Chapter 3

Author's Note: ATTENTION! ATTENTION! I know I don't have a lot of readers at this time on June 30th, 2022, but if you have already read Chapter 2, PLEASE go back and re-read it. I added a section and revised another. The Prologue and Chapter 1 are still the same, only Chapter 2 has changed. It doesn't change too much of what is already going on but it sort of clears a few things up already. Sorry for the hassle but I promise this will be the only time. Please and Thank you and thank you for your time. Please review and let me know if you have any questions.

"Bound by trials of silence I toil alone…" - Seven Swans, Carina Bissett

He didn't have to worry about being followed. Everyone was still asleep and anyone who might have been up that early for a morning jog wouldn't bother coming into the forest. No one ever went further than the bridge and creek (too many stories of wolves or bears scaring the folk off), and his journey up pass it was proving more difficult than he thought. So he doubted any ordinary folk would bother wasting their time, which made for the perfect hiding spot. Only he kept slipping under the weight of the body and it was beginning to take its toll. He cursed. He wasn't cut out for this, still too drunk from the night before. He would just have to dump it and leave, hoping it didn't wash down until a couple days later. But by then, if it was ever found, it would be too late, right? He shook his head. What did he care? A job was a job, but why did the dead always have to be so heavy? He was pretty sure he blew out his shoulder.

Evangeline made her way down the stairs, hoping to meet Jack at Granny's before the morning rush. He always insisted they could meet somewhere else to avoid all the trouble, but Evie liked the food Granny made and she always took well to keep gossipers in their place as to not bother the young girl. But not even Granny could tie a loose a tongue. Evie didn't mind. She just wanted to get out of the house. Most days were okay and some nights were hard. Last night had been a particularly hard one and she just wanted to get the day done with.

As she made her way across the grand foyer she noticed Adrian's study was slightly ajar. It was odd because he never kept his study open. Not even for her. So she almost fancied the idea of sneaking in and seeing if he had perhaps passed out last night, which would explain why he never showed up to bed, but thought against it. However, she stopped in her tracks when she heard him arguing to someone on the phone, which wasn't too out of place seeing he was the town Judge and Pastor. No, what was shocking to hear was that Adrian Fogg was apologizing to someone.

Adrian Fogg didn't apologize to anyone, not even her.

Evie had to admit, whatever was happening sounded intriguing, but she could care less. She had learned her lesson the last few years. Whatever troubles befell on Adrian Fogg wouldn't befall on her. So long as she kept her distance.

Emma had looked at her bank account. On the good news, she had enough to pay for about a month's rent at Granny's, some food, more clothing (considering she had no time to pack before this spontaneous endeavor), and a little bit extra. She could also pay to have most of her stuff shipped over from Boston. The bad news? She was screwed after that. She had scouted all morning in the The Mirror but Storybrooke wasn't offering any jobs, part-time or full-time. And worse, no apartments for lease. She smirked. It was like the place was at full capacity, perfectly fit for anyone and everyone who needed to live there.

Like fairytale people trapped in a curse. She probably had to hand Henry a point for this one. It was hard to beat.

"Hey."

She looked up to see the kid smiling at her. No, he was beaming. Like he had just heard he was headed to Disney World instead of school. Kid, you're already there.

"Oh, hey. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Yeah." He chuckled. "I thought maybe you could walk me."

"And your mom thought that was a good idea?" It was clear by now Regina didn't want anything to do with her and she certainly didn't want Henry having anything to do with her.

"No, but she doesn't know. I told her I wanted to get to school early and just…left."

Emma just stared. He certainly was a bold little kid. "O…kay. I guess I'm walking you to school."

"Great. While we walk, I thought maybe we could talk."

She sighed. "Let me guess."

"About the curse."

