Cathleen was still wide awake, thinking about what Mr. Gold had said to her and Cherry. There was a light howling heard outside. Cathleen soon got up and went to close her window before she looked down as a wolf was coming to the Bed & Breakfast. However, as the wolf looked around, there was then a puff of dark red smoke and a young woman was shown with dark brown hair and blue eyes before she soon took out a key and went inside of the cottage when she saw that no one else was there with her.
"Ruby, get inside before someone sees you." A different old woman's voice called.
"Yes, Granny." The young woman replied on the way inside.
"Huh? Who was that?" Cathleen asked herself.
The doors soon shut downstairs.
"I'm probably just dreaming..." Cathleen said before yawning as she shut the door and went to get some sleep. "Good night, Storybrooke City... I hope whatever happens in the morning is interesting... Happy Birthday to me..." she said to herself before she fell fast asleep that night like everyone else in town.
Even Cherry fell asleep, wondering what was going to happen.
The next day came as the sun came up and both girls were slowly waking up. There was a knock at the door in Cherry's new room before she sat up and rubbed her eyes and put her glasses on.
"Good... You're awake," Mr. Gold said as he stepped inside, leaning on his cane. "Wouldn't want you to miss breakfast?"
"Ugh... I was hoping you were just a dream." Cherry rolled her eyes.
"Afraid not, dear," Mr. Gold smirked. "Why don't you get dressed and we'll go meet your friend for breakfast?"
"Why don't you go... Get breakfast off... A cliff... And... Ugh..." Cherry groaned before she rolled out of the bed and went to use the bathroom. "Too tired and annoyed for comebacks right now."
"My, oh, my," Mr. Gold chuckled. "Someone's a Little Miss Sunshine this morning."
"Go die somewhere..." Cherry grumbled as she shut the bathroom door.
"I haven't for centuries, why would I start now?" Mr. Gold smirked to himself as he went to get his car ready, though he had something in his bag which was a very large book that he kept hidden for right now.
Cherry soon did whatever she needed to do to get ready and soon got dressed to meet him outside as she groaned before texting Cathleen. "We're coming for you," she said as she texted her friend. "Golden Boy just dragged me out of bed. I think I'm gonna stab him when he goes to sleep if we don't go back home tonight."
Mr. Gold honked his car horn for her then.
"Keep your pants on, I'm coming!" Cherry complained.
"Work on that attitude, dearie," Mr. Gold said firmly from the driver's seat. "It's not attractive."
Cherry grumbled before she soon went to sit up front with him, clicking on her seatbelt.
"Now, let's go pick up your friend and get some breakfast, shall we?" Mr. Gold smiled innocently.
"Go... Pick up... Your mom to break... Shut up." Cherry groaned and shook her head a bit.
'I'm going to have the most fun with this girl.' Mr. Gold thought to himself as he got the car ready.
They soon rode off to the Bed & Breakfast.
Madame Foster was talking with another old woman before they saw Cathleen coming.
"Hello, dear, did you sleep well?" Madame Foster smiled warmly.
"Yes, ma'am," Cathleen replied. "Thank you for letting me stay for the night."
"Of course, just remember to keep your key close by, otherwise you won't be able to get into your room." Madame Foster giggled.
"Right... Wouldn't want that..." Cathleen nodded before looking at the other old woman. "Uh, hi."
"Hey," The other old woman nodded. "You look hungry. I can always tell, you know."
"Well... I am getting kinda hungry..." Cathleen admitted as her stomach started to growl a little.
"Perhaps you should visit my diner," The old woman suggested. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Mrs. Lucas, but everybody calls me 'Granny'."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs.-" Cathleen began.
"Every. Body." Granny emphasized.
"...Nice to meet you, Granny." Cathleen then said.
"Very good," Granny smiled and nodded. "You should probably visit my diner and get yourself something to eat."
"Thank you, ma'am." Cathleen replied.
"I'll be there momentarily..." Granny said before she talked with Madame Foster a bit more. "I just hope I can take good care of Ruby like you do with Frankie."
"Oh, Frankie is harmless most of the time," Madame Foster smiled at her friend. "You're doing just fine, my friend."
