Chapter Five: That Still Small Voice

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"You weren't always a cricket," Henry said to Archie.

"I weren't always- Oh, right. Because, um… Because you think I'm Jiminy Cricket. Why… Why do you… Why do you think that, Henry?"

"It's just because of who you are."

"And what am I?" Archie asked.

"You're a conscious. You help people see right from wrong."

"So, all the crickets in Storybrooke – they were once people, too?"

"There aren't any crickets here. Listen."

"Maybe it isn't light enough," Archie suggested.

Henry shook his head. "There's never been crickets here. You've just never noticed."

Archie nodded. "So, you think that's proof that there's a curse?"

"Yes, but I know it's not enough. I'm looking for more."

"So, Henry, look. I asked you this once before and you said you'd think about it. Why do you think it's so important that this is real?"

Henry thought for a moment. "It… It just is."

Archie looked disappointed. "Alright. Well, keep thinking about that answer, Henry. Cause I think there's something buried there."

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Emma and Graham stood in the station. Emma held up a uniform.

"A tie?" She asked. "You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority."

Graham raised an eyebrow. "So, you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?"

"I'm getting you to do what I want right now."

Graham sighed. "Well, at least you wear the badge." He pauses and saw she did not have her badge on. "Or I thought you did."

Emma rolled her eyes and grabbed her badge. When she clipped it onto her belt, there was a violent shake. All of the phones at the station started to ring. Emma inwardly groaned.

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The entire town gathered around the entrance to a tunnel. Regina then arrived soon with Emma, Graham, and Killian close behind.

Regina gasped. "Totally forgot," she muttered to Emma. "Everyone!" She yelled. "Step back, please!"

"Is that a crater?" Ruby asked.

"No, there were tunnels – old mines. Something collapsed," Marco said.

Regina turned to Graham. "Sheriff, set up a police perimeter. Marco, why don't you help with the fire department? Miss Swan, Mr. Jones, may I speak with you?" She walked off to the side away from everyone. Emma and David followed after her.

"I forgot about this," Emma blurted. "When I first came here, Graham offered me the badge today originally, but this time you did, so I guess it slipped my mind."

"Well, love," Killian said, "don't you think you should be stopping your boy?"

"Henry?" Regina asked confused.

"What about Henry?" Emma questioned.

Killian nodded at the entrance. "He's going in."

Emma groaned and turned to see Henry creeping into the mines. "Henry!" She screamed as she ran after him.

Henry having heard his mother's exclamation, ran into the mines quick.

"No! Henry get back her right now!" Emma yelled. She tried to get in, but the entrance was blocked by loosened rocks. Emma slapped a hand on one of the rocks. "To late," she murmured.

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Mary Margaret and David sat playing hangman in David's room at the hospital.

"I don't know. S?" Mary Margaret asked.

David smiled. "Mmhmm. One of them. Get it yet?"

Mary Margaret studied the letters. "No. Let's see: S_ow W_it_." She thought for a moment. "Is it Snow White?"

David grinned and nodded. "Don't worry – I would never have let you hang. I would've added toes, a hat, maybe a horse. Or even a dress or bow and arrow."

"Is this a game you played a lot? Uh, before?"

David sighed internally wishing she would remember. "I don't know," he lied. "Everything's all hazy like a dream."

Mary Margaret smiled reassuringly. "It'll come back. They're sending you home in a week. They have to think you're progressing, don't they?"

David sighed. "Physically. Mentally, no."

"Well, you're making new memories just fine."

"Maybe I'll like these better."

"Okay, play again?"

Kathryn entered with a box. "Can I guess, too?"

David turned a shade lighter in worry. "I'm sorry?" He said. "Who are you?"

Kathryn smiled sadly. "You don't remember me. I'm Kathryn. Your wife."

Mary Margaret's smile froze on her face. "Oh, I should go." She got up to leave.

"No, no," David protested. "I think, you, I'm not married," he finished lamely. "My brother was though, we looked exactly alike."

"His name was David," Kathryn said. "My husband's name."

"He was always the jokester," David laughed. "Probably used my name to fool you."

Kathryn gasped. "That's horrible!"

Emma ran into the room. "David," she said out of breath. Killian and Regina hurried in afterwards.

"Kathryn, Mary Margaret," Regina said calmly, "can you please leave us. We have to talk to David."

Mary Margaret nodded and sat outside on a chair. Kathryn followed her out, but she left the building completely.

"Henry's in the mines," David groaned. "Isn't he?"

"And Gold knows I know everything," Emma added. "I had to threaten him with the dagger to get him to nullify Ashley's contract."

"Does Mary Margaret remember yet?" Killian asked.