Yep. "Listen kid-"

"So as you already know, my mom is the Evil Queen and Mary Margaret is your mother, Snow White. I haven't figured out Prince Charming yet but I think I have a good idea. Granny is a werewolf, oh, and so is Ruby. Her granddaughter. She's actually Red Riding-"

"Hold up!" Emma stopped at the crosswalk. Henry had already given her a full run down of the curse on the car ride over (not that she was really listening), but this was some brand new information! "Snow White is my mother? And Snow White is…"

"Mary Margaret." Henry responded, like it wasn't a big deal or some huge revelation that would have been nice to know on the first night when she met the school teacher, hopefully making their conversation yesterday a bit less awkward. Though, when Emma thought about it…nope, it would have just made it worse. Now she wasn't sure she wanted to know anything else.

"Are you okay?" Henry asked, noticing Emma's still shocked expression.

"Um, yeah, sure….no. Just…give me a moment."

They continued to the school. Emma had thought long and hard, or as hard as her brain could manage with information overload, about what she would say to Henry to hopefully help him understand that this was just a book. So far, she had nothing. Mostly because he couldn't give her a word in edgewise.

It wasn't entirely her fault. She had zero experience with raising kids or even really being around them as an adult, but she didn't think destroying his worldview of his town was a good idea. After speaking with Archie and Regina yesterday, she had a really bad feeling about this Fogg guy and definitely wanted to look more into him, but right now, this fairytale thing was keeping Henry grounded. Sort of. She supposed until she could provide him with some proof and assurity that he was going to be okay and was safe, she guessed she could try and play along. But she knew speaking with Mary Margaret now was going to be really difficult. That was if anything Henry said was true.

By the time they had gotten to the school, Emma realized that once again, she had zoned Henry out. But this time was an accident, she swore.

"-it says she has a crypt but I don't know where that is. I doubt it's somewhere inside of town. My guess is that it's in the woods but I'm not allowed there, and it would be too risky for me to go and look. That's why I'm thinking it might be a good idea if you went. You know, go on like a hike or something."

"Well, we're here." Emma said, drawing his attention to the school. She wasn't trying to blow him off but she really needed to think. And she didn't feel like dealing with Regina if he was late and she found out she had walked him.

Henry frowned. "Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you after school Emma. I get out at three."

She smiled. "Three o'clock kid."

Kathryn Nolan decided she hated Albert Spencer. No, she loathed him. She already despised the man but now it has grown into a full blown anger, wanting him to suffer like she was now and lose everything he cared and held dear. It was a shitty way to feel about her father-in-law but honestly, he had started it. It was that stupid pre-nup. Every day she kicked herself for signing the damn thing but she had been in love, foolishly believing in the idea of hope and always sticking with each other till the bitter end. But now the bitter end was here and she was all alone. The town all but kicked her out after the incident. Ignoring her, whispering behind her back on the street before they even fully passed her by, and she always felt like the nuns just glared repentant stares at her during church. Granny was the only person, her and her granddaughter, who didn't treat her like an outcast. Kathryn wanted to think that was her saving grace until she realized Granny did it for everybody. Even Evangeline. And Kathryn had to admit, that girl probably had it worst than her. Maybe she could try making friends with the young librarian? Kathryn didn't get it. It wasn't like she killed the girl. She was just enduring the shaming after-party.

She made her way through the corridor until finding the office. At least she had one friend left. Jane Drake was the Head Attorney of Gold's Law Firm but it didn't help matters much. It was considered a conflict of interest to assist Kathryn in the divorce hearings seeing as they were closely related to the murder case still going on, despite not having any new leads. And with her father-in-law being the District Attorney, it was safe to say the odds were not in Kathryn's favor. Which led to the only person in town who could help.

Gold himself. But that wasn't any better. He always considered the Law Firm as his hobby and the pawn shop his job, which everyone only found fitting to his odd eccentric persona, and often left the company in Jane's hands. And she was good at her job. Real good. It was no wonder why Gold felt confident enough to trust her with everything.

Kathryn gently knocked on the door. "Hey there."

Jane barely looked up. She was good at her job but also dedicated. Almost too dedicated, Kathryn thought. Of course, she was one of the very few people in town (the others being Mr. Gold himself, Regina, and Doctor Hopper) who knew the real reason as to why she always kept herself busy with work. Simple. It was the same reason people always went to The Rabbit Hole to drink while others, like Jane, drowned themselves in their work. She was trying to forget. Forget that there was an empty space at home that should be filled with a toddler's laugh. Forget how she never even got the chance to hold the child before it was taken away.

