. Your mother's in there."

"She-Thank you!" Daniella replied quickly as she rushed around the group and through the little welcoming gates of the restaurant. She flung open the door and as the bell jingled, heads looked up. There were whispers and from behind the counter, Granny exclaimed, "Daniella!"

The woman who sat at the counter with her back to the door was the last to look up. She turned around and her worry stricken face was immediately replaced with relief and joy.

"Mama!" Daniella exclaimed as Regina ran forward and enveloped her daughter in a hug. Regina hung onto her daughter with tears in her eyes, "My little firefly, you're alright. Oh, thank goodness you're alright." Then, her voice shook as she cupped Daniella's cheeks in her hands and whispered, "I've missed you so much my dear. They haven't hurt you have they?"

Daniella shook herself free from her mother's hands and replied, "No. I'm fine. But you thought I was dead, didn't you?"

Regina stiffened. "I did, until they told me that Rumpelstiltskin resurrected you." Then, Regina looked to one side and said in a low voice, "That imp."

Daniella took her mother's wrists and inspected them.

"Not to worry dear, they took it off. And-"

Daniella grinned and made a small fireball in her hand whilst ignoring the concerned expressions of the faces around her. She replied, "See? Mine's gone too. You took it off."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Daniella giggled.

"What are you talking about?" Regina frowned as she guided Daniella to the counter where she sat. Then, she glared at the people around the diner, forcing them to return to their own conversations. After they had made themselves comfortable, Daniella replied with her eyes downcast, "They blue fairy wanted to get rid of me-"

"Excuse me?"

"Mama! Can I continue..." Daniella groaned.

Regina sighed as she stroke Daniella's hair. "Sorry dear, yes continue."

"So anyway, the fairy disguised herself as Jefferson and well...I was pressured to take her to your vault." As she uttered these last words, her voice faded off a little.

Regina grabbed Daniella's hands and said, "Don't worry firefly, I won't judge you for what happened. Just tell me what that pesky fairy did, so that I know how to deal with her."

"But you're going to get mad at me..."

"I won't, dear. I promise. Now tell mama what happened."

Daniella gave her mother a small smile and explained, "I showed her Jefferson's hat and that's when she created a portal and pushed me in. It took Henry and I to the past."

"The past? But that's impossible..."

"How do you know that? I'm sure people have done it before."

Regina shook her head as she breathed heavily, feeling a churning pain in her chest.

"Mama? Why do you think that time travel is impossible?"

In a quiet voice, she explained, "That's because I asked Rumple whether or not I could go back into the past to save your father's life."

"Oh." Daniella paused as she evaluated her mother. She knew that whenever her father was mentioned, she'd have to tread carefully.

Regina continued, "Rumple answered adamantly that there was no such thing as time travel and that I couldn't change what happened in the past." After a sigh, she looked at Daniella and said, "But that doesn't matter now. And after you appeared on the other end of the portal...?"

"Umm, we figured that we were in the past because we saw you."

"So Henry was with you the whole time?"

"Uhh, close...but I'll get to that," Daniella replied a little guiltily. Then, she explained, "We saw you because we found ourselves in the North Village. Actually, we ended up staying in the palace with the past version of you."

"Really? How did that happen?"

Daniella grinned as she recounted the moment when she was nearly killed by the two black guards. Regina put her hands through her hair. She closed her eyes and said to Daniella, "How is your brother?"

"He's...he didn't really like it."

Regina nodded and muttered under her breath, "It'd be too much to ask if he wants to see me."

"He does...he just doesn't want to admit it," Daniella replied quietly. Then, she gave a glance at the door and continued, "We ended up telling you who I was, but Henry wanted to keep his identity a secret."

Regina gave her daughter a sad smile. Then, she asked, "So what did you mean when you said that he wasn't with you the whole time?"

Daniella looked away and replied, "There was a moment when..." Her chest heaved up as she took a deep breath. "Well, he was horrified when I crushed a heart so after an argument, he ran away to find a way back to Storybrooke by himself."

"You didn't go after him?"

"I was mad at him!"

"Firefly...he's still your brother and he knows less about the Enchanted Forest than you do. What if he had gotten into trouble?"

Daniella's eyes pricked with tears so Regina quickly added, "I'm not angry at you, dear. I'm just worried for Henry as well. Anyway, I'm guessing that you all made it home?"

"How do you know?"

"You'd be looking more guilty than that, if Henry hadn't come back."

"True." Daniella replied as she grinned. "Henry found Snow and Emma and they broke into the palace to search for me."

"They broke in without getting noticed? How did they accomplish that?"

"After you drained the Blue Fairy's magic from her to take off my cuff, you threw her into the dungeons. Henry told me that another fairy went to rescue Blue. Their plan was to cause commotion so that you'd go down and investigate yourself. I think that's how Snow, Emma and Henry were able sneak past the guards. Actually, I found them snooping in the King's rooms."

Regina's mouth dried up. "You went into there?"

"I heard noises and I had to investigate! I couldn't sleep anyway, and you told me that even the servants and guards were forbidden to go into those chambers. I figured that you probably wouldn't have gone in either so I went in there to see what or who made the noise."

Regina frowned as she considered the situation for a second. "If where you went was indeed the past, then why couldn't I recollect what you've just recounted to me? Besides, you would have changed the past significantly."

