Hey guys! So this is a short one but with all the long chapters you've had recently I am hoping you'll forgive me. This is a slight filler chapter but it sets the scene. Hope you enjoy my lovelys.

The people of Storybrooke had gathered in the loft to talk about the wicked witch that was trying to tear up their lives.

"So, now that we know who we are dealing with, how do we find this Wicked Witch?" David was the first to question.

"Might I suggest we start by asking, if anyone has seen a woman with green skin running around," Hook smiled, he seemed to be the only one amused.

Regina glared at the pirate. "We're cursed in Storybrooke. She'll look like any one of us."

"Then we start somewhere we know she's been," Emma piped up as the voice of reason. "Regina's office."

Regina rolled her eyes at the blonde. "I've been over it with a fine-toothed comb. She left no trace."

"But you were combing for magic. Maybe there's physical evidence that you missed," Emma argued, this was her job after all.

"Good idea," David nodded. "We'll track her."

"If you want to waste your time playing Nancy Drew, be my guest, but we can't let Henry and Sarah wander around alone with that witch and her flying monkeys out there," Regina felt like she was the only one who cared about watching out for her kids.

"Well, especially, since one of these flying monkeys could turn out to be Henry's father," Hook could tell his comment wasn't appreciated.

"Point being, someone needs to protect the children. They don't even know what's going on," Regina knew Sarah would watch out for Henry but without her magic she was a sitting duck.

"I'm guessing you're volunteering?" Emma sighed, still not sure how she felt about the mayor around her kids.

Regina ignored the blonde, heading for the door. "If you find anything, call me."

"Just remember," Emma called after the brunette. "They think we're here because I'm on a case."

Regina dramatically spun around on her heel. "Well, look who's gotten good at lying."

"Just don't let anything slip up," Emma could not fight with the other mother right now. "As far as Sarah and Henry know, you're just Madame Mayor and that's it."

"I'm well aware of how my children see me," she growled before leaving the loft.

Regina had taken the kids for ice cream before showing them around the town. Henry seemed more than content to eat his ice cream while bonding with the Mayor, but the teen seemed more reserved. She answered any questions the mayor asked but kept her answers either sarcastic or vague.

"The ice-cream good?" Regina asked, running out of conversation ideas.

"Delicious," Henry smiled, Sarah just gave a slight nod. "My mom used to take us for Gelato in Little Italy. But this is just as good."

"Well, Storybrooke's got its own charm. Though, I know, it must seem quaint compared to the big city," Regina knew this town wasn't a lot to look at but it was home.

"You think," Sarah commented. The nervous look Regina gave her made her think she needed to try a little harder. For whatever reason, it was clearly important for the older woman to make a good impression and the teen didn't want to make it harder. It wasn't Regina that was the problem. "I mean its not necessarily a bad thing," she continued. "Its kind of refreshing to go five seconds without hearing a police siren or some homeless guy telling me my cell phone came from the devil."

"It's nice, actually," Henry agreed. "New York's great, but there's so many people - that can make you feel..."

"Alone?" Regina knew the feeling well.

"Yeah," Henry said sadly while his sister remained quiet. New York had always registered differently to the teen than her brother. It was the one place she felt like the pieces fit whereas Henry had more of an old soul. He was built for a small town life even though he had never had one.

"Yeah. That's the best part of a small town. Everybody knows everybody. It's like... It's like a big family," Regina smiled.

"Sounds awful," Sarah scoffed. "I do not need more people being able to report my behaviour to mother dearest," Regina laughed at her daughter, she had really missed her.

The trio walked in silence for a while until Henry broke it. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Regina nodded.

"I don't think it was just the case, that brought my mom to Storybrooke," Henry revealed.

"What you think she is also here for the charming town small talk?" His sister piped up. "Granny spent 20 minutes telling me about the secret to making a good apple pie even though all I asked her was where the bathroom was," Henry rolled his eyes. "And I hate apples you know this," Regina wasn't surprised to learn that fact.

"You don't understand," Henry grumbled.

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand," Sarah countered.

"What do you mean Henry?" Regina asked, getting them back on topic. The pair seemed to bicker a lot more than she remembered. Growing up together, or at least thinking they did, seemed to have brought a back and forth banter they didn't have before. Made them feel closer.

"I think she wanted to get out of New York for a while," Henry explained.

"What? Why do you think that?" Regina was suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Henry went silent for a second, curious if he should reveal so much to a stranger. Something about the woman seemed to make him trust her without even knowing her. "My mom's boyfriend. His name is Walsh. He proposed to her. And two days later she's taking me and Sarah out of school for some job in Maine. She wouldn't take a job in Queens, if it meant, we'd miss school."

"I know and I really wanted to miss that history test," Sarah grumbled.

"What do you think happened?" Regina knew her kids were smart, it wouldn't take them long to put the puzzle pieces together.

"I don't know," Henry shrugged. "Ask Sarah mom tells her everything."

Regina turned to the girl with an expectant gaze. "Not that I don't love pouring my heart out to a stranger, she didn't tell me anything this time."

"I doubt, we'd be here, if she'd said yes," Henry sighed.

"And, how do you guys feel about it?" Regina couldn't stop her curiousity getting the better of her. "Did you like him, this Walsh?"

"I liked how happy he'd made her. Plus, it might be nice having more than three place settings during holidays," Henry smiled.

"It was kind of nice feeling like a complete family again," Sarah agreed. "Things hadn't felt that normal since Zac."

"Zac?" Regina questioned as if she didn't know.

"My dad," the teen explained. "He died before Henry was born."

"I'm sorry," the mayor remembered the teens blood stained clothes as she stood crying at the town line. Regina was not looking forward to her daughter remembering that. "I think, one day you'll both have more family than you'll know what to do with," Regina couldn't help herself.

"You think so?" Henry asked hopefully.

"I really do," Regina nodded.

"If you say so," but the teen couldn't help but flash her own hopeful smile.

After finding out David had come across a demon that looked identical to him, the family were on full alert as they made there way to the farmhouse they had found earlier.

"That lock," Emma reached for her gun "It wasn't busted before."

They made their way inside, sticking close to each other. "So far, so good," Hook looked over his shoulder.

"Everyone, stay alert. Come on," there was no way the blonde was going to get into a false sense of security.

Regina paused, a chill running through her. "There's definitely dark magic here," she turned to Emma. "Can you feel it?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Whatever I feel, it's not good," it was then Emma noticed a cage in the middle of the room. "What would the Wicked Witch keep in a cage? Monkeys?"

"No, no monkeys," David turned on the light to reveal a spinning wheel standing inside the cage, straw on the ground next to it. "How many people do we know who can spin straw into gold?"

"Rumpelstiltskin," Emma glared.

Sarah had found herself sat at the harbor trying to find a sense of calm. Things felt strange here and the longer they stayed the more she saw how comfortable her mom and Henry were getting. As nice as the people seemed, she wanted to go home. She wanted to be back with Josh. She wanted to be back in the city that made her feel closer to her dad. She wanted her life back.

"Penny for your thoughts dearie," the girl turned to see a man with a limp coming towards her.

"Well that was creepy," Sarah mumbled much to the mans amusement.

"I see you haven't changed," the man smiled.

"Do I know you?" Sarah stood up, ready to leave at any moment.

"Not anymore. But you will," the man smirked.

He's back! You know I like to mix up the story lines a little bit. I love to keep you guessing. Let me know what you think.