Of course, no one was brave enough to talk about it anywhere near her. It wasn't that Jane was mean or cruel, but there was a reason Mr. Gold hired her. They were both similarly scary.

"You ready for lunch?" She asked, hoping to drag the attorney from her work for an hour to catch up.

"Yes, just give me a moment."

Once Jane was finished, the two friends grabbed their jackets and made their way to their favorite luncheon spot, the Grotto. With Jane paying of course. On their way to the car, they passed a pole with a flyer tapped to it saying, Don't forget Grace.

Everything was…..gold.

David sighed. He barely knew this Princess Abigail and while he wouldn't say he hated her, he had a feeling he wouldn't be too fond of her either. It wasn't that he was a sappy sort of person, but he did like the idea of at least 'caring' about the girl before he married her. Of course his father insisted he would grow to care about her after they got married. And after he got the gold.

The Ogre Wars had bled nearly all the kingdoms dry of their money and power, recruiting anyone they could to fight against the beasts but there was no hope. So many kings looked toward Midas, gifted (or cursed, whichever story you wanted to believe) with the power to create gold. The only other person in all the realms who was rumored to do such a thing was the Dark One and King George wasn't foolish enough to go to him. At least not yet. Not when his son and the daughter of Midas were perfect in age to join the two kingdoms and strengthen their armies.

"I'm sure there are still other ways to stop the Ogres. We haven't even tried negotiating."

"Are you crazy?" King George looked toward his son. He knew David wasn't not keen on the idea of the arranged marriage to Midas' daughter but even he wasn't that foolish. "There is no negotiating with such savage beasts. They only know how to kill, so we must kill them first or risk losing our lands."

"Hmph. And I thought we were civilized." He mumbled.

"At least give her a chance. All that's important is that we get the gold."

"For what? Soldiers that will die before they step two feet out into the field? I'm sorry, Father, I'm not trying to be difficult. It's just..I don't know."

"Son, when it comes to being a king, you have to think what is best for the kingdom first. We don't have the privilege of following our hearts."

"Yeah, well, hopefully one day that might change."

One Year Later, Remembering Grace

Erin grimaced. It certainly wasn't classy, that's for sure. It was bad enough the parents had to lose their daughter but to be reminded across the town newspaper? He couldn't imagine what those damn writers at The Mirror were thinking, and he wanted nothing more than to go over there and give them a piece of his mind. But that wouldn't do anyone good. Especially when the Chief Editor, Sydney Glass, was buddy-buddy with Regina. No inside work there.

One would think being the town Sheriff, he would have more say and control of what information was given out and spread all over the newspaper, especially when it came to a murder case still ongoing, but they would be wrong. People always find a way to get any information they want, even if they had to make it up. And it helped that the town was filled with starving, gossiping mongrels just begging for the next juicy steak.

"Sheriff O'Connell?"

Speaking of which….

"Emma, what can I do for you?" Erin set aside the newspaper, standing to greet the young woman who was clearly making storms in Regina's world. Not that he minded too much.

"Well…I was hoping you could tell me a little more about the town." She smiled, clearly hesitant about the whole ordeal. She didn't want to seem desperate but she had to know…what the heck was going on? "Mary Margaret mentioned you might….know something."

"Really? So you decided to stay?" O'Connell clarified.

Emma shifted on her feet. "Kind of," she drew out. "I just…I don't know. Honestly, I mean, this whole thing is just crazy. Curses? Evil Queen? I mean, what is Henry thinking? What could possibly make a little kid think his whole town was cursed?"

Erin shrugged. "Isn't that normal? I mean, every town has that one house they think the witch lives in."

"Yeah, but for Henry, that witch is his mother. Something is going on, I just know it. I mean, I know I don't really know Regina and I'm probably going off on whatever Henry is saying," She quickly defended before being told she was crazy. Although she hadn't actually been told that yet, she definitely felt like it. Grant it, it was definitely Henry who was being crazy about the whole thing but here she was, still in Storybrooke 'playing along'. "But…I just can't shake the feeling. It's like….I'm suppose to be here."

