AN: See chapter 1 for story notes and summaries.

Ships: Snowing, Rumbelle, Swan Believer, eventual Swanfire, and a delightful Golden Mad Charming BroT3. :)

Thanks for the reviews. Here are individual responses:

Barratta Jennifer: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

Sweetreader: So glad you like it so much! Hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Ragsweas: Thanks. Glad you like the pacing of the story. The MM and David romance is full steam ahead, but I'm trying to keep the rest of the events around them at a similar pace as they were in season 1. I liked the David and Archie scene too. I was happy with the way it turned out. And I LOVE Emma's mild annoyance too. There will be a chance for her rib her parents for her embarrassment. :)

beth1980: Glad you liked the part about James. I don't particuarly like that she thinks she's been with someone else, but at least the readers know she's actually having fuzzing impressions of David. I know, I wanted her to compare her life from a few weeks ago to now and be almost beside herself with the difference Emma and David had made. Yeah, Jefferson is a little less crazy here, because Emma knows so he knows for sure eventually Regina will lose. Regina has gone too far. I am writing her a bit harsher in this story.

Sara K M: I know, it usually rubs me the wrong way that MM thinks she slept with other men than David. I loathe the Whale thing, but the reason I put it in there is she can't really remember being with anyone, yet it's pretty clear that she's not a virgin. That's where the flashes and "James" comes from. She's only actually ever been with Charming in this and she'll realize that once her memories come back. The cursed persona is telling her she's not a version and she was with a blonde guy named James at one time. And that he had similar physicality to David. :)

Glad you liked the choice with David's anger. He'll eventually forgive Archie and most of his anger is actually at Regina. But I felt it was realistic here to have him be a bit stern with the doctor. He'll forgive Archie pretty easily. His forgiveness for Regina is going to take much longer, because of all she's done to his family.

LOL, I know, I love Emma's reactions to her parent's frequent PDA's. That will continue. :)

Yes, I am working toward an MM and Belle friendship, though there will be a complication in it later on. I won't spoil that though, but you might be able to guess it after this chapter.

As for Graham's heart, I'm afraid that despite Emma knowing everything here, she isn't going to get to it in time. I won't say anymore, because this chapter speaks for itself. As much as I didn't want to do it, I had to up the stakes so to speak and this was a sure way to do it.

As for Snowing being a bit more careful here? They will be. They've sort of raised her in this story and really rather her not have anything to do with Regina and definitely not Cora. That will become apparent in future chapters. They want the curse broken obviously, but at the same time, they(the dreamscape Snowing) hates that they don't really know what's going on with their counterparts and that she is seemingly doing it alone. But in this, she's not really alone at all and that is a theme that will continue. :)

Note: The first and third scenes of this chapter that focus on Graham are meant to parallel the morning events in chapter 12. Essentially, they are happening at the same time as the morning scenes at the loft happened and Archie's confrontation with Regina. Just want to clarify that. The first scene with Graham takes place very early that morning, before Regina has ventured out and runs into Archie.

Dreaming Out Loud

Chapter 13: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Graham awoke with a start and shot up in bed, before swinging his legs over the side. He put his head in his hands and took in deep breaths of air.

"Is everything okay?" Regina asked, as she rolled over.

"Uh...yeah, just a weird dream," he muttered. She gave him a long gaze and then got out of bed.

"Henry will be up soon. You should go," she suggested. He nodded and got dressed, as Regina went into the bathroom to shower. The weird dream had not been a lie, but it was more like a nightmare of things that didn't make sense. He hated waking up here, but somehow he had ended up here again, despite initially telling Regina no. He quietly hurried out the door, but stopped dead in his tracks, as he spotted a wolf in his path, staring at him intently. It seemed to look through him and then ran off, leaving Graham feeling oddly stunned with memories of the nightmare searing his memory.

Oz

Approximately 3 Years Before the Dark Curse

As Zelena sat upon the bicycle with Hades, she studied him for a moment.

"Am I that interesting, my dear?" he teased. She smirked.

"I'm just wondering why you're here romancing me. Aren't you married?" she inquired. He smirked.

"If you want to get technical," he responded.

"And your Queen doesn't mind that you're here, romancing another?" she challenged.

"She prefers it, I assure you. She doesn't exactly return my...affections. She never has," he confessed.

"If you don't love her and she doesn't love you, then why keep her around?" she questioned.

"There was a time, centuries ago, when I was quite infatuated with Persephone. And in my more volatile youth, I didn't take no for an answer. Persephone was fairest of all and so I made her my Queen. She was mine...then she betrayed me," he explained.