Cathleen soon stepped out before a black Cadillac pulled up right next to her and the window rolled down.
"Don't question it, just get in," Cherry said as she leaned out the window. "Believe me, you have no choice."
Cathleen just shrugged and got in the car as Mr. Gold drove off.
"All right, wiseguy..." Cherry said before facing Mr. Gold. "When do we go home?"
"All in good time..." Mr. Gold smirked as they drove off to Granny's Diner. "You'll get some breakfast... Then I'm gonna take you to my shop. Since it's a school day, my little apprentice won't be in, so it'll be just us. Not to mention the library is open."
Cherry and Cathleen just shrugged.
"You don't remember now, but you will, Cherry," Mr. Gold said before he briefly looked the perky goth in the eyes. "It will all be worth it."
"You..." Cherry said slowly before leaning in and glaring right into his eyes. "Are creepy."
Eventually, they came to the diner where two girls were working, one had black hair and wore a green dress and the other had blonde hair and a blue dress.
"Ugh, I hate being a waitress!" The black-haired girl complained.
"Because of the hours?" The blonde girl guessed.
"Because I have no fingers!" The black-haired girl glared. "Why do we take these jobs?"
"Don't complain, Buttercup, it's not that bad of a job, plus you have to do this for your Work-Study program in school." Ruby said as she helped them clear a table.
"It still sucks." Buttercup groused.
"Just remember," Ruby told them. "You and Bubbles are lucky that Granny took you in."
"Yeah, your granny's cool, I just hate this job most of the time." Buttercup rolled her eyes.
"It could be worse," Bubbles shrugged. "We could always ask Blossom for help though. I hear that she wants to be a motivational speaker."
Cherry and Cathleen soon came inside the diner and went to get something to eat.
"I could eat anything." Cherry groaned as she sat at a booth with her friend.
"Welcome to Granny's Diner," Bubbles smiled as she came by, giving them a couple of menus and poured them glasses of water. "May I start you off with some water?"
"Yes, please." Cathleen replied.
"Thank you." Cherry added.
"I'd recommend the lasagna... But that's for dinner." Bubbles giggled.
"...Right," Cherry rolled her eyes a bit. "Uh, I think I'll just have a macaroni and cheese omelet with home fries."
"I want to try your country fried steak with hash browns." Cathleen added.
"Excellent choices," Bubbles smiled as she took their menus. "Biscuits?"
"Maybe just a couple." Cherry shrugged.
"All right! Be back soon!" Bubbles giggled before she went off. "Ruby! Orders for Table 10!"
"Coming up, Bubbles." Ruby smiled at the girl.
Cathleen looked over at Ruby before rubbing her eyes.
"You okay?" Cherry asked.
"It's just... I thought I've seen that girl before..." Cathleen said.
Cherry shrugged. "Meh... It's probably nothing."
Cathleen just looked over at Ruby.
"Don't stare," Cherry scolded. "It's not nice."
"It's just... I feel like I've seen her somewhere before..." Cathleen said.
"Interesting..." Mr. Gold smirked as he came by. "Sorry I'm late, dearies."
"Ugh..." Cherry groaned and turned away from him.
"Did you order already?" Mr. Gold asked as he sat with them, setting his cane down beside him.
"Yeah, sorry." Cathleen said.
Bubbles soon came by with the biscuits, setting them down before gasping.
"Tell Granny and Ruby I'd like my usual this morning." Mr. Gold told her.
Bubbles nodded before running away like she was scared of him.
"Why did she run away like she was scared of you?" Cathleen asked Mr. Gold.
"I don't know what you're talking about, dearie," Mr. Gold smiled innocently. "Perhaps she's respecting the town's rules."
"Like you know a lot about 'em?" Cherry asked.
"Ah, yes, did I forget to mention that not only do I own the pawnshop, but I own this town, so I collect everybody's rent and can evict them if they don't pay up?" Mr. Gold then asked. "Well, now you know. Some people can be skittish around me."
"Don't suck my blood, Dracula." Cherry rolled her eyes.