Erin smiled. He couldn't say he understood the feeling, but he admired her for it. It took guts to be literally dragged away from your life by the child you gave up years ago and still decided to stay to make sure they were going to be okay. In his eyes, it was a selfless act and seeing how Henry's home life was currently going, Erin wanted Emma to stay too. It looked like they both needed it.

"Am I crazy?" Emma asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"No, Emma, you're not. I think it's normal."

Emma blinked. That certainly wasn't the word she was thinking of.

"I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, being here…with Henry, but if it was my choice, I would chose to stay."

"Why?" Emma asked.

The Sheriff shrugged. "I don't know. I guess when the universe is telling you something, you listen."

Emma chuckled. "That's sounds like something a shrink would say."

"No, Archie would tell you to talk to Henry. Maybe helping him with this…curse, will help you in return."

Emma watched the Sheriff and smiled. "I think you found the wrong profession." They laughed.

"So…what is it about the town you wanted to know?"

"What about the book? He got the whole idea from it, didn't he? Where did he get the book?"

Erin shrugged again. "Don't know. He just had it one day. He wouldn't say where he got it from."

"What all did Henry tell you about the curse?"

Erin laughed. "Whatever Mary Margaret knows, I probably know too. You could say we're his best…'informants.' Archie too."

"So what, you're helping him figure things out?"

"Henry doesn't have a lot of friends. Or any. Most kids just pick on him. And since Regina fired Archie, it's important for Henry to have a couple of people to talk to."

Emma smiled. She suddenly had a lot more respect for the Sheriff. She already had some serious doubts about Regina, especially after learning she fired Archie just because he couldn't stop Henry from believing in some fairytales, but knowing Henry still had a few people looking out for him? It made her feel….

Jealous.

She never had that growing up. She always felt like everyone in the world was against her. Not for her. It made her feel bitter at the best of times and furious at the worst.

At least Regina had the right mind to send him to therapy.

"Thanks, O'Connell. I really appreciate it."

"No worries," the Sheriff smiled. "And call me Erin."

"We'll see." They both laughed.

As he watched the young blonde leave, his eyes caught sight of the bluebird keychain on the ring of his keys. Erin nothing more than for Emma to accept Henry and not push herself away from him. In a way, Erin needed it for himself as well. He chuckled. Archie sure did have a way of sticking self-help into people's brain.

Ring.

He sighed. Great, if this was about Peter's music again, he swore…

Abigail was certainly a princess. Pretty, firm in her standing, and snobby. That's what David hated the most. Sure, he had his arrogant moments at time but he never once thought he was better than anyone else. He learned his lessons and he kept them to this day. He pulled off his vest and threw it on the bed so graciously provided for him by the King. Could he really see a future with her? He certainly met more annoying girls before and it wasn't like she was throwing herself onto him (not that he would be overly objective to), but somehow he had the feeling he wouldn't always see eye to eye with her. He tried to recall his father's words about how he could get to know her after the wedding, but a marriage was a sacred thing. He was raised to believe in the law, both the king's and God's, and he didn't think he could bring himself to live the rest of his life in a lie just for the chance (and not a very good one at that) to win a war.

David threw himself on the bed. Honestly, what did he expect? For the girl of his dreams to magically appear before him like some fairy tale? This was reality. And he definitely wasn't going to go messing with magic anymore.

A clatter rose him from the bed and he saw a hooded figure reaching for the table. But it froze when it realized it had been caught.

"Hey!" David yelled, hoping to scare the intruder off.

And he did. A little too late. David flew from the bed and towards the table before realizing the few possessions he had packed with him that were casually laid on it were now gone. The thief was quick.

He growled. "Get back here!"

He charged after the figure. They must have snuck in through the window as it was the closest entry to that side of the room. How the guards didn't catch the person already he didn't know, but David knew the security was the first thing he was going to change when they got married. So he fled into the hall, alerting any and all nearby guards he could, and called out when he caught a glimpse of the cape. At least the intruder was smart enough to know they would have easily been caught if they tried to escape through the window again but it would have also been better than trying to escape through a palace full of guards to catch them. So what exactly were they thinking?

