Regina, very sad after Robin left, was looking for a happy ending and she knew that an author would be able to write it for her.

With her adopted son, Henry, she found a clue about the author. August Booth, once again the Pinocchio he was without memory, had once put his story in the storybook to help Emma, Henry's savior and birth mother, make her believe in her destiny. Regina told herself that he knew the author well, but unfortunately Pinocchio didn't remember his old life.

"I know everybody wants me to remember but I just don't", the young boy said in front of all these faces which expected too much for him.

"You went to Phuket, you rode a motorcyccle, you wore leather and didn't shave. No, he's not trying hard enough. All you need to do is concentrate and think ! Or is that head of yours still made out of wood ? " Regina cried

The little boy was very scared. Geppetto came to his rescue.

"Stop, I won't have you speak that way to my boy. Has it never occurred to you that maybe this quest is ill-fated ? After ruining everyone else's happy ending, what makes you think that today you deserve the right to happiness? "

"I can ask you the same question, toy maker, Considering you lied to everyone about the wardrobe, so you can send Pinocchio to this world, you are no worse than me"

"I wouldn't have needed to if it wasn't for your curse. I had to save him, you stay away from my son."

Even though she had changed, Geppetto had not forgiven her for having separated him from his son for so long. She had broken this family but she could make up for it and just ask him forgiveness.

"If someone talked to Henry, the way I spoke to your boy, I would have done a lot worse than yell at them. I know I was out of the line. It's just everytime, I seem to make progress towards my happy ending it hit another dead end. But I know I'll never find it revert to my old ways, so I'm sorry"

Geppetto was a wise man, but one who had principles. He accepted Regina's apology because he wanted to understand her. He knew she was no longer the evil queen, just a woman who wanted to resist the darkness.

"After the Blue Fairy turned August into a little boy, I kept everything he brought to town, just in case he remembered the man he used to be. Perhaps, something in here, will help you find what you are looking for. If my boy can't help you with this, perhaps yours will have more ideas. Good luck! "

Regina gave the leather bag to Henry. Henry found a lot of things: notebooks, pencils, but two things caught his attention. It was a page with a golden door and a book that August had written "The First Hours of a Love Story". In the evening, in his room, Regina saw Henry reading this book:

"He was a big fan of love stories, I didn't think so!"

"Sounds very personal to me," Henry said in his reading.

Regina walked over to her son's bed but she saw a picture under her shoe.

"Who is it ?" She wondered, "I don't remember seeing her in Storybrooke."

It was a young blonde woman, in a swimsuit with the beach in the background.

"Surely one of his conquests," she said to herself, under her breath.

"Show me," Henry stopping in his reading. "I'm not sure. The picture fell from the book I think. You really think he would keep a picture of a conquest on him, there's just this one more. I'm sure the book speaks for it. Her. "

"So she must have been very important to him!"

"Do you know what that means?", Henry smiled.

"That there is a way to wake Pinocchio," Regina smirked at him.

Regina bewitched the picture as she had done with Belle when she had false memories. Henry like August very much, even though Pinocchio was around his age. But August had been a father figure, he was also the only person who believed him in his stories during the curse. He was the only one who didn't see him as a crazy kid. And he still needed him to help his mother. When he realized that there was a solution to bring him back, he didn't hesitate one second.

Henry went to see the Blue Fairy explaining his plan. The Blue Fairy recognized that it was a good idea.

Meanwhile, Regina rushed over to Geppetto to talk to him about it. He told her it was her last chance.

Henry showed the picture to Pinocchio.

"I know you don't remember your life before but I need you to look at this picture"

"Who is she ?" the little boy said

"A woman you loved, does she remind you?"

"No !"

"Concentrate, please look at it as long as possible …"

The little boy took the picture in his hands and concentrated then lifted his head and looked at his father, Regina and the Blue fairy. Nothing happened. He put the picture down but when he wanted to stand up, he got itches all over the place, starting with the leg and full of flashes

"You will protect this baby" / "I'm so sorry Emma"

Pinocchio continued to twist in pain, his head was in pain, he heard his father at a low level "something must be done, what have you done to him?" "

Then more flashes

"Let's live our adventures together" / "You have to leave the woman you love to save Emma "/ I will never abandon you Annie" / "You are our only hope" "then you are scrubbed" / "I'm going to warn them" / "Forgive me, papa" / "Emma it's her, it's her who"

Then he fell to the ground, completely unconscious then immediately he moved in all directions. The blue fairy, with her wand immobilized him so that he wouldn't suffer. Then a large magical opening made the four spectators fall.

When they opened their eyes, they were amazed to see a bearded, biker-looking man lying on the ground replacing the little red-haired boy. Regina and Henry couldn't believe their eyes.

August was back.

Geppetto rushed over to his son. Regina helped him carry him to his bed.

While waiting for August to wake up, Regina walked over to the entrance to the house and placed a protective charm. The witches, Maleficent, Cruella and Ursula had seen MR Gold in New York and he had been able to tell them about the author. They could very well have had the same idea as Regina and capture Pinocchio. If they found out that Pinocchio had recovered his memory, they could hurt him a lot. August is not the type of person who is willing to confess everything. He likes to keep things to himself.

