"Lynnie?" Henry poked his head through the door of his big sister's room, shakily holding his storybook to his chest. "We really really need to talk."

Hearing fear in her little brother's voice was a rare event. The last time she had heard real fear in his voice was when he had first been allowed to see her in the hospital, after the attack. Hearing it again now nearly caused her to panic. Standing up quickly, so quickly she nearly fell over, Lynnetta Mary Anne Mills waved her brother into her room and sat him down on the big chair in the corner across from her bed, throwing a blanket at him when she saw he was still trembling when he sat down. Swaying a bit, dizzy from having stood up so quickly, Lynn sat down on her bed across from her brother, who was still clutching his storybook to his chest. Seeing her phone light up on the other side of her bed, Lynn reached over and picked it up, smiling when she saw a message from her mother. I'll be working late with Emma tonight. Don't worry about it. We're just going to make sure Cora can't hurt you or anyone else. You'll be fine, just stay home with Henry where you're safe. Sending off a quick reply, Lynn smiled, turned her mobile to sleep mode, and turned back to her brother, who didn't look much more calm. He was shaking less, but looked about ready to cry, and kept staring between her and his storybook.

"Is the storybook bothering you again?" Lynn nervously said, poking her fingers together. "Or did something happen at school?"

"Kind of both," Henry said, setting the storybook down on his lap after wrapping the blanket his sister threw at him around himself. "I…need you to promise not to tell mom about this. Please. I can't risk her panicking and pushing Emma away. She cares about her."

"I think Emma's the lady with the pretty hair I used to dream about," Lynn said, glancing around her room. "She and momma fell in love…I really hope that's what's happening with her and Emma."

Henry sighed. "I just want them to stop fighting. They go from being alright with each other to fighting. Emma was upset about mom threatening Mary Margaret because she may or may not have kissed David and mom snapped at her even though Emma was right to say it's a dumb thing to get upset about because he's, you know, Mary Margaret's husband in the real world?"

"Past world," Lynn said, her gaze falling to the brace on her leg. "We're stuck here, now. There's no going back, Henry. Sure, there's magic here again, but it can't fix everything. I've tried. Momma's tried. But some things you just can't go back from."

"You mean mom killing grandfather?" Lynn began blinking back tears, wrapping her hands together. "I try not to think too hard about it but it's…we wouldn't be here if it weren't for that. I…I don't remember as much about the past world as I wish I did. I think I was around six or seven when we left, so a lot of it is hazy except for the…bad moments. Like when Snow kidnapped me, or when momma was almost executed."

Henry swallowed hard. "I try not to think about…actually…"

"What?" Lynn said, looking up at him. "Did something happen?"

"Yeah," Henry said, staring down at the storybook. "That's why we need to talk."

Lynn nodded. "So…what is it?"

"I know mom won't tell me everything or answer all my questions," Henry said, shaking his head. "I need you to keep it secret because of who I talked to."

Lynn's face fell in horror. "Not Cora," She choked out. "Why -"

"No, not her," Henry said, panicking a little at his sister beginning to cry. "It was Gold," He said awkwardly, waiting for her to calm down before saying anything else. "I asked him about everything. The curse, how to break it, whether or not it's breaking, and what will happen when the curse is broken."

Lynn winced. "How'd you manage that?"

"I told him his real name," Henry said simply, though he looked deeply unnerved. "But the things he told me are scary, Lynnie. Really, really, really scary."

"Why?" Lynn said, curiosity overtaking her anxiety. "What'd he say?"

"He said the curse is breaking but I don't know anything other than that. He wouldn't even tell me what would break the curse other than true love's kiss but…" Henry shook his head. "What's really scary is what he said will happen when the curse is broken. He said everyone is going to want to kill mom when the curse is broken. That they're going to remember who she is and what she did to them which will lead them to want to kill mom because they'll decide she's irredeemable even though she's slowly…getting better. You know, as a person."

Lynn stared at him in horror. "They can't do that!"

"I know," Henry said, picking up the storybook and beginning to open it but, halfway through, shut it and threw it across the room. "Everything's a lie, isn't it?" He whimpered. "About who's good and who's evil?"

"Not exactly," Lynn shakily replied. "But the storybook isn't telling the whole truth. I've been trying to tell you that for months."

"And I believe you now," Henry said, curling his legs up into his chest. "Is…do you think things will end up being okay?"

