Everyone talked every time she passed by. Snow thought that it wouldn't bother her at first. She was sort of used to being ostracized since she was a wanted bandit for years in one personality and the wife of the landlord in the other.

It hurt because they were supposed to be her friends in another life.

"Don't let them get to you, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin told her as they walked down the street together, her hand was entwined with his. It was a show, like it always was. They hardly went out without the other now, Rumpelstiltskin wanted to show unity.

The affair was scandalous enough. Rumpelstiltskin not seeking a divorce and staying with her seemed to be an extra layer of juicy that got them all titillated.

Snow held the clipboard in her other hand, "I'm worried about the turnout for Miner's Day."

"I wouldn't care."

Snow smiled bitterly. He'd been trying to get her to drop out of it for a week now, "Of course you wouldn't."

"You're helping the fairies," he spat.

"One day you're going to have to sit down and tell me why you hate them so much."

"One day is a long way away," he stopped in front of the diner, "You're facing an uphill battle, you know that?"

"Judging by the phone calls I've gotten, yeah."

He brushed a knuckle down her face. Snow noticed that he made sure to do it in front of the window where everyone could see, "You should just come home, your friends might get the volunteers they need."

"No," Snow shook her head, "I won't accept defeat."

"Sometimes that comes with a cost."

"I can't hide in the house anymore," Snow snapped.

"So the nun fair is your first public outing."

"Mary Margaret has helped for years," she smiled, "Much to Mr. Gold's dismay."

Rumpelstiltskin sighed, "Well, I can't stop you from doing what you'll inevitably do anyway. Be cautious"

"I will."

"And don't be too disappointed, dearie. Your moping around the house has depressed me. You know I can't spin when I feel depressed and that's when I do my best thinking."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Rumpelstiltskin gave a wry smile, "One to show everyone we're not arguing?"

Snow smiled and gave him a kiss. It wasn't as warm as the others they'd tried to share. She was still angry at him for what he did to Maurice and he was still angry at her for exposing herself so needlessly. But like it or not, they were stuck working together.

She cleared her throat and stepped into the diner, ""Excuse me. Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

Everyone went quiet. A few even leaned in eagerly to hear what she had to say. The vicious look in their eyes meant they were far more interested in the next bit of gossip than forgiving her.

Snow cleared her throat, "I'm sorry to interrupt your morning, but I just wanted to remind everyone that a very special occasion is upon us – Miner's Day. As always, the nuns of Storybrooke are hoping that everyone will get involved, and will help sell their exquisite candles. All we need are a few energetic volunteers. So, who wants to join me?"

Everyone deliberately turned around and went back to what they were doing. Emma sat in her corner and gave a sympathetic look to Snow. She wanted to pressure Emma into doing something but Emma was the sheriff and she had security to work.

At the bar, Leroy stood up and started walking up to her. Snow felt a bit of excitement, her friend was here to help. Maybe the curse was weakening for him and he felt drawn to her in some way, "Leroy, you want to volunteer?"

He gave her an irritated scowl, "I want to leave, sister. You're blocking the door."

"Of course," he tried to move around her but she blocked him, "Uh, you know, if you wanted to help, it could really be a-."

He scoffed before she was done, "Oh, yeah. Right. Quite a team we'd make – town harlot, town drunk. The only person in this town that people like less than me is you. If you're coming to me, you're screwed."

Snow didn't know how either one of them were supposedly more hated than Mr. Gold but she knew that wasn't the point.

She'd been dressed down by the town drunk and humiliated in front of those that were still listening in. The actual Grumpy would never say those things to her. Well, he might if he thought she was wrong, but not in those blunt hurtful terms.

She turned to leave. Maybe Rumpelstiltskin was right, maybe she should just…give up. They were rallying against her far harder than they were David. Snow didn't know if that was because of her gender or because they knew her and her reputation was supposed to be better than that.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" Emma jogged up next to her and pulled on her cap, "So, what is Miner's Day, and why are you beating yourself up over it?"

Snow smiled in remembrance of the fake holiday, "It's an annual holiday celebrating an old tradition. The nuns used to make candles and trade them with the miners for coal."

"Coal? In Maine?" Emma asked with an eyebrow raised, "If they were mining for lobster, I'd understand."

"Look, I don't know," Snow said quickly. It was just a holiday that the curse put in, "Now, they use it as a fundraiser. It's an amazing party – everyone loves it."

Emma pursed her lips together, "It doesn't seem like everyone loves it."

"It's not Miner's Day – it's me. Last week, I had ten volunteers. This week, they all dropped out."

