Snow found herself back in bed in the summer palace. She got up and ran to find David. He was on the floor next to the wardrobe. "David! Are you hurt? What's happened?"

"I'm fine. I think the curse broke. Emma must have done something." He looked at the blood stain on his shirt remembering he was stabbed all those years ago. He lifted it up and saw it was still healed thankfully. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Do you think she's here? We need to find her and the others."

"Agreed. She was with Regina and Henry. Maybe they were taken back to the Queen's Palace."

Snow burst into tears. "What if she isn't? And Henry?"

David hugged her tight. "Have hope. First thing's first. Let's find Regina and see what's happened."

~

Regina found herself back in the forest alone in the place it all started. That was her price for everything. To be cursed to lose yet another person she loved. She bawled her eyes out pathetically in the darkness for a while. There was nothing left to do. She lost everyone. She couldn't face the palace. Not after everything that had happened.

She traipsed aimlessly in the dark not caring about her safety or who saw her. If anyone was even here after all this time.

She walked for hours until the sun began to rise over the horizon and she spotted a small, abandoned cottage. It was barely habitable and obviously destroyed by her own dark knights at some point. It felt fitting and she decided that would be where she'd live out the rest of her lonely days.

Thick ash tarnished the walls and nothing but a few charred sticks remained of the bed. She flicked her wrist and made herself a small, simple cot, no bigger than the one back in Storybrooke's cells. There would be no luxury from here on in. No tricks or taking what she desired. She desired nothing now. Only that which she couldn't have.

One more trick before she resigned herself to her punishment. With tears still trickling down her cheeks, she conjured a framed photograph of Henry, herself and Emma. It was a selfie they'd taken on the beach last weekend and she'd printed it out and kept it in the drawer in the office. It wasn't the same one, but it was almost an exact replica based on her memory. She held it and curled up on the cot with it willing sleep to come and relieve her of the pain. Her nightmares would be sweet compared to this.

~

Emma slept only two hours and they were not peaceful ones. Her face was puffy and her eyes bloodshot. She went and made herself coffee knowing it was the only thing that would fuel her. Henry came down about an hour later to find her sitting alone and staring blankly into space. "You okay Ma?"

She turned and tried not to cry as her eyes met his innocent ones. "Come here." He did as he was told and she pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, kid. I messed up. I broke the curse and everyone's gone."

"What do you mean? You already broke the curse. Where's Mom?"

Her eyes teared up again. "I unfroze everyone gave them their memories back. I didn't finish it. I see that now."

"Ma, what's happened? You're scaring me."

She hugged him harder and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm so sorry. Don't be scared. I'll figure it out." She composed herself realizing she had to be strong for him. "Okay. Remember a few weeks back you asked about true loves kiss? Well, you were right. Your mom and I are a true love pairing. We had the magic kiss last night, and you were also right about the other part. It broke the curse completely. Everyone has gone back to the. Enchanted Forest. If I'd known, I would have stopped it. I tried. Your mom tried too but it was too powerful. I called grandma. The pirate was there. He saw them disappear too."

Henry started to cry realizing the gravity of the situation. "But, what about us? Why didn't it take us back?"

Emma's breath shuddered. She steadied her voice and held back the tears. "Because we were never cursed."

Henry was in shock and ran to the window. "But the town? The house, it's all still here. It shouldn't be here. They might still come back."

Emma hadn't thought about that. She wouldn't take his hope away. She smiled. "Maybe, kid. We need to go and check if anyone else is left and figure this out. Want some breakfast?"

He shook his head but she popped a bowl of cereal in front of him anyway. "Eat something. It's gonna be a long day and I doubt Granny's is gonna be open."

She went to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She needed Regina's magical fixer right about now. It was worth a shot. She focused her magic and wiped her hands in front of her face. It felt tingly so something must have happened. She ran to the mirror in the hall and checked her reflection. Not bad. Full day make up and not a sign of crying. She tried it on her hair and it transformed into her bouncy curls. A small smile spread over her lips. Regina would be proud she finally mastered that one.

Henry came out into the hallway to find her staring at her reflection lost it thought. "I'm ready."

She snapped her head around and smiled. "You are in your pyjamas."

He shrugged. "What's the point getting changed if there's no-one left in town?"

Emma scowled. "There is at least one other person left in town, and your Mom would kill us both if you left the house looking like that. Go get changed. I'll wait."

He plodded upstairs and Emma looked at the mirror again. Maybe she could do this. She summoned her magic and focused on that utter desperation she felt when she was thinking about Regina's soul mate. She wiggled her fingers at the mirror. It glowed and she knew it had worked. "Show me Regina."

