A/N: I forgot how much this chapter just broke my heart, to be so close to love and have it torn away, it's heartbreaking. I'm glad I finished the episode, and look forward to the episodes with Mary Margaret and David together. Until then, read and review!
The next day, I had a pass to help Miss Blanchard and her class, decorate the hospital. It was nice to not be in class with all my idiotic classmates, and instead be around ten year olds who still saw the world through innocent eyes.
"Here, why don't you put that right here?" I asked the little ten-year-old girl I was helping put up the pictures of flowers she had drawn. They were cute flowers, and I was sure they would cheer up the residents. "Good job, high five!" I said as she stuck the picture to the wall, grinning as she gave me a small high five. "Aw, come one kiddo, you can do better than that!" The little girl made a face before hitting my hand harder. "That a girl," I said, motioning for her to go with the rest of her classmates to get more pictures and tape before going towards where I could see Henry standing.
"Hey, what are you decorating?" I asked before looking at the patient he was standing over, my heart skipping a beat. I recognized him, I had seen him before in the old world. He was Prince Charming, the guy that got my father in jail and who had sought justice in the Enchanted Forest. When we had come to this world, I hadn't known where he was, but now I knew.
"You recognize him too?" Henry asked. I was too stunned to answer, and by the time I got my wits about me, Miss Blanchard was coming in to see what we were doing.
"You should read my book to him," That was what forced my mind out of my memories and into the present.
"I'm not sure it will do anything, Henry," Miss Blanchard said, causing me to speak up.
"You don't know that, besides what could it hurt? It doesn't seem he gets many visitors and if he can hear people do you really think he wants to constantly know he's alone?" I asked, knowing that if I was in a coma I would want people to read to me, though that could of just been my love of books talking.
"We'll see, come on though, we need to get back," Miss Blanchard said, ushering us out, but not before taking a final look back at him. I smiled, hoping that they would both get their happily ever after, because someone deserved to be happy in this place.
The next afternoon, I went to the hospital on my own, planning on talking to the man in a coma myself, to beg him the way I begged his daughter to help me change me fate. Except, instead of finding him, I found everyone but him it seemed.
"What's going on?" I asked, glancing at Emma who was glaring at Regina.
"It seems Regina is his emergency contact," I frowned, looking at the Mayor, trying to understand why she was his emergency contact.
"I found him on the side of the road and brought him here," I suppressed a laugh of derision.
"How convenient," I muttered, noticing how Regina immediately eyed me in suspicion. I always promised my father I wouldn't tell Regina that I remembered, but that didn't mean I couldn't hint at it. She probably wouldn't believe me anyway, not when she was convinced the curse wiped everyone's memories. And, in watching her face, it seemed she wanted to say something, but chose not to, instead focusing on Emma.
"Well he's not here now," Emma said, which suddenly helped me understand all the people being around, he had wandered off on his own. Though, if he got up on his own, I had to wonder what prompted his awakening, what started this action. If I had to guess, Miss Blanchard being here, had everything to do with that.
"Did you read to him?" I asked suddenly, ignoring the strange looks from everyone but Miss Blanchard and Henry. "Did you?" Miss Blanchard nodded, causing both me and Henry to grin, before looking at Regina as she reached out for Henry.
"Henry, we're going home. Dr. Whale, call me if you find him," Regina said, taking Henry and leaving the rest of us behind.
"I think this place has cameras," I noted, noticing the camera near the door when I came in. Like my father, I was someone who noticed the details.
"Let's see if those cameras got anything," Emma said, leading the way towards where security was. Along the way, I made a note of the other cameras, and who else was here. How many other important characters had been left here? Was my mother here too? I couldn't shake that thought, not when my father's refusal to answer my questions about her weighed so heavily on my mind. In the Enchanted Forest, my father never spoke of her, and here it was the same way. He just said I was found in a basket, yet he couldn't remember when or who was around when he found the basket. All he said was a basket, and no one seemed to remember anything except what he told me. Even the story book didn't say who my mother was, and that frustrated me to no end.
But I couldn't focus on my frustration, not when the security cameras showed Prince Charming leaving through a door that led to the woods. Why the hospital had a door that led to the woods, that I couldn't understand. What I did understand, was that clearly I needed to tag along to make sure no one killed the Prince before he could save the day once again.
"Don't you have a curfew or something?" Emma asked as we walked through the woods.
"Have you met my father?" I asked, knowing that if I said I had a curfew, it was more to get out of things, not because I really had to follow it.