"You think this is about what happened with David?"

"Oh, I know it is. A few of them told me as much," Snow tilted her head as she realized what she sort of was now, "I've never…been a home wrecker before."

"It's going to blow over. You made a mistake with David – it happens. But, you don't have to do charity to try to win people's hearts back."

"I have to do something; I'm going nuts in that house. This is the best I can do."

Emma's phone rang. She stopped and answered it.

"Sheriff Swan. Yeah. I'll be right down."

She hung up the phone, "Well, apparently, duty calls. Hang in there. And, if there's anything I can do to help, I will."

"I know," Snow squeezed her shoulder, "Thank you."

Emma jogged off to the car and Snow was once again, alone.

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"Where can I sign up?"

Snow didn't have to look up to know that Leroy was standing over her. He had a very distinctive voice. Odd though, Snow thought it was past noon, didn't he usually smell a bit more…differently by this time of day?

But after what he said? Why should she even waste her time looking up?

"What?" Leroy almost whined, "I want to volunteer to sell candles."

Snow looked up sharply, "No, you don't. You made that very clear this morning at Granny's."

"Well…," Leroy stuttered, "Maybe, I saw the light. I mean, maybe somebody showed it to me."

HA! Now there was a laugh. No one saw anything unless Emma showed it to them.

"What difference does it make, sister?" Leroy said suddenly, "It looks like you can use all the help you can get."

Well, he was better than nothing.

"Okay," Snow shoved a clipboard into his hands, "I need help manning the candle booth. No swearing, no drinking, and I get to call all the shots."

Snow wondered what she got herself into.

At the sober excited look in Leroy's eyes, Snow really hoped she didn't regret it.

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Everyone managed to steer clear of the both and the few that did have to walk past them stared ahead and tried not to look at Snow and Leroy as they held out the candles.

Snow's throat hurt because every time they walked past, she raised her voice, "Buy your Miner's Day candles here! Handmade by Storybrooke's very own nuns! Light your way to a good cause! By buying a candle!"

Nothing, she wanted to chuck them at people. Maybe that'd get their attention, "This isn't working."

Leroy nodded, "You're right. We should pack it up."

Well, that hadn't taken long, "Now you're quitting?"

Leroy smirked, "If the customers won't come to us, we got to go to them – door to door."

Snow sighed, that was a disaster waiting to happen, "If they hate us here, what makes you think they'll like us in their homes?"

"Exactly," he cocked his head, "They'll pay us just to leave."

There was a confidence in his voice that Snow didn't recognize in Leroy. And she wasn't sure she recognized it in Grumpy either.

His assurance was something she sort of liked. She packed up some boxes and raced out of the booth with him.

Her daughter was a few feet away. Snow was so wrapped up in getting this done that she just barely noticed her father's murderer was standing next to Emma, "Emma! Help me out! What's more sympathetic? Um, scarf or no scarf?"

Emma looked completely baffled, "Sc-Scarf."

Snow grinned, "Okay."

Grumpy shot them a thumbs up, "Come on – we're on a schedule.

"Oh, uh," Snow stopped, "thank you. Got to go.

They were selling candles.

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It had been a disaster. Snow didn't want to think about how many doors had been slammed in their faces. Some were so hard that the loud sound made Snow have a headache.

They went back to the volunteer center with not more than another penny to the till.

Leroy had volunteered to tell Astrid. Snow didn't know what the fascination was. He should've told Mother Superior but since she got him in the car, it was all 'Astrid this' and 'Astrid that'.

Snow didn't even remember her from their world.

Grumpy took off his hat as he walked up to her,

"Sister Astrid?"

She gave him a friendly smile, "Hi."

"I have to talk to you," he lowered his head, "See, I have some bad news."

Her smile fell, "Oh, no. What is it?"

"The bad news is that… That," he turned to look at Snow and she nodded for him to continue, "… You nuns are going to be real busy making candles, cause me and Mary Margaret just sold them all. You're not losing the convent. You're not going anywhere."

Astrid squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck

Snow felt confused. What just happened?

She grabbed Leroy and pulled him to the side, "How could you tell Astrid that we sold all those candles? That is five thousand dollars, Leroy. Five thousand dollars that we don't have."

"You have it."

"Yeah, and what am I supposed to tell my husband when he realized five grand is gone?"

And to the nuns no less.

Leroy shrugged, "Tell him that you had a heart and he should try one. I hear they're nice."

Snow had to think quickly, "Do you know what happens if he finds out where that money went to?"