The mirror sparked and twisted and the image of her love appeared in the glass. She was asleep in a dark place clinging to something. Aside from her hair being much longer and the black gown, she knew it was definitely her. She touched the mirror and tears threatened again. "I'm going to find you. If you can hear me, Regina, I'll find a way. I swear it."

Henry watched the scene from the top step then ran back to his room to get his book. He shoved it in his bag and remembered something else. He ran into his mom's bedroom and opened her vanity drawer searching for something and making a mess of her products. He breathed a sigh of relief when he grabbed what he needed and ran down to Emma.

"Here. This is hers. She used it to talk to people, like a cell phone. Maybe you can get it to work too."

Emma smiled and took the compact mirror flicking it ppen. "You are a smart kid. Thank you. We'll try it later, when she wakes up. Good job I paid attention in magic class."

He smiled and they went outside to her bug. "We'll find them. I believe in you."

She ruffled his hair before driving off to her parents house. "I believe it too."

~

Snow and David were preparing the carriage when Blue and a group of the others arrived. "You're all here too. Have you seen Emma and Henry?"

Blue shook her head in disappointment. "They aren't here, Snow. I'm so sorry. It had to be this way. I thought we had a few more years until I broke it to you."

Snow looked angry. "What do you mean? What is going on and where is my daughter?"

Blue tilted her head. "Can we talk somewhere alone?"

Snow nodded and the three of them went inside the palace. Once there, Blue began her story. "Emma broke the curse and did exactly what she was meant to do. She must have destroyed the Queen's heart last night. That would explain why we are all back here. By completing her task, it means she accepted darkness into her heart and she is no longer the savior. She won't ever be able to return."

Snow lunged at her. "You... You planned this? All of this? You knew!" David held her back and Blue swallowed hard.

"It wasn't my plan, no. It was the vision I received and the only way to guarantee we all got our lives back from that terrible curse. I hoped you would have longer with her before it happened. I'm afraid she took matters into her own hands."

David shook his head. "No. She wouldn't. She would not do that. They are friends. Regina is Henry's mother. She wouldn't take him away from her."

Blue looked at them with pain in her eyes. "I know it is hard to believe. Sometimes love blinds us to the faults of others."

Snow shook her head furiously, refusing to believe it. "No! I spoke to her a few hours before it happened. She was going for movie night with Henry and Regina. She wanted us to give her a second chance, for Henry's sake." Her tears fell and David stood firm and strong holding his wife close.

"That isn't what's happened. Would you really allow Regina to be killed? She has been doing everything to redeem herself."

Blue's eye began to twitch trying to contain her anger. "There is no redemption for what she did. Now the Mills line can do no further harm. The war ends now and forever. I'm sorry that you lost your child, but she has saved us all and any future generations to come. We will honor her sacrifice."

Snow snorted somewhere between a laugh and grimace. "If any of this is true, what about Henry? You'd just let him lose everyone he's ever known and loved in one convenient move?"

Blue moistened her lips. "Henry was never supposed to exist. I can do some spells if you like, help ease the pain of those memories, or take them away."

David drew his sword. "If the queen is dead, Snow is the rightful queen. Say the word, my love, and I'll run her through."

Blue popped her wings and flitted up into the air away from the blade. "There's no need for any more violence."

"You dare touch our memories or anyone else's. I forbid you from doing any magic. In fact, you are under arrest for treason." Snow summoned the guards.

Blue spluttered. "Don't be ridiculous! I've always been on your side, through everything!'

The guards threw a net charged with magical restraints over the fairy and she fell to the floor where they were able to take her prisoner. "You have done terrible things, Blue. To us, to my family. You never gave anyone a chance. You have done nothing bur manipulate us for all these years. You used my baby to make your visions come true, and now you say that was the plan all along. To use her again. Take her to the dungeons." The guards did their job and Snow turned to David with horror in her eyes. "It isn't true. I know it with all my heart."

David pulled her into his arms. "You and me both. Something happened though and I intend to find the truth. We need to go to the Queen's Palace. If there's even a chance, that's where we'll find it."

Snow gathered herself and realized she'd have to step up as interim Royal until they knew. The two walked outside and the others immediately noticed Blue's absence.

"Where is she?" Grumpy asked on behalf of all of them.

Snow straightened her posture and addressed them as subjects. "It has come to my attention that the Blue Fairy is no longer an ally and cannot be trusted. Until we find the Queen, I will resume my role as next in lline to the throne. I have ordered the Blue Fairy to be locked up for committing treason."