Mr. Gold chuckled at her quip. "You amuse me, Cherry." he said, not letting her silver tongue bring him down.
"And you deeply disturb me..." Cherry said as she scooted away from him.
"Still your type," Cathleen teased. "So dark and mysterious and scares everybody."
"Ah, shush, Birthday Girl." Cherry rolled her eyes before Granny gave them their food.
"There you go, dears," Granny said as she brought the girls their breakfast. "Enjoy your breakfast."
"Thanks, Granny." Cherry and Cathleen said.
Granny glanced at Mr. Gold who glared at her before she walked away from the table in silence. Bubbles soon came back with a cup of tea for Mr. Gold as she did the same as Granny.
"So what's going on in this town?" Cherry asked Mr. Gold as she began to eat up.
"After you get some strength, I'll take you into my shop," Mr. Gold said as he drank his coffee. "I have a surprise waiting."
"What's the surprise?" Cathleen asked.
"You'll find out~..." Mr. Gold stated ominously.
"Are you kidding me?" Cathleen groaned.
"Don't shout." Cherry said as she buttered her biscuit.
"What are you trying to pull on us, old man?!" Cathleen cried out.
"Hey... You're shouting... Don't shout..." Cherry told Cathleen. "Especially in a public place like this... With... Some strange characters..." she then said as she saw a lot of other kinds of people that blended in with the citizens.
"Eat your breakfast and you will find out." Mr. Gold told them calmly.
Cathleen let out a small groan as the three of them eat their breakfast quietly and peacefully.
"Cheesy enough... Not like home, but still good..." Cherry said before Bubbles and Buttercup got into school uniforms and went with Ruby to her car as she drove them to school. "I wonder if we'll see those kids again?"
"Probably at 3:00," Mr. Gold said to her. "It's a school day after all."
"Ah... Right..." Cherry shrugged.
After breakfast was over, Mr. Gold paid the bill and soon took them back over to his car to go to his pawnshop which was a bit dark and mysterious looking.
"This town makes me want to weep and then die." Cherry said dramatically.
"What's going on now?" Cathleen asked.
"Come with me..." Mr. Gold said as he went to the door and unlocked it. "And maybe later, you can meet my family."
"I don't wanna meet anybody until you tell me what's going on." Cherry said, following him out with Cathleen.
"What are your lives like?" Mr. Gold asked as he walked inside.
"Uh... I work at a bookstore part-time and Cathleen works at a grocery store," Cherry shrugged as she walked in with Cathleen. "Our lives are very boring and mundane... No boyfriends, no adventures, nothing exciting other than hanging out with each other whenever we have clear schedules."
"We could use some excitement in our lives." Cathleen nodded in agreement.
"Interesting... And how sad..." Mr. Gold smirked. "One of you made a wish like this?"
"Meh." Cherry shrugged.
Mr. Gold soon took them to the back room and brought out a very large book. "How very curious... You two have been cursed... And when I give you this book... You are going to listen to everything I say..." he said before showing the book.
The book was a very large scrapbook that said "Cherry's Adventures" on it.
"That book has your name on it." Cathleen told Cherry.
"I can read," Cherry replied. "It's a coincidence, right, Gold?"
Mr. Gold didn't say anything and soon threw the book right at them as it was very heavy with several pages inside of it. Cherry soon caught the book in her arms before falling into a sitting position as it began to glow all around it and it glowed all around her before her eyes widened and she had glowing eyes as something began to happen to her. Eventually, the glowing stopped as she looked up and all around.
"Hello, Cherry." Mr. Gold said as he knelt down beside the girl.
"R-Richard..." Cherry whispered before she suddenly stood up with his help and hugged him once they both stood up. "You're alive."
Cathleen just look at what just happened. "What the heck is going on?!" she then cried out.
Mr. Gold soon took the book and gave it to Cathleen next. Cathleen nearly stumbled before her eyes widened as she glowed and something began to happen to her next.
"Good... You're both awake now..." Mr. Gold said as he stood in front of them. "Can you tell me about yourselves?"
"I'm an adventurer..." Cherry said softly. "And I'm not mortal... I have special powers... Including being a vampire."