"His heart grows three sizes today?"

It was sort of funny, but Snow couldn't laugh, "He'll think of it as a loan and he'll put on a heavy interest. Do you want to pay a heavy interest? Because it'll be your door he knocks on. Or theirs."

She nodded to the nuns.

Leroy shook her off, "Don't worry about it, alright? I got a plan."

"What plan?" Snow scoffed, "A plan like going door to door and having everyone in town laugh in our faces?"

Grumpy shook his head, "Just give me till the end of the day. I'll figure something out."

Oh, so he didn't have a plan. That was comforting, "And why is this so important to you?"

"The nuns…," Grumpy gave a longing look to Astrid, "They're going to have to leave."

Snow didn't want to imagine them being together, but she did. How was that supposed to work, wasn't she like really really tiny in the other world? Weren't they two different species despite looking human? "Oh, my God. You like her! She is a nun, Leroy. Could you possibly pick anyone any less available?"

"Says the married girl who went after a married guy?" Leroy countered.

Snow drew back.

Leroy continued, "At the end of the day, you're no better than I am. You got your reasons for being here, I got mine. And when I say I'm going to get that five thousand dollars, I'm going to get that five thousand dollars."

"I hope your plan is better than the last one!" She whispered.

"It will be!" he told her, "Just trust me."

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Rumpelstiltskin had hoped for a quiet day in, away from the hustle and bustle of the streets as they prepared for celebration of their 'holiday that didn't exist'. It was supposed to be simple. Work and go home and relax. Maybe he was even going to try something different and try lying around in his underwear to see what the appeal was.

He didn't want to be at the docks looking at….oh gods, what was this? Could this even be called a boat?

"Now, I know it's a bit of a fixer-upper, could probably use a new coat of paint, a few spritzes of Febreze here and there, but you can't tell me that five thousand's not a reasonable price for this beauty."

He was halfway tempted to pay it so he could sail it out to the middle of the ocean, blow a hole in it and put it out of everyone's misery, "Three thousand, I think."

Leroy turned to him, "I need five."

"You need five?" he mocked, "To what do we owe the specificity?"

How many dinners and drinks at Granny's did that buy?

"Trying to help out a friend."

Who owed five thousand dollars? No one to him, and he'd be the only one three thousand would be owed to, "Oh, I see."

"Look, you don't even have to pay me anything. Just forgive one month's rent for the nuns."

Rumpelstiltskin had been staring at the boat and trying to think of a way to explain to Snow what he'd spend their money on. But the news of who the money would go to made him turn so fast he nearly got whiplash, "The nuns?"

Leroy realized he was in trouble because he started talking over him, "You can have the boat. They'll pay you back eventually. It's a good deal. You get everything."

He stared holes into Leroy, "So, that's what this is about."

"Come on – you're a rich guy. You can afford to give them time to make up one month's, right?

Rumpelstiltskin shrugged, "You're right – I could."

"So, great."

"But I won't," There was something amusing about watching one of the men that helped lock him up visibly deflate over the fact he wasn't helping the people that took his son from him, "I have a fairly specific rental agreement. If they miss a payment, I'm within my rights to evict."

"Oh, come on. Why don't you-."

"And, quite honestly," he finished, "it's going to be a great relief to be rid of such distasteful tenants."

"You don't like nuns?" Leroy demanded in disbelief, "Who doesn't like nuns?"

"Oh, I have my reasons," he nearly snarled. Even his Mr. Gold did. His alternate personality had gone to a Catholic boarding school and he had been at the wrong end of the ruler multiple times, "And they're mine. Let's just say, I have a long and complicated history with them, and leave it at that."

The dock creaked as he walked up it. Coming the other way, he saw one of the nuns walking towards the boat with a pie in her hand. He didn't know which one this was supposed to be. He never took time to remember their names when he blew them out of the air.

The nun paled when he passed her. He gave her a cold smile, "Sister. How lovely to see you!"

She swallowed nervously, "Hello Mr. Gold."

"I trust the rent will be paid on time?"

She shivered and hurried past him. Rumpelstiltskin smirked to himself and continued walking.

Well, today wasn't a total loss.

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Snow didn't know where Leroy intended to get five grand, she wasn't even sure that the bank had five grand. He was going to Rumpelstiltskin, she knew he was.

Rumpelstiltskin wouldn't even let her spend five grand without pitching a fit, what made Leroy think he could get it?

The only thing Snow could do was sit there at the diner and drown her sorrows. She'd managed to blow everything away because she'd been rash and didn't think and now other people were going to have to handle the consequences.

