Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or anything mentioned from that show.

Note: Anything from Seasons 1 or 2 is fair game. If you don't like spoilers, don't read.

Chapter One: In Which a Spellbook is Found

Stephanie absently played with her dark hair, her legs crossed as she read the Library Journal, catching up on the book trends for this month. She often correlated her stock with what was popular right now, if she could. Operating Roses are Read, Storybrooke's only bookshop,wasn't always the easiest job, after all. Often, she took some of the books off the shelves and read them herself, lacking a steady flow of customers. It was quite boring in this town, if she was being honest with herself.

But today felt...different, somehow, as if she were about to wake from a nightmare. Though Stephanie could never quite explain how or why she had feelings like this, her little hunches had never led her astray before. At least, she didn't think they had. Frowning, she attempted to examine her memories, but really didn't remember...

And then the bell over the door tinkled merrily and the bookseller shook herself out of her trance. She smiled widely at the sight of her best friend, closing the magazine and rising from behind her desk.

"Rhiannon!" she cried, excited to see her, as she hugged her friend close.

Giggling, her blonde friend returned the hug, replying, "Stephie! We haven't seen each other in forever!"

"I know," Stephanie smiled softly. "I've been busy with the bookshop..."

"And there have been plenty of customers at the hair salon to take care of."

She frowned. "Shouldn't you be over there right now?"

Rhiannon smirked mischievously. "The other girls can handle it. I'd rather visit with you."

Smiling widely, Stephanie returned to her desk, gesturing for the blonde to sit on the chair in front of it. Rhiannon bypassed it entirely and chose to sit on the table instead. The two women chatted for a good half hour before the bell tinkled again. Stephanie smiled at the sight of one of her few regulars and wondered what kind of book the mayor's son would want today.

"Hi Ms. Nightflower!" he smiled warmly as he came in. Letting out a noise somewhere between a swear and a shriek as her eyes roved over the clock, Rhiannon nearly ran out of the store, inevitably returning to the hair salon.

"So, what can I get for you this lovely morning, Henry?" she asked, her hands clasped in front of her.

He tilted his head slightly before he replied. "Do you have any books about magic?"

Something reverberated inside of her at the word, and it struck her as significant for some reason.

Shaking her head, she answered, "Unfortunately, my entire stock of fairy tales was stolen a few weeks ago, and I haven't ordered a new shipment yet."

It had been odd, because it wasn't just fairy tales that were missing, but any book about magic, really. She had investigated on her own while Graham had done an official investigation, but neither of them had found anything. Eventuallyshe had dropped it. It wasn't that big of a deal anyway. Henry looked disappointed for a moment, before returning to his normally cheerful self.

"Well, do you have anything about spies, then?"

"That I do have. Just a second," Stephanie smiled, holding up one finger before heading into the basement, or the Archive as she liked to call it. The stacks of books seemed to go on forever, but the spy and detective books were close to the front, so it wasn't too hard to find. As she turned to leave, she thought she heard footsteps.

"Hello? Henry?" she called out, before determining that it was nothing. Turning back to the shelf, she saw a thick book with black binding. There wasn't a title on the spine. Putting her load on another shelf for a moment, she struggled with it for a few minutes before managing to yank it out. The cover had intricate patterns of black, thorny vines that seemed to shift and change against the grey background. Grimmerie, the golden letters spelled out. Grabbing the books for Henry as well as the large one that she had found, Stephanie quickly returned up the stairs, shivering slightly.

In the stacks, a brown-haired, brown-eyed man grinned widely. Soon, he would have his princess back.