… Isaac thought about his past as he rewrote the story at his own advantage

His happy ending.

Isaac always liked to write stories. Even after he grew up, he didn't lose this envy to write and to become an author, even after he had to find a job to live.

It never stopped. And he tried, again and again, until he became the Author.

And everything changed. But, even though he truly became an Author and that, yeah, what he could consider as his happy ending was becoming real, well…

Everything changed again. But not in the good way.

To write stories, the stories of the fairytale characters, was something really fantastic, in all the senses. And he loved it, really, at the beginning.

But with time, it became less fascinating, because he was just narrating.

It was not his own stories, nor his characters, he invented nothing !

He just… told what was happening.

It was good, yes, but it wasn't enough. And with time, it was more and more… frustrating to him.

He created nothing, he didn't have the right to act on the story, so… it bored him.

He was the Author, but not really an author. And even though celebrity wasn't the most important thing for him, it would have pleased him that people actually read his stories.

The Apprentice thought he was good at writing, that was why he chose him, but just have one reader wasn't really the thing any writer wants to have.

That was why he thought that Cruella could be his happy ending, but things didn't go well between the two of them.

Of course, that was a great euphemism.

And now, after everything he went trough, after he did act on the story, became both a creator and a character.

He became someone, took part of the story.

(And manipulated two desperate people who just wanted to be sure their daughter would be safe.

For the tragedy of the story, of course.

In a way, he was right.

Who could have predicted the future of the two little girls, so different from the other, but who would finally find complementarity in the other one ?)

And then, he was here, with people asking him to change the story, they needed him. He didn't care what he would do, what they wanted him to do.

The fact was that, for the first time, someone needed him, him and his assistance.

Him and his quill. Him, and his talent for writing

He couldn't describe with good words how he was enjoying it.

He did it, in the end, rewrote the story so Zelena would disappear, be destroyed, erased.

Would die.

As her child, of course, but who would matter ?

They didn't, so he didn't care about it.

She was a sort of a crazy woman, who tried to kill her sister, to steal her happy ending, if he goodly understood.

He knew what it was, when someone did this to you.

It happened when he was trapped in this damned book.

It happened when Cruella betrayed him and that he saw her real face, the face of a true monster.

The face of madness.

Maybe this was also his revenge.

And then, he wrote, and well… he did it. He was almost afraid of having that power, but it happened so easily !

And to feel this power, it had been so.. great ! The feeling he had at that moment was so … thrilling !

But for some reason, it wasn't enough to him. The sensation that, as an author he was in and out of the book, and so he was the only one who did remember Zelena' existence, was really wonderful.

But he wanted something more.

So, he went to see Gold, and did as the Dark One wanted him to act.

He rewrote the story. Again. With the great changes that had been asked.

He gave himself the great role, of course.

If Gold had the right to steal his happy ending, why couldn't he do the same thing ?

He was a writer, and he was good, he knew it !

The world… just needed a little help to realize it.

To see it.

And he was ready to give it all the help it could need.

His happy ending was to be considered as a true and great writer.

And it was going to happen.

After all, the story he wrote for Gold was of his own ! He had the right to be seen as the Author of this particular story !

It was not cheating, not really. Everything he wrote came from him, with Gold's ideas, yeah, but it was his words.

He deserved it, that people saw who he truly was.

And, as he wrote the final line of "Heroes and Villains", a great smile appeared on the Author's face.

He never felt so happy or relieved.

He was really going to enjoy that…