Maybe she should've dropped out.

"I'll have what she's having."

Snow looked up hopefully at him, "Well? Did you get it?"

He sat next to her, "What do you think?"

Snow sighed and turned around, "I think you're right. I was dreaming if I thought the town harlot and the town drunk could accomplish anything."

"Yeah," he whispered and trailed off, "Just dreaming."

Snow lowered her drink, "Leroy, you understand that a relationship between you and Sister Astrid can never happen?"

WERE they the same species? Grumpy told her before the curse hit that he was technically five years old. And dwarves were born from eggs. Snow wasn't quite sure how fairies were born.

And he'd also told her that Dwarves couldn't love. Not in the romantic sense. When she asked how he'd gotten imprisoned when they met, since he claimed he got jailed for love, he'd told her it'd been a mistake.

Sure they were human now, but what happened when the curse broke? Would they all revert back?

"Yeah, yeah. My whole life people made it their business to tell me what I can't do. She was the first person that said I could do anything. Who believed in me? I didn't want to disappoint her."

Snow tilted her head, "But there are consequences to following through when the world tells you not to. I mean, look at me. I am a pariah in this town."

"What about your good memories?"

The three that she had? "What do you mean?"

Leroy leaned in curiously, "Didn't you have moments with him that you love? Do you regret them?"

"No, of course not."

"Isn't that what life's about? Holding on to your good memories? All I wanted was a moment with Astrid. One moment to give me hope that any dream's possible. You've had all that, Mary Margaret. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself and enjoy it. Because I haven't."

Snow picked up her drink, "Well, if I had the dream, I'm sorry to say, it wasn't worth it."

"And sitting here drinking won't end this pain."

"What will?"

"I can only think of one thing."

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When Snow turned around at the coat rack and found Leroy gone, she thought that maybe he'd gone through the back and she went to look for him. If they were going to face the fact that they'd failed, they might as well face it together.

But then she found the door to the roof open and she climbed up and prayed that she was wrong about what she thought she might find.

Nope, Leroy stood there at the edge.

She felt terror for her friend and stood up, "Leroy! What are you doing? Please, don't do it!"

Leroy looked insulted, "I'm not going to jump."

"You're not?"

"No, are you crazy? I could hit someone. You know how much damage I could do? I'm solidly built."

He patted his belly to emphasize his point.

"Leroy, what are you doing up here?" Snow asked as she climbed up.

He picked up his pickaxe, "I'm going to get my moment."

She held up her hand, "Wait! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! What?"

"You might want to duck."

Snow moved back several paces as he swung the pick axe and hit the transformer. Sparks flew, Snow watched as the lights under her went a few seconds later.

"What are you doing?" she asked, but she knew the answer.

She could hear the smile in his voice, "I'm selling candles, sister."

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The booth was already crowded by the time they got down there. They had to fight their way through the crowd to get it. It was almost like a mob and more hands with money were being held out than Snow had ever seen at a Miner's Day festival. Keeping up was a chore.

Fifteen minutes later, Snow turned to get some more from under her feet and only found empty boxes.

She stood up and grabbed Leroy's shoulder, "Leroy. We sold out."

Leroy let out a victorious cheer and nearly lifted her up in an embrace. She returned it, thankful to have at least one of her friends at her side.

He looked over to Astrid.

Snow smiled a bit and nudged him, "Well, go on – give her the news. Have your moment."

He took the moneybox and left the booth.

Maybe there were some things that Snow didn't need Emma's help on.

She used one of the boxes to draw a 'sold out' sign and blew out the last remaining candle that they used to see what they were doing. She picked it up and walked to her car. People were still milling about, but Snow was tired. She wanted to go home and go to her bed.

She stopped and looked at the faded 'Tramp' spray-painted on her vehicle.

Snow might be the hero today, but tomorrow everyone would remember how she had broken apart a marriage. The shunning would continue.

Snow turned around and walked away. The house wasn't far. She didn't want to drive around with that on the side of her car tonight; she didn't want to remind them now. Leroy got his moment; she wanted to have a bit of one as well. Even if that moment was just about people leaving her alone for what she did.

Granny stopped her as she started to pass by. She took Snow's candle and relit it. Snow gave her a small smile and continued on her way.

They'd forgive her tonight, but they'd remember tomorrow. And if not then they'd all know what she was a part of when it came to Kathryn Nolan once the curse broke.

It was the thought that Snow had just as she looked up and saw Emma putting David Nolan in her car.