"She cheated on you?" Zelena asked. He nodded.

"With a mortal of all disgraces. And that wasn't the worst part. She gave birth to his halfbreed spawn and her meddlesome mother put a protection spell over the child, preventing me from laying a hand on the little wretch," he explained.

"How dreadful," she lamented.

"That's why I employed my loyal nephew to find the child. When she was born, Demeter took her and hid her away. Unfortunately, he has failed to find her and it's been over twenty-five years," he continued.

"And the only way to truly make your beloved Persephone pay for her betrayal is to destroy her child," Zelena deduced. He smirked.

"I do love the way your devious mind works. You were truly meant for me, my love," he cooed.

"I do not play second string to anyone, especially not some fairest goddess," she refuted.

"Persephone may be the fairest of all, but she lacks your wickedness," he purred and she giggled, as something he said struck her.

"Persephone is called the fairest of all, yes?" she asked.

"Yes...a term coined by her sanctimonious mother," he replied.

"Why?" he asked, noticing the pensiveness on her face. She smirked.

"It's just not the first time I've heard such a term. There is a mortal princess whom the same moniker has been coined for her. My sister seeks to destroy her for getting her true love killed. Perhaps such a moniker is not a coincidence," Zelena suggested.

"But Persephone's daughter would be half immortal…" he said, as he trailed off for a moment.

"Unless…" he started to say.

"Unless?" she questioned.

"Can you show me this princess?" he asked. She looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"I have a way to see the Enchanted Forest from my palace," she confirmed. He smirked evilly.

"Take me there. We may still make chaos together yet," he said gleefully.

For the most part, Graham had been able to carry on his day as normal. He didn't really want to face Emma, having woke up again in Regina's bed, so he texted her, offering to take early patrol. The strange dreams played through his head though like a movie.

There was a forest and he was there, looking down at Mary Margaret. Except it wasn't Mary Margaret exactly. This woman looked exactly like her, but with long raven tresses and the most innocent face he had ever seen. He was horrified, for in his dreams, he was going to end her life. She forgave him and was waiting to die. But he couldn't do it and let her get away.

That's when he saw the wolf again, standing in the middle of the road on the back roads of town. He slammed on the breaks and stared into the wolf's eyes, as more flashes assaulted him. This time he wasn't asleep though, so how they could have been dreams, he had no idea. But they were becoming more clear and these new visions were frightening.

He saw himself enslaved to Regina, his glowing heart in her hand. Despite that, he defied her and helped the Prince escape his execution. Therefore, Snow White was awakened with true love's kiss and Regina lost.

But she wasn't about to accept her defeat and cast the Dark Curse. And this place they had been living in for the last twenty-eight years was that curse.

His eyes widened, as it all came rushing back to him like a stream of images in his head.

He remembered everything...because things were changing in Storybrooke and all because of the Savior. Snow and Charming's daughter...Emma.

"Emma…" he uttered, as he did a sharp u-turn and sped back toward the station.

After leaving the library, they stopped into Granny's for something hot to drink to take with them on their walk. They still drew a lot of attention when they entered the diner together, her hand hooked on his elbow. There were whispers, but Mary found she was able to pay them less mind than before. They could talk all they wanted, because what she and David had was between them.

"Well...if it isn't Storybrooke's newest item," Granny mused, making Mary blush.

"What'll it be?" she asked.

"Two hot cocoas with cinnamon," David replied. The elderly woman smiled at them.

"Coming right up," she said, giving them a cheeky look, as she went to make their drinks.

"You'd think they'd have better things to do than stare at us," she muttered.

"People love gossip," he agreed. It was true in this land it seemed, just as it had been in their land. The other royals and nobles of the court loved to gossip, especially about them. A marriage based on true love in royalty was an anomaly. He and Snow had begun a trend though. They were one of the first royal marriages in many years that was not arranged and based solely on true love. Thomas and Ella followed their example, though King Christopher was a bit more open to this kind of thing. Abigail and Frederick had been next, though Midas was reluctant. Frederick wasn't a royal, but being that he was a Knight, the King allowed it, though Charming doubted Abigail would have let her father stop her.

While Thomas' kingdom had accepted a former peasant as their Queen, Charming knew that Snow's much more conservative court, still loyal to the long dead Leopold, might have put up much fuss if they had known he was not the real James.

He knew Snow would never allow them to tell her who she could or could not marry, but he was well aware of the uproar it might cause if it were to become public that he was raised as a poor shepherd.

It seemed not much had changed in that respect. They were still under scrutiny, though they had never let it bother them. They had always been too absorbed in their powerful, passionate love to let the opinions of others factor into their lives. And he was determined to keep that trend, as he leaned down and kissed her, probably with a little more heat than was appropriate in public.

