"Miss Swan," the doctor held out his hand as he came into the room. "I'm Dr. Rhodes. I've just gotten your test results and I have to say that everything looks good on this end."

Emma's brow furrowed slightly at that news. "So there's nothing wrong?"

"Why do you think there might be something wrong? Are you experiencing symptoms that lead you to think something is wrong?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." Emma ran her hand through her now short hair, trying not to wince at its length. She'd made an impulsive decision and once again was living with the consequences. At least this time it was only something as small as her hair. She could live with that. Had been for the past month, in fact.

"What's going on?" Dr. Rhodes asked, sitting down and looking at her.

"I keep having these - flashes, I guess? I'll look at someone and for a minute they look like someone else. Or I'll hear voices but no one is talking. And I'm still getting headaches sometimes. I don't know if I'm remembering or going crazy or -"

"I don't think you're going crazy." Dr. Rhodes smiled. "The headaches, while understandably concerning, are actually quite normal. As for the flashes, it is very possible that you are recovering bits of your memory. Do any of the flashes seem at all familiar?"

Emma nodded. "The people that I think I see are people that I know. Or knew, I guess. And the other things - I guess they could be things that happened. Things that were said. But, I don't know."

Dr. Rhodes glanced through her chart again. "You have no family?"

Emma thought of Henry and Mary Margaret and even Regina for a moment before she shook her head. "No. It's always just been me. Apparently when I had the accident I'd been living in a small town, but I have no memory of it and I don't stay in one place very long. I went back to Boston, where I remembered living but - it didn't feel right, so I thought I'd try my hand out here."

"And does it feel right out here?"

Emma frowned. "Not exactly."

Dr. Rhodes closed her file. "From a medical standpoint, Miss Swan, you are perfectly healthy. You've recovered amazingly well, minus the memory loss, and it seems like that may be coming back to you as well. I know that it can be scary when you don't know what's real and what's just your brain playing tricks on you. I'd suggest that you try to find somewhere that it does feel right, maybe somewhere that you at least know some people. It could help you feel more secure."

Emma laughed a bit, but it was humorless. "Secure isn't exactly something that I'm used to feeling, doc."

Dr. Rhodes offered her another smile. "What about right, then?"

Emma shrugged. "Not sure I know about that either. But thank you. At least I know I'm not crazy. Or brain damaged. Much."

"Good luck, Miss Swan."

"I have a feeling I'm going to need it."

Regina sat at her desk, tapping the card with Emma's address on her desk. She'd been staring at the card for over an hour, trying to force a phone number or some means of contact to appear. Somehow Regina was sure that Emma wouldn't be opening any mail, especially if it was postmarked from Storybrooke. Besides, what was she to write in a letter?

Please come back to Storybrooke. I've realized how boring my life without you is, even though I still plan to make yours a living hell if you do come back, just because it pleases me?

And as Gold had not so subtly pointed out, without a means to contact her, the only option was to actually go after the girl. But because of the curse that was impossible. No one could leave Storybrooke without something terrible happening. Except, of course, for Emma Swan.

But something terrible had happened then too, hadn't it? It had just happened to Regina instead of Emma.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her office door opening. She looked up sharply, ready to ream her secretary for coming in when she'd specifically asked for no visitors. Except it wasn't Leslie who was entering her office. It was August W. Booth.

"Madam Mayor," he nodded at her. "Sorry to just barge in, but I had to tell you, your new sheriff is terrible at gathering information."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I assume that you sent him after me, to interrogate me and find out why I was in town."

Regina's lips pursed. She had given Sidney that job, but apparently he had failed once again.

"Your former sheriff was a much better interrogator. And far prettier to look at." August smirked. "I miss her."

Regina rolled her eyes. Of course Miss Swan had tried to get information out of the man by flirting with him. So why did she feel an unnecessary bout of rage rising up within her at the news?

"And it appears that I'm not the only one."

"What?"

"Your son, Henry. He's been moping about since she left. Not to mention his teacher. And just about everyone else in town. Seems like she had quite an impact on this town."