"I don't know," Lynn said quietly. "Just look at me. I'm still alive because of the curse but left with irreparable damage. Emotionally, physically. And Aria and Cindy might never have tried to kill me if it weren't because of the curse or…or what Aria's parents told them about the curse. I…I just want all of the chaos to stop and, if that means the curse stays in place as much as it can anymore, then I'm…I think I can live with that."

Henry frowned. "But that means no one but us will ever know the truth. Isn't there a way for them to learn the truth and break the curse without mom getting hurt?"

"I..maybe? Hopefully?" Lynn fell back against her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure what I want to believe about the curse anymore. I…I think it might be better if we just pretend it's not real and say that, sometimes, magic is a thing we can use. Wouldn't it be better that way?"

"Gold said if the skeletons in our family's closet come out with the curse breaking that anything could happen," Henry said with a shudder. "I want to believe it's not true and the curse breaking will remind everyone of who they really are, and mom will see, finally, she was wrong about needing revenge to be happy. Everyone will get their happy ending, even if it has to be here."

"You're idealising, Henry," Lynn said, closing her eyes. "But honestly? If you are right and things end up that way, maybe things would be perfect. Like they were always supposed to be. Perfect."

Her alarm going off usually was a pleasant sound but, this time, it caused Mary Margaret Blanchard to wake up in a cold sweat, screaming.

The dream. But was it a dream or was it a memory?

Casting off the covers, she almost threw her mobile into the wall as she fumbled to turn off her alarm. When she finally managed it, she struggled to catch her breath. The first bits of light were already starting to peek in through the curtains. When she checked her mobile for any messages, the first few she saw were from Emma, apologising for the debacle at the hospital and with Nolan's wife. The next were from Regina, a sharp warning against approaching Nolan in his 'confused state.' Then Sherry, preemptively apologising for her wife. Seeing Chloe's message, gloating, proved her wife's apology necessary - did you really think you could win against us? The name she had called her by - Fenella - feeled less and less foreign with every day that passed. Somehow, it was a whispering note at the back of her head telling her there was truth behind it even though it had come to her like smoke before fire. The bulk of the messages, however, came from two unknown numbers, whose owners soon became apparent. Her heart sank to her stomach, and her hands trembled around her mobile. Standing up, she pulled on her warmest night robe, her apartment feeling unusually cold, and walked into her kitchen, mobile in hand. Beginning to make tea, hoping it would soothe her racing mind, Mary Margaret tried to hide from what she knew about the owners of the two numbers.

She couldn't.

The first memory that came to mind was an early morning in Ruby's diner, no later than 5:27 AM, a time she remembered specifically because of what was on the television that morning, when Ruby flicked it on.

"...Part of the interstate has been blocked off by police vehicles and tape. What happened at the scene is unclear, other than a teenage girl was rescued by an off duty police officer from her car between 3 AM and 4 AM. The girl has been hospitalised but all other information is currently unknown to anyone outside law enforcement."

"Yikes," Ruby had said, looking between Mary Margaret and the TV. "Hope that girl is okay."

Mary Margaret had nodded, taking a few sips of her coffee. "I do too. I'm surprised you're the one working so early this morning."

"I've been working since 3 AM, mostly cleaning," Ruby had said, turning down the volume on the TV. "I'm leaving in about half an hour - an hour at the latest - to head for NYC. Got my clothes for a long weekend of partying already in my car. In all seriousness, I can't wait!"

Lynn. The girl who had been rescued by an off duty police officer had been Lynn.

Everyone in the town knew the story by the time Lynn was lucid enough in the hospital to speak. What it had done to Regina was shocking. The mayor - usually so calm if harsh - had lost all of her composure. By the time the case had gone to court, she had been even worse. Her temper became almost nonexistent. When Lynn's friend turned attempted killer was let off as simply having been negligent, the incident legally written off as a car crash, Regina had dropped whatever sympathy she had. It wasn't just for anyone who hurt her daughter. It was for everyone. She also let her friends do what she didn't feel like doing around the town. Sherry was given the task of keeping people placated. Chloe was given latitude to say and do things - as far as Mary Margaret was concerned - Regina wanted to say and do but wouldn't dare risk her public face over. Once again, the confrontation in her own classroom came back to her, the first and only time she had called Chloe by that strange, distant but seemingly right name. Fenella. Thinking about Chloe, the accusations, the gloating began to make her blood boil. For so long, she had tried. Tried to help everyone in the town. Tried to fix whatever it was she had done to earn Regina's increasingly unrestrained ire.

Her mobile buzzed again. Another message from one of the two numbers.

The numbers of Dr. Leah Watson and Stephen Watson. The parents of Aria Watson.