She gazed up at him in surprise, as their lips parted.

"What was that for?" she asked. He smiled.

"We might as well give them something to stare at," he replied. She bit her bottom lip, a clear tell that she was turned on and leaned her head against his arm, just as Granny returned with their finished drinks.

"Thanks Granny," he said, as he paid her. She smiled at the pair. There was definitely something about them. Together, hot cocoas in hand, they joined their free hands and left the diner for their walk. Wilby had waited outside and now trotted alongside them.

Regina unlocked the box and picked up the glowing heart inside. She had been keeping it locked in her office, but stopped there to get it, before coming to her vault. She was too paranoid to leave it unattended any longer, especially after her jarring run-in with a defiant Dr. Hopper.

She decided to come survey what little magic she had left, for her curse was unraveling faster than she could ever have imagined. She had to keep Graham close. She had a very big problem in Emma Swan. Add to that, those two idiots were so ridiculously in love, it made her sick. She had heard all the gossip how David Nolan was shacking up with the pretty, shy schoolteacher and literally sweeping her off her feet.

And if that wasn't irritating enough, there was Gold, who was far too cocky with his little bookworm around. Belle was the leverage she had been keeping for a rainy day and with that gone, it gave him far more control than she was comfortable with.

She needed a triple strike against all of them. If she was lucky, sending Damon after the two idiots again would take care of that problem. In addition, as soon as she knew all there was to know about Emma Swan, she'd be able to proceed with destroying her. That just left the bookworm and a devious smile spread across her face, as she opened her potions cabinet.

"You may have prevented me from putting David and Kathryn in a fake marriage by manipulating the false memories I gave her, so I would say turn about is fair play," she hissed, as she picked up a matchbook from the Rabbit Hole and picked up a blue vial of potion. She put a couple drops on the matchbook and smirked gleefully.

"Let's see how smug you are when your precious Belle becomes a trashy barfly," she mused. She pocketed the matchbook. Of course, first she would need someone extra to plant doubt of her identity in Belle, before she planted the false memories. And that would require a visit to a certain flower shop owner. Yes, she was feeling very good and so she picked up Graham's heart and then dialed his number.

"Not now Regina," he answered.

"Excuse me, is that any way to talk to your Mayor?" she asked.

"I'm busy," he said.

"And I don't care. Meet me at my house," she ordered.

"No...I have much more important things to do," he replied, as he hung up on her. Regina's mouth dropped open in disbelief. He had never so blatantly refused her. Even with his heart in her hand, he was resisting. And the last time he had refused her so utterly had been...back in the Enchanted Forest. When he had his memories. If he was remembering, he could ruin everything in one fell swoop.

But how was he remembering? It wasn't possible...was it? She pursed her lips, her rage barely contained. All the recent problems with her curse could be traced back to one Emma Swan. She hoped to hell that Damon came through with that information. She needed to know why one woman was unraveling everything she had worked for. But if Graham was remembering, then he now a very big threat. A threat that had to be neutralized. She hurried out of her vault and to her car. She had to get to the station.

Emma jumped in surprise, as Graham ran in, practically crashing through the door at the station.

"Where's the fire?" she asked, as she took in his appearance. His eyes were wide with wonder, as he gazed upon her. He was disheveled and looked like he hadn't slept much in days.

"Emma…" he uttered.

"Yeah...what's going on with you?" she asked.

"Emma…" he repeated and she raised an eyebrow.

"Yes...I think we've established that I'm Emma. Me Emma. You Graham," she teased, with a smirk. But he seemed too distracted to be amused by her joke.

"I remember…" he stated.

"What?" she asked.

"I remember...and this is going to sound nuts...but you're the Savior," he replied. Her eyebrows were in her hair at that point, but it was her turn to shock him.

"Yeah...daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. The Savior, destined to break the curse," she stated, in a matter of fact tone. His eyes got bigger, if that was possible.

"You...you know?!" he exclaimed. She smirked.

"Long story...but yeah I've known since I was old enough to understand. You really remember?" she asked, hope in her voice.

"Everything...I was the Huntsman. I...I tried to kill Snow White," he said regrettably.

"My Mom tells it a bit differently. She says you made a different choice and defied the Queen, knowing very well that you were probably forfeiting your own life," Emma replied, enjoying his surprise even more, as he closed the distance between them.

"Regina...she has my heart," he uttered.

"I know...I've been trying to figure out a way to get it back. I think she's keeping it close to her," she replied.

"I...I can't believe you know…" he stammered.