"What do you remember about yourself?" Mr. Gold asked Cathleen next after Cherry was properly restored.
"I'm not a mortal either... For I am actually a wolf..." Cathleen replied. "Along with various other special powers... I even have a boyfriend... Rex Salazar."
"So it worked..." Mr. Gold smirked. "Welcome to the life of adventure, girls."
"I don't understand though," Cathleen said. "Why don't we remember? And what's going on in this city?"
"I regret to inform you that there's been a curse cast on the city that combined my home with the citizens of this town and they've been separated into three classes," Mr. Gold said. "The animals have become natural animals, such as folks like Cow and Chicken who live on a farm right now as A cow and A chicken," he then took out three cards and showed them to the girls. "The classes are as followed... Cartoon Cartoon, those who are originally from here... What a Cartoon, those who are honorary, but not official... And Hanna-Barbera, those who came long before Cartoon Network City existed and were retired into Boomerang Acres."
Cathleen then gasped. "Then those two girls back at the restaurant were-" she then began to realize.
"Indeed," Mr. Gold nodded. "Bubbles and Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls."
"A new curse?" Cherry asked. "So are you and-"
"The others from Storybrooke aren't affected, but I used magic to build this world... This Storybrooke City, merged from both Storybrooke and Cartoon Network City, and we were waiting for you, especially because the future is in danger." Mr. Gold interrupted in warning.
"And we're the Chosen Ones to save the city?" Cherry guessed.
"Yes... Like Henry said... You are the Toon Saviors," Mr. Gold replied. "The Toons don't remember about their adventures since someone took them away from them. The cartoons you know and love have different lives. Bubbles and Buttercup work at Granny's Diner, Blossom is a part-time motivational speaker, Dexter takes pictures of peoples' pets, Samurai Jack is a landscaper now... The list is endless."
"Is he telling the truth?" Cathleen asked Cherry.
Cherry sighed. "He hasn't lied to me before," she then said. "...Especially with personal things." she mumbled.
"Do you know who took everyone's memories away then?" Cathleen then asked the man.
"I'm afraid that's a problem I have yet to solve," Mr. Gold frowned gravely. "Henry says it's a horrible villain, but I can't figure out who it was, especially after Regina formed from the last curse."
"Regina?" Cathleen asked.
"She was the mayor of Storybrooke," Cherry explained. "She was also The Evil Queen from their universe's Enchanted Forest, like the one I faced with Atticus and Mo to protect Snow White..." she then rolled her eyes. "That was the most annoying adventure of my life."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Cathleen then asked. "We gotta go save 'em."
"You'll also have to blend in, so I took the liberty of giving you both jobs here." Mr. Gold said as he walked by.
"Jobs?" Cherry asked. "We already have jobs."
"Where you came from, maybe, but not in Storybrooke City," Mr. Gold told them. "Miss Butler, you'll work with me in my shop and Miss Ross, you'll be a waitress at Granny's Diner."
"How will we know if one of us is in trouble?" Cathleen asked.
"You have those cellular phones, don't you?" Mr. Gold asked.
"Cell phones, ugh!" Cherry groaned and face-palmed at how old-fashioned he sounded.
"Yes... Quite," Mr. Gold replied. "And remember, you can't leave town, or-"
"We'll lose all of our memories if we cross the town line, yeah, I remember..." Cherry nodded.
"Do you understand too, Miss Ross?" Mr. Gold then asked the other girl.
"Good... Because if you refuse..." Mr. Gold smirked before snapping his fingers, making them a dog and a cat. "I could always use more familiars."
"We're not refusing!" Cherry cried out. "Change us back!"
"Sorry... Couldn't resist..." Mr. Gold chuckled before he changed them back to normal. "Best thing to do is to look out for any magic or adventure that'll come our way... Who knows who could've done this?"
"So it wasn't Regina again? ...Dang it," Cherry sighed and shook her head. "It's probably the last person we'll suspect."
"Not to mention that three children have gone missing because of it," Mr. Gold said. "Not Dylan, Eve, or Henry... Though, Dylan and Eve have their own stories that need saving."