Despite keeping a good eye on the cloak, David eventually lost it in two more turns, cursing at the loss.

"Where did you go?"

Regina scribbled her signature on some unimportant documents, not paying them any real mind. Everything seemed unimportant nowadays. She couldn't care less about taxes, building plans, and school funding. She only cared about her son. Things were starting to get out of hand and Regina wasn't sure how long she had until they were completely out of control.

The worse part was that it looked like Emma Swan was staying, which meant Regina had to start fighting back. Fortunately for her, if all went well, it wouldn't be too long before Miss Swan would be pushed out of town or incarcerated for the rest of her life. Regina didn't care which. She just needed her gone.

Her phone interrupted her victory plans and she was ready to scold the other person on the line, until she realized who that person was.

"What?!"

"Where is he?! Where's Henry?" Regina demanded, barging into classroom and setting her sights on Mary Margaret. "You were suppose to be watching him. That's your job. If you can't do it properly, perhaps you should be given another if you can't even watch over my son."

Mary Margaret paused in what she definitely wanted to say to the Mayor right now, but instead, "You're right. It is my job. If Henry even showed up."

"What?"

"Madam Mayor, he never showed up for school. It's why I called you both here."

Regina blinked, asking again in a more deadpanned tone, "What?"

She turned around to see Emma sitting in one of the student's desk, looking somewhat bashful of the other two women's interaction. "Hi."

"Miss Swan, I suppose you have nothing to do with this?"

Emma stood up. "Of course I don't. If I wanted to keep him, I wouldn't have brought him back home. I don't know where Henry is."

"Why is she here?" Regina demanded of Mary Margaret, ignoring the blond woman's defense.

"Because-"

"Because what? She's his mother? Well she's not. Henry is my son."

"Than do you know where he is?" Mary Margaret smugly responded.

Emma smiled. Maybe the shy conservative school teacher had some spunk after all. It was certainly amusing watching the Mayor get all agitated, realizing her son had run away not once but twice in the matter of three days. Emma certainly wasn't happy herself that Henry pulled the same stunt twice (especially considering she had walked Henry herself that morning), but she would take a little pleasure in seeing Regina struggling with losing what control she thought she had over people.

"I'm calling Sheriff O'Connell. You had better hope we find Henry or you'll be looking for another job outside of Storybrooke."

With another threat firmly cemented, Regina marched off as Mary Margaret rolled her eyes.

Emma stepped forward. "You think I should tell her finding people is kind of my job?"

The women both laughed. "Let's not let her suffer too much in one go. But if you want to find Henry, I would suggest trying his castle."

"His castle?"

"I would never tell Regina but…you could kind of call it his sanctuary."

"We searched everywhere, Your Majesty. There's no sign of the intruder." One of Midas' guards reported.

"That's impossible!" David urged. "How could you have missed him?"

"David." King George tried to calm his son. "It's no worries. We'll send our men out to find this thief and bring them back. They can answer to the King's law. King Midas?"

Kind Midas agreed. "David, may I speak to you privately for a moment?"

Despite George's protest, Midas and David left to a more private room. David raised a brow as the King ordered his standing guards to dismiss. Inside the room he saw Abigail waiting.

"I understand the situation but I also understand the consequences." Midas spoke after shutting the door. "Do I not think I am a fool, David. I can see very well that you and my daughter do not, and probably will not, love each other. Or even appreciate the other's presence. I also do not agree with your father. Merely joining our troops will not guarantee a favor, or even a win, in this war. But we have to try something."

"The ogres cannot be reasoned with." Abigail spoke.

"If you really believe that, then why go on with this charade of an arrange marriage? My father is nearly broke, as you well know. You have the winning favor already. If you don't want it, why do it?"

Midas shrugged. "I don't really have a reason. Perhaps to keep morale and hope. If all the kings lose hope, where will we be standing?"

David sighed. He had a good point but no reasoning.

"However, neither your father or I have sufficient troops anymore. And your father is a stubborn man. He wants my gold and I need his troops, but your father will not offer me his men if I do not give him the gold."