"I'll tell you how, but first I think we need to get this," she replied, as she touched the spot on the center of his chest. Their eyes locked and they stared at each other for several moments.

"Regina...I never…" he started to say, but she stopped him.

"She forced you...I know that now," she replied. And with that, he closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to hers.

Unbeknownst to them, Regina glowered at the picture of them from outside the window of the station. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but their body language spoke volumes. And then when their lips met, the rage burning inside her became too overwhelming for her to ignore. This woman...this interloper was ruining everything and she had to teach her what happened when you crossed her. She extracted the glowing heart from her pocket and thought about his rejection. If he was remembering, he was a very big threat, but his rejection is what stung the most; that he would choose this woman over her. He had defied her for the final time and he had to pay. With no more hesitation, she squeezed his heart and crushed in into diamond dust that floated away in the wind, before stalking away. The gloves were off and she was declaring war on her enemies. When she finished, nothing but dust would remain of them all if she had her way.

Their lips parted and they shared a smile.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about," Emma mentioned. He smiled. They did, but he wasn't too interesting in talking at the moment. He leaned in, about to kiss her again, when he paused.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked. The pain was sharp and excruciating. Instinctively, he knew what was happening and he should have known all along that a happy ending was not something in the cards for him. It nearly broke him, but he knew she'd go on without him. She was destined to break the curse and defeat Regina. She would avenge him. So he said the only parting words he could.

"I love you," he uttered and then collapsed to the floor. Emma cried out and crashed to her knees beside him. She shook him violently, but she knew what had happened.

"No...no...no...no…" she cried repeatedly, as she searched for a pulse. But he wasn't breathing and would never again, for she knew his heart was now dust. The Queen had done this...she had killed him. Emma sobbed against his chest, her fists clenching his shirt. Her eyes glistened with fury, as her shoulders racked with sobs and her expression was pure rage...rage for the woman that had caused all of this.

She had terrorized her parents, cursed them, forced them to give her up, forced her to grow up without them, at least when she was awake. She had her son and would do anything to keep him away. She had sent a monster after her parents and would do so again. She had killed a man she was falling in love with; the first man she had let close to her since Henry's father. The gloves were off and she was declaring war on the Queen. And when she finished, Regina would finally lose, once and for all.

She sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes in an attempt to gather herself. But it was no use. She needed the only two people that could possibly comfort her in any way right now. She picked up her phone with shaky hands and dialed her mother.

Mary Margaret leaned her head against his arm, as they walked through the woods and over the Toll bridge. Wilby was ahead of them, but not too far, quite enamored by all the wilderness and wildlife. They stopped in a clearing and were stunned by the sight of a mother deer and its baby. The doe looked at them curiously for a moment and then relaxed when she decided they weren't a threat. He gazed at her, loving the awe on her beautiful face.

"Such a beautiful sight…" Mary uttered.

"Yeah…" he agreed, though he was referring to a different sight of beauty.

"You are not even looking at the deer," she teased, as she nudged him in the ribs.

"Sorry...they are beautiful, but definitely the second most beautiful thing I've seen today," he replied. She looked at him, almost in disbelief, as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. As their lips parted, Mary gazed up at him and the love in his eyes took her breath away.

"I keep pinching myself to make sure you're real," she mentioned. He smiled.

"Maybe I should pinch you," he teased and she gasped in surprise, as he pinched her rear. He chuckled at the look on her face.

"David…" she said, as she blushed.

"What? You can pinch me too if you want...in fact, I'm sure I'd enjoy that," he replied, as he wriggled his eyebrows at her playfully.

"Maybe I will…" she challenged.

"By all means, Ms. Blanchard," he challenged back, as their lips met passionately.

"Mmm...there is so much more I want to do than pinching right now," she purred. He smirked, as she took his hand and started leading him back over the bridge.

"Come on Wilby…" he called, as he slipped his arm around her waist and she smiled up at him, her eyes shining with love. As they reached town again, they decided to pick up take out from Granny's, but that's when Mary's phone rang.

"Hi Emma," she answered. But a stifled sob made her frown.

"Mary?" she asked.

"Emma...what's wrong. You're crying," she said in alarm.

"Um...it's Graham. He's dead," she sobbed.

"What?" she asked in disbelief, as her knees almost buckled. Luckily, David was there to hold her up.

"Where are you?" she choked out.

"The station. The ambulance is on its way...but it's useless. He's gone…" she said.

"We'll be right there," Mary said, as she hung up and looked up at David with a tearful gaze.