David shook his head. "No. I keep using words Snow would know for hangman, but she never gets the hint if she does know. I've used Bandit, Wanted, Charming, Past, Believe, Good, and today I used Snow White."

"She'll remember," Regina said confidently. "And so will Robin, Gold, and Henry."

"When Gold remembers," David said shaking his head, "this is war."

"Let's just figure out how to get to Henry," Emma interrupted.

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"Magic?" Emma yelped as they approached the blocked entrance. "That's your idea, Regina? Magic?"

"Yes, Madam Mayor. Don't you know all magic comes with a price?" Rumplestiltskin asked coming out from a hiding spot behind the trees.

"Crocodile, stay out of this," Killian said warningly.

Emma held the dagger up. "I can still use this," she threatened.

"You can't use magic here, dearie," Gold stated. He reached for the dagger, but stopped short. He looked startled. "How-?"

"-come you can't grab it?" Emma asked smirking. "Easy, the one who welds the dagger controls the Dark One. I weld it, I control you."

"But there's no magic," Gold protested.

"Forgot to tell you me and Regina have it," Emma shrugged. "Oops." She turned back to the cave in. Emma paused. "I need a place for this though," she said thoughtfully. A quick wave of her hand made a dagger sheath appear on her left hip. "Better. Okay, ready, Regina?"

"Just remember the price, Miss Swan," Gold pleaded.

Emma rolled her eyes. "If there's a price for moving a boulder, I am willing to pay it."

Emma and Regina raised their hands and started to lift the rocks out of the way.

"Swan, hurry!" Killian yelled. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in. Immediately after, all the rocks came crashing back down. "Henry!" He called. "Henry!"

"Killian?" Henry asked.

"Henry!" Emma gasped.

"Mom?"

Emma and Killian charged down the passageway to find Henry.

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"Where are they?" Regina muttered.

"They're fine, Regina," David assured her.

The rocks started to shift slightly. Regina raised her hands to help. Once the rocks were out of the way, Killian and Henry tumbled out.

"Emma!" Killian yelled.

"Go!" Emma yelled. "I'll be out! Just lower the rocks, Regina!"

Regina sighed and dropped the rocks. Emma appeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"That actually worked!" She cheered. She turned to Gold. "Go home."

"This is war, Miss Swan," Rumplestiltskin informed her as he turned to leave.

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Mary Margaret was leaving the hospital for the day when David arrived.

"Hey! Where you going?" He asked.

"Home. I'm done for the day," Mary Margaret answered. "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"No, well, yes, actually, but I don't need it," David smiled at her. "If you want to go for a walk though, I think I can manage."

Mary Margaret smiled. "Sure, why not."

Mary Margaret and David stood by the water.

"I'm trying to remember this place," David answered truthfully. "It's like… It's like I woke up in some strange land."

"Is there anything coming back?" Mary Margaret asked.

"None of it makes sense. None of it… None of it feels real."

Mary Margaret smiled sadly. "That sounds lonely."

David turned to face her. "One thing does feel real. You."

"What?"

"I know it's crazy, but I swear you're the only thing in this whole place that feels… That feels right." David smiled at her. "Someone who will always find me."

Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes. "I will always find you?" She asked with a calculating look. She returned the smile though. "Well aren't you the little Prince Charming." She sighed. "Where did you hear that phrase? About me always finding you? In Henry's storybook by any chance?"

"Well he thinks I'm Prince Charming, so I figured I ought to act like him," David informed her.

Mary Margaret blinked once. "Hang on, I, I need to go talk to Henry and Emma. I'll be right back. No, no, um, meet at Granny's. I'll bring Emma and Henry too." She rushed off.

"Looks like someone remembers," David said quietly to himself.

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"Emma!" Mary Margaret called as she walked into her apartment. "Henry?"

"Hey," Emma said. "What's up? Why the rush?"

"Do you believe Henry's theory?"

Emma looked taken a back. "I don't know, why?"

"Something David said to me," Mary Margaret muttered. "He said I seemed like the only one who would always find him. He told me it was because of Henry's fairytale thing, but I think he remem- believes it's true."

"That's because it is," Henry said as he came through the door.

"Henry," Mary Margaret asked, "can I talk to you, um, alone?"

Emma raised her eyebrows, but left.

"Henry, I need you to never repeat this," Mary Margaret said calmly. "But I do remember some things. Being Snow White."

"Good," Henry said relieved. "That's Regina, Emma, David, Killian, and you down now."

"Huh?" Mary Margaret asked confused.

