Chapter 2

The town was dark as Henry made his way to Augusts' room at the B&B. Darkness had never fazed him before though and right now that was the last thing on his mind. He knew he had to get to August. He was the only one who could help his mom.

True loves kiss. That was the key. That was always the key and Henry doubted that the love from a mother to a son would do the trick so there had to be the next best thing.

Henry frantically pounded on the door.

August rolled his eyes as he sat in the chair at the table. Couldn't people get the hint, couldn't people get that he wanted to be alone? He sat staring at a piece of paper with Emma's name on it. And a few paragraphs were written, a few sentences scratched off. The letter had been complete. He even sighed it and included his Fairytale Land name for good humor.

The knocking persisted.

"Please open up," he heard Henry from outside.

As much as August wanted to be alone he never could shut out the kid, he was Emma's son no less and a believer. And there was something different, franticness to his voice that he hadn't heard before, not even when the kid dropped in earlier telling him that Emma had wanted to leave Storybrooke.

Had that happened? Had Emma really left Henry and all of them?

August looked at his left arm which was wood from his shoulder down to his fingers; his left leg completely turned to wood. As difficult as it was he finally managed to open the door.

Henry could see that August was still deteriorating, what constituted as deterioration in the case of him turning back to wood.

"Is she gone," August said turning back to the table to sit down as fatigue washed over him.

He placed a book over the letter he was writing.

"Worse," said Henry. "She's cursed."

"Why because she still doesn't believe," August asked thinking that was as likely a curse as any.

"No," Henry said annoyed that Pinocchio couldn't see it right away. "My mom gave her an apple turnover and to prove to me that I was crazy she ate it. And now she won't wake up! You have to come help her, you have to wake her up with true love's kiss," he said grabbing August by the sleeve of his shirt trying to pull him to stand up.

"Woah kid slow down," said August.

"But you have to, you love her!"

"Not in that way I don't. I've only liked her as a sister, that kind of thing."

Henry loosened his grip. "Then she's gonna stay like that forever isn't she?"

August sighed.

Henry looked at Augusts' right leg that was starting to turn to wood.

"Why are you still turning back? If my mom's cursed shouldn't that have broken it because wouldn't that make her an automatic believer or something?"

Grabbing his letter and pen August made his way to the bed. He hated to think of it but Henry needed his mom.

"I'm not turning back to wood because of the curse Henry, this is my doing."

"So you can't help her either?"

He sighed again. "There is one other option. What did your mom tell you about your dad?"

Henry sat on the bed with his older friend. "Just that he was a fireman and he died."

August looked at his letter and then up at the ceiling thinking that Emma would probably kill him. At the rate he was changing though she would probably just throw his wooden pieces into a fire.

"He's not dead Henry," August admitted to the boy.

"What? My mom lied to me? Why would she? I thought she was different, only my other mom lied to me." Henry had a hard time with this news.

August turned to the boy. "Try not to be too mad at her okay. I'm sure she was just trying to protect you as well as herself. Everything that happened back then, it's my fault. You growing up without your parents, without your dad, it's because of me. Listen to me Henry. We don't have a lot of time. If you really want to get your mom back then I need you to do something for me. First I need you to hold onto this and then give it to Emma later, next comes the important part. You ready?"

Henry nodded. He would be mad at his mom later. Right now he had to save her so he listened to Augusts' instructions.

Mary Margaret sat with Emma. Earlier with Henry gone, she had gone upstairs and took Emma's baby blanket from her bed and now the blonde woman lay on hers, covered with it. Mary Margaret wasn't sure what it was about that specific blanket but she knew that somehow it must have brought Emma comfort. It was old but still in great shape. Mary Margaret could only wonder if it had been from her parents and that Emma had kept it all this time.

She held onto the woman's hand. "This is crazy," Mary Margaret said to the unconscious body lying before her. "I should take you to the hospital or something." She shook her head and laughed. "It's funny but I actually find myself really listening to Henry. I don't know how you do it with him, this whole curse thing is crazy but it's hard not to play into his whole operation Cobra thing. He's a great kid Emma, special, always has been."

Mary Margaret squeezed Emma's hand really hoping that she could hear her wherever she was. "Maybe that's why I'm listening to him since before you got here no one else would. He's always said that we live in this haze but with Henry it's always been slightly different, he and I connected somehow. He's always felt comfortable around me. I never knew why and I still don't but one thing's for sure, he brought the three of us together."

She looked up at Emma, her eyes still closed. "You once said that we were like family and I believe that more than anything and your son feel's a part of that too. You need to wake up Emma, your son needs you and so do I."

Before Mary Margaret could say anything more she turned when she heard the door being opened.