"I still don't understand where I come in this. Why agree to the marriage?"

"It's like I said. Hope. With a marriage on the horizon, it gives both the people and armies something to fight for."

"It's a campaign."

Midas laughed. David was certainly a bright boy but also skeptical. It would make for both a good and bad king. It was always a good idea to question everything around you, to know who might be against you, but if you didn't bet your cards, you lose the game.

"Perhaps. Nonetheless, perhaps this thief has provided us with a trump. If you can catch this thief and return my property, Abigail and you can annul the marriage after the war, quietly, to keep face."

"Wait," David blinked. "Your property? The thief stole my jewels. In the pouch I had sitting on the table. They must have saw it and thought they could quickly escape with it."

"Even so, they also snuck into my vault where I keep my golden possessions and quickly escaped once more."

"What did they take?"

Midas shrugged. "Just a key."

"A key?" David raised a brow.

"Yes. And I need it back. Bring me back the key, and the thief, and you can be free to marry whomever you wish after the quiet divorce."

"And what about you?" David looked toward Abigail. "What are your thoughts on this?"

"It was my idea." She glared at blankly. "Let's be honest. Even if we got married, David, we won't love each other. I don't even think we could ever learn to. My heart is already taken. And you don't look like the type to give yourself away so easily."

David scoffed. He felt like he should be insulted, but she wasn't lying. That was one of the few good qualities about her. From their brief encounter, she spoke her mind clearly and with authority. He wouldn't mind that in a woman.

"Very well. I don't suppose you know where I can find this thief?" He joked.

Midas smiled. "No, but I can give you a name. I'm sure you've heard of her. Snow White."

Apparently Henry's castle was actually a castle. A wooden jungle gym with towers and bridges placed in an open field close to the seaside. And sitting in one of those towers was Henry. Emma had seen a lot of similar playgrounds in town parks growing up and she often snuck into them at night, imaging what it must be like to live in such a grand place. Servants, guards, all the food you can eat. It was certainly royal. But here she only saw a little boy, staring down at his book and looking lost. She knew that feeling and she wished she could tell him it would get easier. But what did she know?

"Hey kid," She found a seat next to him, acting as though the world wasn't falling apart. Henry didn't look so confident. "We missed you at school."

"We? What we? You don't want to be here. I get it. You can go back to Boston."

"What?" Emma asked shockingly. What the hell happened? One second he hitch hikes to Boston and the next…he doesn't want her here? "What do you mean? I thought I was suppose to break a curse?"

"You don't really believe in it so what's the point? People will just keep getting hurt."

"Henry, what's going on?"

But Henry just looked away, anywhere but at Emma. "You don't get it. People get hurt, Emma, if you try to fight to it. The curse, that is."

"But I thought that's why I'm here? To break it? Can't break it if I don't fight it."

"I know you think I'm crazy but you have to understand. Things happen that shouldn't. Innocent people get hurt and some people…they die."

It was like the world had stopped. The first time Emma ever saw death was when she began her bails bond job. She saw some people make stupid mistakes that they couldn't take back and people did get hurt. But to hear her 10 year son, a 10 year old kid, even mention death… Henry believed in this curse. That much was real, but Emma knew she couldn't waste any more time figuring out why. Maybe it was time to accept the fact that she messed up. Not in giving him away, but maybe now that she was here, she could actually do something to help.

"Listen kid, I know I'm no good at this parenting thing. I have no idea what I'm doing. But I am staying."

"But not to break the curse." He said firmly.

Emma took a deep breath. "Whatever is going on, I'll fix it. I'll figure it out and I'll fix it. I promise."

Henry smiled and all she could do was wrap him in her arms and hug him. Emma would never call herself a parent. She had no clue about it but right then and there, hearing Henry so scared, she knew what she had to do. Whatever curse there was, whatever secrets Storybrooke held, she was going to find it. And stop it. She couldn't leave. Not now.