Sounds of gasps and whispers went up around the crowd. Leroy was the only one who looked happy for a change. Granny spoke up. "Is Regina dead? Did Blue kill her?"

More whispers went up and someone mentioned they'd seen the mayor shooting off her magic at the convent recently. Snow hushed them.

"As far as we know, Regina is alive. Something happened to break the curse and send us all back, but we need to find the Queen before we make any assumptions. We owe it to her to give her a second chance. Everyone deserves that.We are going to the Queen's Palace if any of you would like to follow."

A few fell back and but the dwarves, Ruby and Granny stepped forward. Snow smiled at them warmly.

Grumpy swung his pick axe over his shoulder. "We got your back, sister. I never liked Blue anyway."

Ruby put her metal horns up and grinned. "Ride or die, bitch!"

Granny smacked her around the back of her head with the butt of her rifle. "Show some respect to your royals!" She gave Snow an exasperated look shaking her head. "She was my best customer. I'd hardly call it a curse what she did."

She turned around to face the crowds. "Think about it. She gave us all a pretty decent life. Mod cons, indoor plumbing, Michael Jackson."

The others who'd been on the fence started nodding in agreement and stepped forward. Granny winked at Snow and she smiled back. "Well then, let's go find her."

~

Emma opened the door and found the pirate drunk and snoring on her couch. She assumed he was drunk by the smell of rum coming off him. She kicked him awake. "Hey, you, Hook, get up."

He groaned as she carried on kicking him awake. When he opened his eyes she stopped. He smiled up at her. "Well this is a nice surprise waking up and seeing your pretty face."

She grimaced. "Ugh, behave. Not interested dude, and my son is here so watch your words."

He sat up and nodded at Henry. "Morning, lad."

Henry didn't say a word.

"Okay, so did you see anyone since we spoke?"

"I bunkered down here as you suggested. You're the first people I've seen since yesterday."

"Right, well we are going to search the rest of town but it looks like everyone who was cursed has gone back to the Enchanted Forest."

Hook narrowed his eyes. "I'll come with you. I was actually looking for someone. Bloody waste of a trip if they've all gone."

He followed Emma and Henry out of the apartment and looked at the odd vehicle in disgust. "I'm not getting in that."

Emma shrugged. "Fine, you can walk." She got in and turned the key. He huffed and got in the passenger side.

"I think it's best we stay together." He conceded and held on firm to the dashboard as they pulled away.

"Be careful with that thing. My car might be old, but I like it." She noticed his hook making a dent in the dash. "So you came here by ship from the Enchanted Forest?"

"I did."

"How? Through a portal?"

He sighed feeling a bit queasy as the car rattled over bumps on the road. "Yes. I had a bean. Sailed it right through the middle of the ocean and popped up off the coast of somewhere called Bermuda. It took a while to find this place, but other than that, it was smooth sailing."

Emma kept looking left and right as they drove but was listening intently. "Got any more beans?"

"Sadly not. Do you have any giants in Storybrooke?"

Emma shook her head. "If we did, they've all gone now. Did you come alone?"

"Of course not. My crew are all with me."

"How many?"

"Twenty-two, and myself."

Emma was already formulating a plan in her mind. She drove up to Gold's shop and parked outside. Henry got out too. "Ma, what are you doing?"

"It's okay, Henry. I just need to check something. You can come with, just don't touch anything." He nodded and followed her inside. Hook came up behind them.

"What is this place? It looks like a pirate's cove."

Emma huffed. She didn't feel particularly qualified to be the educator considering all things. "It's Mr. Gold's shop. The Dark One, uhm Rumplestilskin."

Hook's eyes darkened. "I know who the Dark One is. Is he here?"

Emma jumped over the counter and peeped through the curtain. She froze when she saw the redhead they'd seen on the beach sleeping on the couch and wrapped in a red cloak. With legs. She shook her head. "He isn't here, but someone is."

"Are you Ariel?"

The woman stirred and jumped back when she saw the woman peering at her. "I'm so sorry. Forgive me, I was looking for someone. This belonged to him. I saw it through the glass. I meant no harm."

Emma tried to reassure her. "Hey, it's okay. This isn't my place. I'm the sheriff, uhm the savior. I came here looking for something too. We mean no harm either."

The woman pulled the cloak tighter around herself. "Do you know the man this belongs to? I was told I'd find him here."

Emma shook her head just as Hook popped his head around the curtain. Ariel screeched. "You! What are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too lass. Still looking for that Prince of yours?" He laughed and Emma shot him a look.