"Only in passing. You guys not get along?" I laughed as I came to a stop with the group, checking the surroundings.
"That's an understatement," I stated. "We have a number of differences, mostly on opinion," I said vaguely, knowing our biggest problem was my desire to leave and his desire to keep me here.
"You guys need help?" I turned to see Henry, and smiled at him as Emma looked annoyed.
"Shouldn't you be at home?" Henry pulled his book out from his backpack.
"My mom won't notice me missing," I nodded as I took the worn book from him, remembering it from my own years.
"She won't," I concurred, turning the pages, looking at the stories, and noticing the last pages mentioning Emma being torn out. I definitely didn't do that, so I could only assume the mayor did it.
"Still-" Emma started before Henry stopped her.
"I know where he is, he's looking for Miss Blanchard. She read to him, and now he's looking for her." My smile widened at that, true love was taking it's course, and if true love could conquer, I would be free from this town forever.
"Henry, that's just a story," Emma said, and I was tempted to smack her with the book and ask what made her so sure it was just a story.
"No it's not, it's real, and he's looking for Miss Blanchard." Emma looked ready to argue when I stepped in.
"Look, it can't hurt to check where Henry suggests," I said, just wanting to end the argument. "So, Henry where do you suggest?" Henry took the book from my hands and turned to where he knew Miss Blanchard had left off.
"The troll bridge," Emma looked about to point out that the troll bridge wasn't a place when I cut in again.
"We'll try the toll bridge, it's not that far from here," I said, starting to walk towards the bridge I used to go to as a child to read on the nice summer days when I didn't want to be indoors. My father had shown me the toll bridge himself, wanting me to have a place to run to should anything happen as he put it. I'd never visited the troll bridge in the Enchanted Forest, but I could only assume that my father probably had.
As we came upon the bridge, I could see something in white on the ground, and before I could say anything, Miss Blanchard was running towards him, checking to see if he was breathing and whether he was hurt. I hung back with Henry, wanting to keep him from seeing anything that might damage his hopes, and also looking to stay back in case my own dreams were about to get crushed in one single blow. I crossed my fingers, praying that whatever magic or luck I had might bring him back, and that the ball would keep rolling.
I felt tears spring to my eyes when Miss Blanchard said that he was breathing, I turned to see him, tears actually falling when I saw that he was moving.
"Why are you crying?" Henry asked.
"Because, true love's magic is the strongest of all, this can end the curse, Henry. This can set us free," I whispered, not wanting the others to over hear us. I wiped the tears from my eyes as the group got him up and started walking back towards the hospital. My heart was singing for joy with each step, so glad that my plan was succeeding and that my trap was almost gone.
Except that nothing can be as I want it to be. For as Prince Charming was being checked out, a woman came in claiming to be his wife. I couldn't believe that, couldn't believe this was happening. In the Enchanted Forest, Snow was his wife, not this woman. This woman was a passing tale, she married someone else, so why was she here now?
I followed Emma as she went to confront Regina, having a number of questions of my own.
"He mentioned her in his sleep, I tracked her down," Was what I came upon Regina saying to Emma about whatever the blonde tramp's name was.
"You mean you picked up a girl off the street?" I snapped, causing Regina to look at me.
"I didn't pick up a girl off the street, and you'd be advised to be nicer." Regina said, and I could feel my hands curling into fists. I probably would of struck her if Emma hadn't grabbed my arms.
"Fine, I'll believe you, but mark my words, if this is a scam, I'll make sure you get taken down," Emma said, before giving me a slight push to turn me and force me to walk away.
"I would of gotten the truth out of her if you'd given me a minute," I said as Emma pulled me into a small hallway out of the way of everyone else.
"Then she would have had you put into prison," I snorted at that.
"I'm a minor," I reminded her, knowing that without the Queen's curse I'd be grown up, but with the curse, I was still a minor and therefore allowed certain liberties in life.
"Doesn't matter. You can't solve things with your fists, we'll just have to let things work themselves out," I looked at Emma, wishing desperately that she believed and could understand my wish to be free from this curse.
"I don't have the time for that. I have to go," I said, not willing to stick around any longer. Instead, I headed back out the hall, my heart breaking as I saw Miss Blanchard standing looking upset as she spun the ring I knew the Prince had given her. I wanted so badly to make this all better, but I couldn't. I couldn't fix this even if I tried. All I could do was walk away, reminding myself of why I never wanted to fall in love.