Emma walked into the station with Henry in tow. She grunted when she saw Regina already waiting with Sheriff O'Connell. She really wasn't in the mood for another bout with the Mayor, but she was shocked to see her running up to Henry and wrapping him in her arms. Whatever the Mayor threw at her or made her believe, a small part of her had to care for Henry, right?

"Henry! I was worried. Where did you go? Why did you run off again?"

"Why do you care?" Henry bit back before running back to Mary Margaret waiting in the hallway.

"What?" Regina murmured.

Emma wanted to feel bad for Regina right then and there. She could see how Henry's outburst hurt her and it didn't help her feel better knowing that it wasn't Regina this time who hurt Henry, but her.

"Madam Mayor-"

"No." Regina stopped her quickly. "I don't want to hear whatever excuses you have. I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to stay. You're here for two days and Henry runs off again?!"

"Well, he didn't run off. He just skipped school. A lot of kids do it."

"Not my son. Miss Swan, Henry is going through a lot and I don't need you confusing him."

"Well maybe he wouldn't feel confused if he felt like he had a mother that cared."

Regina laughed. "Opposed to what? A mother that puts him up for closed adoption before she can even hold him in her arms?"

"Okay!" Erin stepped between the two women before things really got out of hand. But Emma didn't care. She didn't have any fighting spirit at the moment.

"Miss Swan, I highly recommend you start finding a new course of action, outside of Storybrooke, because I won't have you causing any more discord in Henry's life."

And just as she had threatened Mary Margaret, she marched out of the room before either Emma or the Sheriff could get another word in, grabbing Henry on the way out.

Erin broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "Well that was interesting."

"Yeah. One thing's for sure. I'm not leaving." Emma declared.

"Then you're going to have to find some other place to stay because she's already pressed charges against you."

"What?" Not that she was even shocked.

"And she took the time to remind me of Granny's policy about tenets with felony charges."

"Felony charges? That's ridiculous!" Mary Margaret exclaimed on the side. But Emma just laughed. Regina was certainly good. "Emma, don't worry. You can stay with me. Besides, I could use some help on the rent and I know Regina doesn't have a say in my lease seeing that Mr. Gold is in charge of that."

"If you're fighting Regina, I'm sure he'll slide a few rules." O'Connell encouraged.

Emma just let out a heavy sigh. If it was war Regina wanted, it was war she was gonna get. She didn't know what the mayor's problem was, but she wasn't letting Regina hurt Henry anymore.

Regina groaned. She had just watched Henry fly up the stairs again after another day with Emma, reminding her that he did not love her anymore or even see her as his mother. Emma had only been in town for three days and already Henry was worst than ever. She had to fix this and fast.

"That could have gone better."

Regina stopped in her tracks to the kitchen for another hard sherry when she heard the familiar smooth, silk voice from the living room.

"Mr. Gold, what are you doing here?" She asked her visitor, not liking how he felt he was free to enter her home whenever he please.

"Just thought I'd drop in for a visit. You know, I had seen them earlier today," he said, motioning to Henry up the stairs. Of course he wouldn't tell her exactly where he saw them. "Thick as thieves they looked."

"And you didn't think to call me?" Regina was really starting to get agitated that everyone felt free to do what they wanted. Especially when it concerned her son.

"I thought about it." Gold quipped. "I told you dearie, if you wanted my help, you just needed to ask me."

"Well I don't," the mayor crossed her arms. "And besides, I already have things taken care of."

The pawnbroker laughed. "Do you now?"

"Yes. Despite…recent events, I'm sure we'll be seeing Miss Swan head out of town real soon."

"Well then, we'll just have to see about that than, won't we?"

Mary Margaret's apartment was….homey. Emma couldn't describe it but it was like once she set foot inside, she felt home. You have to come home. She shook her head. Henry certainly had a way of persuading people. The place was spacious enough for an extra tenet and after a few phone calls with Mr. Gold, like O'Connell had suspected, he slid a few rules in favor of Emma staying and helping pay the rent (though she had yet to figure out what she was going to do after her vacation money ran out). And it didn't take her long to move in seeing as she virtually had nothing on her to begin with.

"How long did they say your stuff would arrive from storage?"

"Hopefully by the end of the week."