"Yes, well, Miss Swan made the decision to leave. I cannot control her actions and should not be held responsible for them."

"Who said I was holding you responsible?" August moved over and leaned on her desk. "I was just noting how different the town was without her."

"Yes, well, thank you, Mr. Booth. Now that you've noted that, kindly leave my office."

August looked down, his eyes lighting on the card in her hand for a second, before looking back up at her. "Like I said at Granny's, it's always hard when you lose something of value. But sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll find a way to get it back."

"Not everyone is as lucky as you seem to think, Mr. Booth. Sometimes even if you know where the thing of value is, it can still remain out of your reach."

"Ah. True. And not having something. Well…" August met her eyes, "I think you know what that's like, Madam Mayor."

"Who are you?" Regina asked suddenly.

"It's just like I told both of your sheriffs. I'm just a writer passing through."

"And when are you planning on leaving, Mr. Booth?"

He smiled at her, that damn smile that lingered in the back of her mind. How did she know this man? "In the next few days, if all goes well."

"If all goes well?"

He nodded, but gave nothing else away. "I just wanted to drop this off to you." He reached into the messenger bag he was carrying and pulled out a large brown book.

"Where did you get that?" Regina asked, grabbing the book from his hands. Her fingers ran over the words. Once Upon A Time.

"I found it and realized that it belonged to Henry. I thought I should return it to him." August smiled. "You see. Things of value can be returned. Sometimes all you have to do is admit that what you've lost is valuable. My mother taught me that."

Regina set the book down on her desk. "Thank you for returning this. But I don't think even this will make Henry happy anymore."

"Hmm." August hummed. "Maybe it won't. I did notice the end was missing. Seems like it might have been torn out. Or maybe it just wasn't written yet."

"Oh, it was written." She muttered darkly.

"Then maybe it needs rewritten." August replied easily. "I never did like how all those fairy tales ended. Happily ever after for the good and punishment for the wicked. That's boring. And what about the so called villains?"

"What about them?" Regina asked, her eye brow raised. "You don't believe they deserve to be punished?"

"I think they deserve to be redeemed. Why can't they have happily ever after too?"

Regina laughed bitterly. "Did your mother put that idea in your head too?"

A mysterious smile flitted across August's face. "In her own way, I guess she did."

"Then she was a fool. There is no redemption for the wicked. They will never get their happily ever after. Believe me."

This time, August laughed, a rich sound, full of mirth. Regina felt her blood boil at the way he was laughing at her. How dare he?

"My mother was, and is, many things, but a fool is not one of them." He shook his head. "And I think you're wrong. I think redemption is always possible, if the person wants it."

"Just because they want it, they can be redeemed?" Regina challenged.

"That's the first step. And a pretty big first step too. Admitting that you've done something that you need to be redeemed for? That takes a strong person. After that," he shrugged, in a way that oddly reminded her of Emma, "having someone to talk to is always helpful. Everyone has a story. Sometimes they just need to be able to tell their side of it."

August grinned and leaned even further over her desk, right into Regina's space. "But then, I'm just a writer. What do I know?"

"Get out of my office." Regina hissed, her hands coming up to shove him away.

"As you wish, your majesty." He mock bowed and turned to move away. When he reached the doorway he turned back with a smile. "As for things of value, sometimes you need to let them go and trust that they'll come back to you. My mother taught me that as well. Goodbye, Madam Mayor." And with that, he was gone.

Regina turned her eyes back towards the desk, only to see that somehow, the book had been opened. Looking down, she was shocked to see the picture that seemed to be staring up at her. It was a portrait of a much younger version of herself and Snow. The girl was sitting on her lap, looking up at her adoringly, as she'd done in those first years after Regina had been brought to the palace. She remembered how much she cared for the girl with ebony hair and skin as white as fresh fallen snow and how they had shared confidences together.

Having someone to talk to is always helpful.

She shook her head and slammed the book closed, blocking out the picture. Talking to Snow, confiding in Snow had destroyed her happiness. The girl had ruined her life. It was because of her that all of this had happened. August W. Booth and his mother were wrong. There was no redemption for the wicked - at least not for her.