"So, uh... Who are Dylan and Eve?" Cherry soon asked.
Mr. Gold gave her a deadpan gaze. "You met them last night..." he reminded her.
"No, I mean... Who are they?" Cherry asked. "Where did they come from?"
"I could tell you... But it might be dangerous if I reveal such information..." Mr. Gold warned. "And I should know about time travel... Back before the first curse that took over Storybrooke, I met Killian Jones and Emma Swan when they interfered with her parents' first meeting back when I was... Well, you know."
Cherry nodded as she remembered. Cathleen just felt confused.
"The people of Storybrooke are fairy tale people, we used to live in The Enchanted Forest, until Regina who was The Evil Queen from Snow White cast a curse and everyone was sent into a world without magic," Mr. Gold told Cathleen. "This one... Until Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter was found by her long-lost son and brought here to undo the curse."
"Oh..." Cathleen said.
"Not too long after, Cherry arrived into town," Mr. Gold said before smirking. "She wanted to take a gap year off of school and came here to find herself... And I found her... And then we-"
"AH! No one needs to know about that!" Cherry interrupted.
"We'll just keep that as our little secret then." Mr. Gold chuckled.
"Please..." Cherry begged before looking around. "By the way... Uh... Whatever happened to-"
"Oh, dear, you're back." A brown-haired woman smiled as she held the hand of a young girl who had dark blonde hair and brown eyes, coming through the door.
"Belle." Mr. Gold smiled back at her before they walked into each other and kissed.
Cherry's eyes widened at the sight of the young girl as she shook her head rapidly and nervously.
"Huh... That kid almost looks like you." Cathleen said to Cherry.
"Uh... I think we need to go now." Cherry gulped.
"Cherry, do you know that girl?" Cathleen asked suspiciously.
"...No, I don't." Cherry replied.
"Why did you hesitate?" Cathleen asked.
"...I didn't hesitate." Cherry said.
"You did it again!" Cathleen glared slightly.
"...Did not," Cherry said before going to rush out the door. "Uh, so I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Gold, and I'll be on my way."
"Cherry?" Belle whispered. "Is that you?"
"Crud..." Cherry groaned as she wasn't fast enough to go out the door.
"Who are you?" Cathleen asked Belle.
"Oh, hello there, I don't believe we've met," Belle smiled at Cathleen. "My name is Belle and I work in the library with Velma Dinkley."
"Velma Dinkley?!" Cathleen asked. "As in Velma Dinkley who's a member of the Mystery Inc?!"
Belle glanced over at Mr. Gold.
"She's one of the Toon Saviors that Henry's been talking about." Mr. Gold told his wife.
"I-I see... So you know the story then..." Belle calmly said as she looked over at Cathleen before looking over at the other girl in the room. "...Cherry?"
"...Hi, Belle." Cherry greeted softly and nervously.
"It's been a long time, huh?" Belle smiled innocently.
"Yeah, I guess..." Cherry said as she turned away.
"So you know this woman too?" Cathleen asked Cherry.
"...I-I know a few things..." Cherry said softly.
"Rumple, does she not remember?" Belle asked her husband. "She's finally back."
"It's complicated, Belle." Mr. Gold told his wife.
"Did she just call him Rumple? I thought you said his name was Richard." Cathleen said to Cherry.
"R-R-Richard's actually my name for him..." Cherry coughed nervously as she gripped her collar. "Can we go now? I think we need to go."
"Cherry, please, tell me, what's going on?!" Cathleen begged.
"Yes, Cherry, why don't you tell her?" Mr. Gold asked as he put his arm around Belle. "We're all family after all."
Belle soon picked up the little girl in the shop and took her in the back room to play with her dolls since she could tell that this looked and sounded serious.
"...Okay, he told you I was here before with some new friends... You just don't remember because of a deal I made..." Cherry said to Cathleen with a sharp sigh before pointing at Aurelia as Belle left with her. "You see that little girl?"
Cathleen glanced back before nodding, though it was obvious to her until Belle and Aurelia were out of earshot.
"...That's my daughter." Cherry said quietly.