Regina couldn't bear that, through her fault, he still had to suffer and be tortured by careless witches. She wanted to protect him and not tell anyone that he was back to himself or Emma or the Charmants for fear of being listened to by Ursula's shells. She will do this until they give up and Emma has dealt with them. It could take days, weeks, months, but it was the least she could do to forgive herself for what she had put Geppetto through.

This protective charm forbade August and Geppetto to leave their home, Regina could enter and leave but above all no one could enter nor even the most powerful of wizards.

Before that, she asked Henry and the Blue Fairy to come out and not say anything about what had just happened. She told Geppetto about all this, she promised him that she would protect them no matter what.

August woke up and saw Regina.

"What is she doing here?"

August didn't have complete trust in her. She terrified him when he was a child and when he was an adult during the curse he didn't want to deal with her. She was a manipulator. As he remembered his childhood life in Storybrooke, he knew she wanted to change, but it was still the Evil Queen and he well remembered the violent way she had spoken to him.

"My boy, she wants to help you, she will protect us from the witches"

"She especially wants an author to write her a happy ending, she doesn't give a damn about us"

"August, I'm sorry, sincerely but I need you to cooperate if you don't do it for me, do it for Henry, please."

Geppetto left them

"Listen, you've become human again thanks to the two of us and to the woman you love then I'll be able to ask the blue fairy again to turn you back into a little boy with amnesia and brainless," she said almost angry.

"I'm already stopping you right away, I haven't been woken up because I still love Annie, Annie is a bit of a matchmaker between me as a little boy and me now. When I met her, I was very reserved, very naive then by spending time with her, I became a man more sure of myself but also a broken man. A bit like you when Snow revealed your secret, it was a half-way between the nice Regina and the evil queen. "

"And do you still love her? What happened between you two?"

"I think it's none of your business"

"Right"

Regina left to join Geppetto but August sighed

"The author is locked in the page of the book, the one Henry found in my stuff."

Regina stared at him.

"Do you have it on you?" He asked her

"No, he's in the mayor's office, but …"

Regina made the page appear in her hand.

"Is there a key?" She asked

"Certainly yes"

"So we have to look for it!"

August took a moment to think. He was still in pain.

"Wait, rah, your idea is silly"

"What are you saying ?"

"Listen it all started because you wanted to have a happy ending, but you know very well that you can have it without an author, it's up to you to change your fate not to an author. I appreciate your protecting us ! The Evil Queen would never have done that! I was able to talk to the apprentice a few years ago and I know this author is not a good person, he might have bad intentions, you are better than it"

"What do you want from me ?"

"You destroy this page of the book and move towards your happy ending that only you can write"

"I don't"

"Why? Are you not happy? With Henry? What about your friends?"

"I don't feel accepted yet, not loved enough and Henry is not mine, he's Emma's son, when Henry is with Emma, I'm alone, and that's my biggest fear . When I was with Henry, Robin and Roland, I was so close to happiness, I'm afraid I won't be able to relive that ... "

"The future is always very uncertain, you know, I never would have thought that I would find my father, that I would become myself again, finally. And even if I am there with him, for all my life, my biggest fear it was being alone so I understand you Regina, there is always hope and sometimes our happiness is right in front of our eyes, but we don't necessarily manage to realize it. If you stay here, I will promise you that I will do my best to understand and help you, Madam Mayor. I will be your author. "

He took her hand. She smiles at him. He was so different that as a child he was not afraid of her, and even more he understood that their life had not been different. He wasn't a vilain and yet he had a hard time getting his happiness, he must have earned it. Even if he didn't have killed people like her, he had scammed and harmed young people a lot for his own pleasure or his ego and he got lost.

After several minutes of saying nothing to each other. Regina prepared a fireball in her hand, curled the page into a ball, and tossed the page into the fire.

"You are brave, Regina! You don't need to keep us prisoner in our own house anymore so I would like to see Emma"

"August, I know but the witches don't know about it yet, we have to get rid of them first, be patient, you have to stay confined a little while longer. With your father, you have a lot tell, I'll come back often to see if you're okay, I promise. "

For five days, Regina alternated between her home and Geppetto's. She enjoyed their company very much. She and the father had slashed the hatchet and August was receiving healing from Regina with her magic.

Recovered, he had learned from his father that he had thought without telling him, that he expressly wanted the Blue Fairy to transform him back into a little boy with no memories. She could have turned him back into a man, but Geppetto was afraid to face the truth. August was extremely disappointed. He found his behavior very selfish. He didn't speak to him for several days until Regina told him that Geppetto was his only family, if he didn't speak to him anymore, he would have no one left. August was stunned to receive advice from the Evil Queen who had killed her own father to cast her curse.

Snow White had wanted to talk to Regina. She had told her the secret that she had endangered Maleficent's baby so that Emma had real potential for light.

Regina needed to play a double game and fit in with the Wicked Alliance.

"I'm already playing a double game to protect someone"

« Who ? »

"I can't tell you right now! I want this person to be safe from witches! I'll think about your proposition, Snow"

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