"Hey, wanna back off?"

He raised his hand and went back out. Ariel whispered. "Don't trust him. He's a trickster."

Emma nodded. "I believe you, and I don't." She sat next to the mermaid and sighed. "I saw you come in the other day. I was at the beach. The thing is, everyone who was here under the curse has gone back to the Enchanted Forest. If the guy you were looking for was here, he isn't now. I've been searching the town all morning for anyone. You, and him, are the only two people I've found. We weren't cursed, so, how did you get here?"

Arial laughed. "I swam!"

"From The Enchanted Forest?"

She nodded. "Yes, well, Agrabar actually. Same realm, just a bit farther."

"How did you swim to a different realm? Did you have some sort of portal, a bean maybe?"

Arial laughed again. "I'm a mermaid! Sorry, you probably didn't know that with these things." She gestured at her legs.

"Oh no, I know that. Regina told me."

"Regina the Queen?"

Emma groaned. She really wasn't doing great on the little sleep and night of crying. "Yeah, she told me what happened between you two. I'm sorry, I'm guessing you didn't like her much. She's different now, though. She's trying to change. Well, she was before she disappeared."

Arial looked at Emma more closely. She seemed familiar but she knew she'd never met her before. "I thought she was nice too but she tricked me. I didn't know she was the Queen until after she tried to kill Snow White."

Emma rolled her eyes and laughed.

"How is that funny?"

"Oh, it's not. It's just Snow White is my mom and Regina and I are close. It doesn't surprise me at all. I asked what she'd done to deserve a fork in her neck. She swore she gave you everything you wanted. Knew it jad to be a lie."

Arial was beginning to think the woman was a little crazy. "Okay. Yeah she did. She gave me legs but on the condition I took your mother's. I stabbed her so your mother could escape."

"Well then I owe you my life. And my son's. Thank you."

The mermaid looked again and saw the resemblance to Snow. She smiled. "Thank you. So everyone has gone? Why didn't you go?"

"I wasn't cursed. They sent me here through a portal when I was born. I only found out who my parents were, or any of this magic stuff last year. I've been learning and trying to understand it all, but I grew up here in a land without magic I am looking for a way to find them all. Can you help?"

Emma had come to the shop hoping to find a bean or something like Jefferson's hat. She didn't expect a mermaid.

Arial's heart swooned. She was as desperate to find her family as she herself was to find her true love. Now she understood why the woman didn't know how she got there.

"I can help, if you can help me. Mermaids can cross realms. I can take you there."

Emma felt the heaviness she'd carried since last night lift a little and a new sense of hope rising in her. "And my son too?"

Arial frowned. "I couldn't take you both under the sea. Not that far."

Emma nodded. "What if we had a ship? Do you think you could guide us?"

Arial looked nervously at the curtain and back at Emma. She got closer and whispered in her ear. "I could try but there's no guarantee it would work. I'd need help, and he can't know."

Emma nodded and grabbed a Storybrooke tour guide Rumple always seemed to have in the shop and she'd often wondered about. She circled Regina's address and marked Gold's shop. "We're here. Come here in two hours and we can talk in private." Ariel nodded and Emma left the back room.

Hook was outside and Henry was sat on the counter. "Come on, kid. Let's go see if I can rustle up some leftovers from your Mom's fridge." She whispered. "Project swanqueen. Got it?"

Henry nodded excitedly. "Got it, Ma."

Outside she approached Hook. "I'm gonna go and get the kid something to eat and try and get some rest. Are you planning on leaving town any rime soon?"

Hook shrugged. "Well, there isn't much to stay around for, unless someone changes my mind."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smiled. "If you do decide to leave. We're coming with you okay. I'm looking for something to open a portal back to the Enchanted Forest. You've got the boat, if I get a bean do we have a deal?"

Hook offered his hand to shake on it. "I'll consult with my crew, but I highly doubt anyone will be opposed to going back. This isn't what we came for."

"What did you come here for?"

Hook nodded up at the sign behind them. "I came to kill the Dark One."

"Oh." Emma smiled again. Honestly, nothing else could really phase her by this point. "That actually answers a lot of questions. Well lucky for you, you're in good company." She needed to keep him sweet. His ship was their best shot at finding Regina and the others. "I'll drop by your ship tomorrow. Don't leave without saying goodbye." She got in the car and watched him walk back in the direction of the docks.

"So, are we going to The Enchanted Forest?" Henry asked from the backseat. She kept her eyes on the rearview mirror until he rounded the corner.

"That's the plan, kid."