The best friend turned attempted killer of Lynnetta Mills.

Miss Blanchard, what you think of the world you live in is not the truth, and not the way you think it is. Call me, and I'll begin to explain.

Her tea ready, she poured herself a cup and closed her eyes. A few seconds passed, her mind spinning. Whispering that somehow she needed to hear the linguist out. Her daughter's sins were not hers, now weren't they? Opening her eyes, Mary Margaret sighed. Took a sip of her tea. Then, she unlocked her mobile and hit the call button in response to the texts from the number she knew belonged to Leah Watson.

The call rang out and she set it to speaker.

Then, the line clicked.

"I hope I didn't wake you, Miss Blanchard."

"You didn't," Mary Margaret paused. "I'm listening, Leah."

"I know this is going to be hard to believe, so I'm going to offer you to come to my office at some point this week," Leah said, the delicate tapping of her heels audible over the line. "But I'll begin with the simplest question - the…storybook you gave Henry Mille. Where did it come from?"

"How do you…" Mary Margaret sighed. "Sorry. I should have known you did your research on anyone Regina…has ever interacted with before your…infamous court case."

Leah scoffed. "You may not agree with what my daughter did after I tell you what Regina has done to you - to all of us - but you'll understand it wasn't out of nowhere. Maybe you'll even be able to understand why she did it. You are one of the most empathetic people in the world. At least, our world."

Mary Margaret closed her eyes, rubbing at her forehead. "What do you mean 'our world?' Aren't the world and our world the same thing?"

"No, dear, it's not," Leah said sympathetically. "Tell me. Do you remember your real name?"

"My real name?" Mary Margaret repeated, confused. "I've always been Mary Margaret. I…"

"Yes?"

"You know Regina's friend…Chloe, don't you?" Mary Margaret said, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. "Is…is her real name Fenella?"

Silence.

"Yes, it is," Leah finally said. "How do you know that but not your own name?"

"I called her that and…" Mary Margaret bit her lip. "It feels right but I know…I keep having t0 remind myself…"

"You're closer to figuring this out than you think, being able to recall that," Leah said kindly. "Come to my office in New Hampshire this week. I'll explain everything."

"I…I don't know if…" Mary Margaret trailed off. "I've gotten a terrible feeling every time I've tried to leave town since I…God I don't even know how long ago it was that I moved here."

"Push through it, and you'll start to understand," Leah told her, the way she spoke soothing and motherly. Where had that… "I'll meet you just beyond the town line, if that's easier for you. I'd come to Storybrooke but, I imagine, Regina would have me hanged, drawn, and quartered in revenge for what happened to her daughter."

Am I really going to do this? And trust a stranger?

"I'll see you on Wednesday," Mary Margaret finally said, shivers rising over her body. "Meet me at the town line."

Leah laughed. "I will. Of that, you can be completely certain."

"Where the hell did this come from?" Regina frowned at the stack of letters and boxes on her desk. "Emma!" She tried not to let out a sigh of relief when the bounty hunter came running into the room. "Do you know anything about this?"

"About wha…" She skidded to a stop, eyes widening in surprise. "Where'd all that come from?"

Regina eyed her from the side, lips flattening into a thin line. Wanting to accuse her of lying, at first, came to mind but suddenly left her. Crossing her arms, she took a look around her office, searching for any speck of dust out of place. When she found none, she checked to ensure the doors to her office were shut and locked. Then, she slowly stepped towards her desk, and snapped her fingers, letting her magic organise the mess. Emma's eyes widened, almost so harshly it hurt, completely baffled by the sight every time Regina or Lynn used it. Slowly, when Regina seemed less annoyed, she approached her from the other side of the desk. When she was within reach and able to read some of the names on the letters and the packages, Emma raised an eyebrow. Picking up the first few letters, Emma tried not to let anger overtake her. The return address was all too familiar and it sent chills running up and down her spine. The names on the return address were all but unnecessary, not with the New Hampshire address and the knowledge there were only three people in New Hampshire who would send anything to Regina on purpose, only two of whom were active, conscious.

And had absolutely lost their moral compass.

"Some of these boxes are huge," Emma said, suspiciously removing the smallest from Regina's desk. "Okay, that's heavier than I thought it'd be."

"I would tell you to wait until my sheriff gets here to open those, but it doesn't matter. I'll deal with them personally," Regina said, eyes narrowing at the box as Emma tore it open. "What the hell is that?"