"Is Emma hurt?" he asked, as fear seized his heart. He had to try and remember that to everyone else, Emma was just his friend. But if his baby girl was hurt...he didn't know if would be able to keep up that charade.

"It's Graham...he's dead," she cried, as he took her in his arms and held her, as she cried.

"Emma needs us…" she sobbed. He nodded and they changed their direction toward the station. He huddled Mary close to him and knew her tears were still falling, as they hurried to the station. Emma needed them.

By the time David and Mary arrived at the station, Emma had already called the hospital to tell them she needed the coroner, but they hadn't arrived yet. So David and Mary found her knelt beside Graham's body and it was a heartbreaking sight.

"Emma…" David said, as they knelt down on either side of her. Mary gently pulled her into a hug and David rubbed her back.

"What happened?" Mary asked. Emma sniffed and looked at her father over Mary's shoulder. He knew what had happened, but she couldn't exactly tell Mary that the Evil Queen had crushed his heart.

"He...just suddenly collapsed," Emma said. It wasn't untrue, as it had happened in a blink of an eye.

"I'm so sorry," Mary said, choking back a sob. Emma held onto her tightly and then pulled back, as the paramedics arrived. She quickly started wiping her tears away. Mary and David sat with her, while Graham's body was loaded into the Coroner's van.

"I know there's nothing we can say to make this better, but why don't we go home?" Mary suggested. Emma nodded.

"I'll run to the diner and be right behind you. I know grilled cheese and hot cocoa won't make it better, but it will at least be something warm in your stomach," he said. Emma managed a nod, as he saw them off toward Mary's apartment, while he headed for the diner. He took out the phone in his pocket and found a text from Emma. It read words that Emma couldn't tell him aloud.

Graham remembered everything. He told me and then he died.

That stunned him, but if he had been remembering, then it meant it worried Regina enough to eliminate him.

He went to his contacts and picked the number he wanted from the names Emma had programmed into the phone for him. He pressed the green button and then put it to his ear.

"Hello," Jefferson answered.

"Graham's dead," he said bluntly. He heard Jefferson blow out of low whistle.

"Let me guess...she finally did it, didn't she? She crushed his heart," Jefferson said.

"I think so. Emma said he just collapsed and was gone, just like that," David replied angrily.

"She's getting scared," Jefferson said.

"Emma told me he remembered. She must have thought he was enough of a threat to kill him," David replied.

"Yeah, because a healthy man his age just doesn't keel over. Even the hapless people in this town might ask questions," he mentioned.

"Too bad they'd never believe the truth," he said with a sigh.

"We need to be careful. This is just her first strike, you know. She's probably busy plotting away right now," Jefferson warned.

"I know...I need to get back to Mary and Emma. Can you call Gold? He should know," David replied.

"Sure...be careful out there," Jefferson warned.

"You too," he said, as he hung up and went into Granny's.

Regina crinkled her nose, as she stepped into Damon Tromera's club. She hated this place; this eyesore in her town. Sleazy was being too nice when used to describe this establishment. The carpet in the whole place was blood red and tacky as hell, but then Damon didn't remember exactly why he had such a penchant for red. It was late and there were only a few patrons, drinking and they paid her no mind, for the scantily clad girl on stage held their attention. She barely looked legal and under normal circumstances, not even she would let this kind of thing go on under her nose. But Damon was her means to making her stepdaughter truly pay.

"Madam Mayor...welcome. Can I interest you in a drink?" Damon asked, without taking his eyes away from the girl on stage. It was no wonder why he had hired this one. Long raven curls, green eyes, red lips and fair skin.

"This isn't a social call. I'm here, because you have yet to hold up your end of our deal," Regina said. He smirked and put his drink down, before retrieving a file from underneath the bar.

"Oh, I think this will satisfy you," he said, as he handed it to her. She eagerly opened the folder and started reading. And what she took in made her blood run cold, but suddenly made frightening sense.

"This is legitimate?" she asked. He nodded.

"Seems she was abandoned on the side of the road as an infant, not far from here. Quite a coincidence," he replied. Oh, but the Queen knew it was no coincidence. It all made perfect sense now. Emma Swan wasn't just an ordinary orphan. She was the Savior...daughter of her enemies. Her protectiveness of those two idiots was no longer puzzling. She had found her parents and was chipping away at her perfect revenge, day by day.

"Now that you have that, I expect you to return the favor," Damon said.

"Mary Margaret and her...coma patient have been frequenting walks in the woods lately. Getting the drop on them shouldn't be that hard, but that's up to you," Regina replied. He smirked.

"That's excellent news," he said. But she ignored him and took the file with her, as she left quickly. Her curse was in more danger of unraveling than she originally thought...