"Just before leaving, I told the Genie to inform you that you had to erase everyone's memories. I was scared that you wouldn't do that but I guess you did," Daniella replied with a shrug.

Regina gave a sigh of relief as she chuckled, "Given my character in the past, I doubt I would have done that, if it meant that I knew you were alive."

"That's what I thought," Daniella said quietly. "But anyway, we came back here with a magic bean. I think the fairy who helped Snow and Emma gave them that bean."

"Is Henry with...his biological family?"

"He should be outside."

Regina's eyes lit up. "Ok. I'm going to see if he's alright. Do you want anything to eat? I'll leave you some money. Buy whatever you want," Regina said as she took out her wallet and handed a note to Daniella.

As Ruby came up to Daniella, Regina gave her daughter a peck on her cheek and exited the diner. What she walked out to, was a full blown argument between the Blue Fairy and Snow with Charming. Emma and Henry stood uncomfortably but in support at the side of their family. Catching Regina's gaze, Henry exclaimed, "Mom!"

Regina's heart stopped for a second. Her son had just called her mom again.

She ran down the steps and was even more surprised when Henry was the one who darted towards her. "Henry, your sister told me everything that happened. I'm sorry for what you had to see. I...don't know how to make it up to you but know that I love you ok? You'll always be my son."

Beneath her arms, Henry replied quietly, "I know..."

Regina knew that it was going to take quite some time before their relationship could go back to what it used to be. However, she was more than content with receiving Henry's short reply as an answer. As they parted, Regina changed her demeanour.

She set a glare and walked up to the Blue Fairy who equally took her stance. She gave the woman a smirk for a second. Then, without glancing at Snow or her family, Regina raised her glowing hand. The fairy bent over in pain on the spot. As Blue clutched her chest, Henry shouted in horror, "Mum?! What are you doing?!"

Ignoring the Charmings' reactions, Regina seethed at the fairy, "You think it'd be so easy to get rid of me hmm? It seems like Snow White and her Charming family have discovered that you've tried to kill me." Regina chuckled in a low tone. Emma gave her parents an uneasy glance for the voice that possessed Regina was foreign to her ears.

Regina continued over Blue's loud gasps for air, "Whilst I'm flattered that your name makes it to the list of people who've tried to murder me, in the process of this sick game you're playing, you've endangered the lives of my son and daughter. And that, I can never forgive." Regina closed her hands at the last word she uttered. It took Snow's strong shove to divert her attention.

"Regina, what are you doing? David has the cuff right here with him. Stop torturing Blue on your own accord or we'll force you-"

Regina blinked unbelievably at Snow and demanded, "Don't you want to make her suffer? She nearly killed Henry and Daniella! I don't expect you to sympathize with me but surely you'd punish her for what she did to your..." Regina paused abruptly. Then, she finished quickly, "To your grandson."

David came forth and looked at Regina in the eye as he replied, "Of course we will punish the fairy, but we won't kill her! No, she deserves a second chance."

"Excuse me?!"

David quickly turned around to face Blue who had composed herself from the loss of air in her lungs. He stated, "We won't kill the fairy but we will take away her magic-"

It was the fairy's turn to give him a look of surprise and anger. "Excuse me?!"

Emma crossed her arms and nodded to David who quickly used the cuff that was intended for Regina. He snapped it onto Blue's wrist before anyone could protest. Blue glared at the Charmings but specifically stepped up to Regina and spat, "You've done something, turned them against me."

However, Regina only answered coolly, "Aww, what a pity. You're not as good as they thought. Perhaps if you hadn't tried to kill my daughter, I'd consider you to be an ally."

"I'd never help you."

Regina laughed but the Blue Fairy cut in. "You think you've outsmarted me? No. Whilst the place I sent your daughter belongs to the past, there are other worlds out there. Other worlds much more useful to cause you pain."

Regina studied the eyes of the fairy and raised an eyebrow.

"I was able to bring back a particular someone into our land. And I believe your nightmare has only begun, your majesty, " Blue taunted. Then, she glanced at Snow and said, "You'd thank me for what I've done. Mark my words." She gave Regina one last glare and turned away. As she walked away, Regina felt magic race through her blood. It pulsed, wanting to be let out. However, it was Henry who diverted Regina's attention from her murderous thoughts.

"Mom?"

Regina's anger faded a little as she looked down at her son.

"Mom, who did the fairy refer to?"

Regina frowned and glanced at Snow uneasily before shaking her head and answering in a completely reverted voice, "I don't know, sweetie." However, Regina did have an idea and it twisted her stomach, bringing bile to her throat.

"You're lying."

"What?"

Henry's eyes frightened Regina as they were full of evaluation. "You're scared. You know who Blue was referring to, don't you?"

Regina was about to reply when the door to Granny's swung open. Daniella walked out, looking pale. She was breathing quickly as she made her way shakily down the steps. Regina went over with concern written over her face. "Firefly, you look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Mama, I don't know...I don't know how but he's there. He's in there." Daniella stuttered as she pointed to the diner.

Regina gripped Daniella's shoulder tightly. "Who, dear? Who are you talking about?"

Then, the chime of the bell alerted them that the door opened again. Snow, who had her eyes there already, was the first to respond. "Daddy?"