A/N: This chapter has the Grinch's backstory. I wanted to put my own spin on it, so the story deviates from previous incarnations.

Emma yawned as the Sheriff's station flooded with people. Apparently, there had been a mass break-in that evening. Luckily, her and Regina's home hadn't been affected, but Christmas Eve was still a day away. She drank a cup of coffee as she wrote down everyone's lists of things that had been stolen. It was eleven in the evening, but Emma could tell that it was going to be a long night.

As she finished taking Neal's statement, Ruby barged into the station, looking like a mad woman. "He stole my ring!"

"Easy there Frodo," Emma quipped.

Ruby shook her head, "No, He stole 'the ring.'"

Emma quickly understood what Ruby was referring to, "Got it. I'm so sorry. We'll get it back, I promise."

When Mulan finished taking Ashley and Sean's statement, Emma and Ruby came over. "It seems that the only places that weren't broken into were my and Regina's home, Granny's Diner, and the Church," Emma concluded looking at Mulan's list.

"Where do you think he'll hit next?" Mulan asked.

"I can track him," Ruby said, "Then you can catch him while I go to his cave."

Emma shook her head, "You can't go back there."

"Why not?" Ruby asked indignantly, "We know where it is."

Emma straightened up, puffing the Sheriff badge on her chest, "I'm the Sheriff, and I say we catch the Grinch first. If we catch him we can get him to hand over all of the stolen items, including 'the ring'. Understood?"

Ruby nodded and Emma led the two outside the station, making sure to lock up behind her. Emma and Mulan piled into the yellow bug. Ruby took a deep breath through her nose, trying to pick up the Grinch's scent. She quickly picked up the scent and followed it. Emma followed Ruby in the bug, eager to catch the Grinch.

Stopping in front of the church, Ruby walked over to the bug and Emma rolled down the window. "This is where the trail leads," Ruby said, pointing to the church.

"Thank you," Emma said. Ruby climbed into the backseat of the bug and Emma turned off the car, "and now we wait."

The three women sat in silence as they kept their eye on the church. A half hour passed, but there was no movement anywhere around the church. "These stakeouts are boring," Ruby said as she stared out the window.

"Fun isn't in the description," Emma replied, "at least we're together. There was this time in Boston when I had to do it alone." She was about to launch into the story, but she caught a flash of green out of the corner of her eye. She reached for her gun and turned to the others. Before she could give any further instruction, Ruby had thrown her car door open, jumped out of the car, ran towards the Grinch, and tackled him to the ground.

Emma and Mulan climbed out of the car, Emma holding her gun while Mulan was holding her sword. Even though she had learned to use a gun in the last year, she still preferred her sword to any of this world's weapons. Emma and Mulan stood over the Grinch, who looked up at the two women. "You've caught me," he said holding up his hands, "I will not flee."

Producing a pair of handcuffs, Emma read the Grinch his rights. Emma and Mulan drove the Grinch back to the station, while Ruby went back to her apartment.

As they arrived at the station, Mulan dragged the Grinch into the holding cell and locked the door behind him. Emma sat in the seat across from him, taking the sight of him in. She had seen ogres and performed magic, but the sight of the Grinch in front of her was still difficult for her to wrap her mind around. "What's your deal?" Emma asked the creature.

The Grinch sat on the cell bed before launching into his story.

There was a time when the Grinch wasn't so hell bent on destroying Christmas. He used to live in a city among monsters just like him. Every day he would wake up and go to his job. He was well liked by his peers and the Grinch had a pure heart.

The day when everything changed started out as an ordinary day. The Grinch woke up and got ready for his job. After a short walk, he arrived at the factory. As he stepped into the vast lobby of Monsters Inc., several other monsters greeted him. He went about his day as usual, operating doors for the monsters that collected the screams of children to be recycled for electricity.

At closing time, the Grinch found that he needed to file some extra paperwork. The other monsters had left for the day, leaving him alone on the scare floor. When he finished the paperwork he found that a door was left on the floor. He should have just put it away, but the Grinch was a curious one.

He knew the dangers of the world on the other side of the door. Human children were toxic and the Grinch knew that he was risking his life by going in there. Still, he activated the door and went inside.

He tiptoed inside the room, hoping not to alert the child inside of his presence. As he crept through the room, he tripped on a figure of a cat wearing a hat. He groaned in pain and as he turned around, he found himself face to face with a human child.

It was a girl, about eight years old with blonde hair and blue eyes. She didn't seem frightened of him and merely smiled. At the sight of the girl's smile, the Grinch's fear melted away. How could this sweet little girl be dangerous? She introduced herself as Cindy Lou Who and showed him around her room. The Grinch was fascinated by the world around him.

When they heard the sound of Cindy's parents' footsteps, the Grinch went back into the closet, promising to come back each night. The Grinch kept his promise and a friendship was born. They learned from each other about the worlds that they inhabited. The Grinch didn't tell anyone about his experiences, as he knew that he would be banished if anyone found out.

A few weeks in, the Grinch went to visit Cindy. Upon seeing him, she hugged him and wished him a Merry Christmas, handing him a Santa suit. She took him down to her living room to see the beautifully decorated tree. The Grinch had never heard of Christmas and was confused by the whole tradition. Cindy was about to tell him all about it, when they found the CEO of Monsters Inc waiting for them.

Waternoose pulled the Grinch back into Monstropolis, leaving time only for a rushed goodbye. The Grinch pleaded with his boss, telling him that the human world wasn't dangerous. His attempts were futile and the Grinch was banished into another realm.

It was only a few minutes in this strange realm where a wizard whose skin sparkled with gold greeted him. He begged the wizard to help him find a way back to Cindy. The wizard noticed the Santa suit in the Grinch's hand and asked him about it. The Grinch told him what he knew about Christmas and the wizard made him a deal: if he found more Christmas items, he would help him find a way to Whoville. In order to assure that the Grinch would hold up his end of the deal, the wizard took the Grinch's heart.

The Grinch found a way into the world without magic and he set forth to find the items he needed. He found out that Christmas only came once a year and that he would have to bide his time until he could get his hands on the Christmas items. The people of this realm were horrible to him, fearful of his monsterly appearance. His lack of heart made him cruel to the townspeople. He found refuge on a mountaintop and became friends with a dog named Max, the only one who didn't run from him.

When Christmas came again, the Grinch stole the town's decorations. The mayor foiled his plan and the Grinch ran out of town with Max. Year after year, town after town, the Grinch's attempts to take the Christmas decorations failed and he ran to the next town. It had been thirty years and the Grinch found himself in Storybrooke. As this town seemed to have magic, he hoped that this time he would succeed.