"What are you going to do?"

Emma smirked, resting her head on the kitchen counter. Today had been too tiring and she knew exactly who to blame. "I have no idea. Regina seems determined to push me out of town but Henry really needs me so I have to stay."

"Well, what do you want?"

Emma blinked at her. "What?"

"Do you want to stay?"

"Well yeah, I have to. For Henry."

Mary Margaret laughed at her innocence. "I meant for you, Emma. Do you want to stay for yourself?"

Honestly, she didn't want to think about it. Growing up in the system, she had learned not to care about herself. Every time she thought she found a place, she was gone again or they didn't want her. So she kind of gave up caring if she was home or had any friends. Sure she would still try and find her parents but every dead end made her less hopeful until she just gave up on the idea of hope itself. When she found her bail bonding job, she found spending all her time and energy on it helped her forget how things use to be or could have been. Instead she focused on caring about the wives screwed over by their exes or families needing the money they ran off with. It was just easier that way. And although Henry didn't necessarily make the whole situation easier (not by a long shot considering the curse he kept going on about), but at least she sort of had a 'job' to do now. She could just focus on that.

"I don't know. Didn't really think about it."

Knock, Knock, KNOCK.

Startled, the two women looked between the sudden noise and then at each other.

"Are you expecting someone?"

"No." Mary Margaret said apprehensively.

Emma groaned, expecting the Mayor's killing blow, but before she could reach the door a small white envelope had slid under the crack.

"Okay." Emma picked it up and tore it open. She was expecting a statement of Mary Margaret's lease or even a secret note from Henry, but not this.

Please find the person who killed her. No one else will. The truth must be revealed. You're the only one who can help.

The women shared worried glances. Mary Margaret flew the door open but saw no one standing in the entrance or anyone fleeing down the stairs. It was like they just vanished.

Emma sighed. "Welcome to Storybrooke."

Three Days After Midas' deal:

David awoke to the sun rays on his face letting him know it was already morning. He groaned, struggling to get up. The first thing he noticed was his head was throbbing, like he had hit it on something hard. Or maybe it was just his drinking telling him to take it easy next time. Whatever it was, he quickly realized it wasn't early morning but closer to the afternoon with the sun higher in the sky. "Great," He muttered. He already lost time by sleeping in and he could only guess how far that thief had made off with his jewels and Midas' key. He looked around to see his traveling companion curled up near a tree trunk, still sleeping off his stupor. David liked to think his excessive drinking was due to his 'upbringing' as a prince. What else did you expect when you lavished a young man with food, wine, and lots of women? But he knew himself a little better, despite his wishes. He drank to forget, as most men did.

He finally managed to get up, his headache now subsiding, and took another look around. The horses were still tied to the tree branch, his companion (Sheriff…something. It probably wasn't important enough for him to remember) still grumbling in his sleep, and it didn't look like anything got stolen in the first hours of the day. That was the dangers of sleeping out in the forest. If you weren't careful, bandits could sneak up and take anything-

David froze. There. Peeking out from the tree in front of him was a pair of feet. The trunk was rather large and thick and did well to hide most of the intruder but David was careful not to rustle any leaves to alert his presence. Whoever was lurking was still clearly asleep so David felt confident in getting the upper hand if it came down to a fight. He managed a look around-

His blood turned cold. He just stood there, looking, staring, thinking it had to be a dream. Lingering side effects from last night's drinking. But the blood told another story.

David glanced over to his companion still sleeping, curled up by his tree. Then he took a closer look at the horses. One of them, which he recognized to be his, had a blood smear down his side. It was hard to see due to the beast's coat. David stumbled backwards, thinking this couldn't be possible.

But he could see the damage done to her head. The little girl was definitely dead.

Up Next: Emma is arrested and learns about an old murder, Evie struggles through nightmares, and Kathryn battles her divorce. In the Enchanted Forest, David searches for Snow White.

A/N: So how you could probably tell, this chapter focused on Emma making the final decision to stay in Storybrooke while finally introducing a main story in the Enchanted Forest. Now this story can get going.

Also, let me know if you caught the little call out for Season 5.