"They all remember what you remember," Henry said grinning. "Reliving all this. The curse. We're just waiting on Robin Hood, Rumplestiltskin, and me now." Henry turned to look at the door. "Mom, you can come in now!" Emma walked in. "Mom, she remembers being Snow White!" Henry told her.

Emma looked shocked. "You do?" She asked. At her mother's tentative nod, Emma sighed in relief. "Finally. David was really getting anxious. He's back. We all remember getting onto the boat to save Killian. He only remembers up to me stabbing him, but," she took a sharp breath, "but now we're together again and I won't let him die."

Mary Margaret gapped at Emma. Then she grinned. "Well, I suppose we ought to let him know? Dinner at Granny's?"

"Yeah!" Henry yelled.

Emma bit her lip. "Well, Killian and I were going to Regina's to figure out what to do now, but I think I can postpone it for this," she finished smiling.

"Tell them to come too," Mary Margaret insisted. "Then we can try to figure out how to get back."

Emma looked away. "It's not that I don't like my life, but I don't want to go back," she said softly. "If we do, Killian dies, and however selfish this is, I really don't want to lose him."

"I didn't think about that," Mary Margaret said quietly.

"Well, we already got a basic outline, so we can share over some Granny sandwiches," Emma suggested.

"Deal."

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"Snow's here now too," David informed Regina and Killian quietly.

Regina sighed. "Welcome back, Snow," she said sarcastically.

"Hey, Henry," Archie called as he walked into Granny's. "I've been meaning to ask if you thought about my question."

"What question?"

"Why do you think it's so important that your…your fairy tale theory is true?"

Henry glanced at his family. "I don't know."

"Give it a shot," Archie told him.

Henry thought for a moment. "Well, this can't be all there is. Right?"

"Right, I understand."

Henry sighed. "I thought if I found proof… But I haven't find anything."

Archie laughed. "Well, that's not true. You helped find David, right?"

Henry smiled. "I guess."

"Well, I'll leave you to your dinner," Archie said. "Good evening Madam Mayor, Emma, Mary Margaret, David, new guy. Killian was it?" He walked away.

"Wait!" Henry said loudly. "Listen."

The sound of crickets was heard from outside.

Archie tilted his head. "Crickets."

Henry grinned. "They're back. Things are changing."

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A/N: Another chapter done! Yay! So what will the price of magic be for Emma? It will be something major for irony of course. Using magic to move rocks is something small, but the price I shall make her pay will be big. Maybe it won't even be her, though. Dun dun duuuuhh!

So most often than not, everything will happen the same, but our time travelers will know about it.

If you are wondering how Regina and Emma can use magic with ease now, here's my take on it. Regina was unable to do magic the first time through with the curse because of the curse. She was physically hit with the purple green smoke stuff in the Enchanted Forest. But after traveling back, essentially her soul and mind were preserved in her past self as a sort of vessel. So as her future self's soul has magic, she is able to channel her magic out through her body as it's a vessel. The curse had already been broken for her future self. Emma is different. She actually was able to use magic the whole time during the first curse in the original time line because she was never hit with it. Go take a look at when she arrived with Henry to take him home. The power box nearby shoots out sparks when she gets frustrated and slams the car door after Henry says "Forty-four not telling you street." So since she could use magic during the curse the first time, she can use magic during curse this time for the same reason she could before. She was never hit.

So you also may be wondering if Henry, Robin, and Rumple will be coming back and when they will be coming back. Truth is, yes they will, but I have no clue when. When it's important I guess. Getting Robin over to Storybrooke will be difficult. Hook got there with ease because he had access to his ship and he could manage to find a bean to take him to the land without magic. All of them will for sure be back before Season One is done. That should be by Chapter Twenty Two: A Land Without Magic. Which is still going to be when the curse breaks. I'm sorry, but our time travelers could use some extra preparation time. Most of the Kathryn conflict scenes will be replaced with their chats anyway.

David wasn't lying to Kathryn he just wasn't telling her the truth. He does actually have a brother who looks exactly like him, so he could pull off a switch and call himself David. If David's brother was actually alive. But they actually never were married, so that wasn't a lie, was it?

Oh! So if Emma believes how is the curse not breaking? Huh, that's actually a good question that I don't think I could answer. Maybe because she wills the curse to stay in place or she hasn't accepted that she's really back? But remember, Emma broke the curse when she woke Henry up with true love's kiss. That could totally happen again. I mean, she believed before she woke him didn't she? So that's your answer there.

Um, if you have any suggestions on how I get Robin to come back over tell me because getting him to Storybrooke is gunna be a pain. Unless they all collaborate to say "I believe" and all meet up in Neverland and somehow make an escape, but that would be extremely difficult to pull off.

Wow this was long. Okay. Done.