"Looks…" Emma let out a low whistle and nearly dropped the large, velvet box she removed from the shipping box. "Well that explains how this was the smallest of the boxes they sent you."

Regina took a small step back when Emma set the box down on her desk and began to open it, half expecting a cursed object to leap out at her. The reality ended up being worse.

"Emma," She said slowly. "Those are a…those are two of the crown jewels of Galcinia. Leah and Stefan's -"

"What?" Emma exclaimed, dropping the box. "How -"

"Open the letters," Regina said, stepping as far away from her desk as possible. "Not a chance in hell am I risking getting hurt by a potential curse directed at me in them."

"So I'm -" Emma started but then cut herself off when she saw the horror and fear on Regina's face. "I think you're a little paranoid," She said, starting on the first few letters. "This is just nonsense."

"These are the same people who tried to help their daughter get away with murder," Regina snapped. "So, no, it's not nonsense."

"Regina, really," Emma said, opening and continuing to scan through letters. "These seem to be just copies of letters Aria got sent while in prison. They're trying to make you feel guilty, and nothing more."

"Aria got sent letters in prison?" Regina scoffed. "Why am I not surprised? They did everything to make her seem like a beautiful, perfect victim."

"No kidding," Emma swore under her breath. "It's disgusting. The way they acted, the way they tried to blame Lynn for what Aria did? I still can't believe they tried to make me cover up for their daughter. My morals aren't for sale, thank you very much."

Regina faintly smiled. "Have you been waiting to say that?"

"Maybe," Emma replied, looking up at her with a wink. "You never know."

"Well, if it's an attempt to make me feel guilty, it's not going to work," Regina said, crossing her arms and watching as letter after letter was open and discarded on the floor, piling up around her desk. "I'd ask you to try and aim for the fire, Miss Swan, but I think I'll have more fun lighting them on fire myself."

Emma laughed. "Sounds fun," She said, reaching for the next few letters, sighing when she saw the contents of the next letter. "I've made some bad decisions in who I've dated before, or who've wanted to date before, but the fact anyone would write letters flirting with their bitch of a daughter in prison is gross."

"I'd rather not think about that," Regina said, frowning when she approached the crown jewels still left on her desk. "It may be petty of me, but I happen to be quite proud of my shrewd rule. Misthaven may have been the smallest of the five kingdoms on the continent, but I was still the monarch of the second wealthiest kingdom on the continent, second only to Midas who surpassed me for rather obvious reasons."

Emma paused, raising an eyebrow. "Call me crazy, but are you saying the jewels in those are fake?"

"No, they're real," Regina said, smirking. "Just smaller, and gold and silver plated rather than pure gold or silver. I was never one for pure opulence. Did I show up to events willing to upstage people? Of course I did. But I did it for the sake of making a point, typically being that they would regret it if they underestimated me."

"Think Leah and Stefan have learnt that the hard way," Emma said, shaking her head. "I can't believe they convinced themselves, in this world, they were in the right."

"Because they were never good people," Regina said, slamming the velvet box shut. "I'm far from being a saint, but I never tried to claim to be one either. Them? They did. And, somehow, people believed them then, there, and have fallen for the same trick in this world."

"'There's a sucker born every minute,'" Emma dryly quoted, still going through letters. "Wonder if any of the people who feel bad for Aria ever considered that they may have been manipulated."

"Why would they question it?" Regina bitterly said. "No, Leah and Stefan knew what they were doing. They knew how to make their daughter the victim, and they succeeded."

"Money talks," Emma muttered, tearing open another few letters, though she soon stopped, her gaze darkening. "This is from them, Regina. From Leah and Stefan, that is."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "And? What does it say?"

"It starts a little nonsensical but, here's a..shit. 'Your time and hers are running out,'" Emma paused, shaken as she kept reading. "'You've lost, and you're going to face the consequences for your reign and what you've done to…' They can't be serious. Are they…this is a threat, isn't it?"

"It is," Regina told her, lips pursed. "Tell me, Miss Swan: what do you have on hand in your car?"

"Uh, a tire changing kit, shovel, chainsaw - sorry about using that on your tree the other week, by the way - and some snacks you'd probably disapprove of," Emma eyed her strangely. "Why?"

"Come with me," Regina said, snatching up her keys. "You have a few things to transfer to my Mercedes. There's a certain mansion in New Hampshire that needs to be paid a visit."

Authour's Note: phew! where to even begin? i know it's been a long time, but i'm finally back to work on this fic. i'm also going to be going through and cleaning up the writing of earlier chapters, and also add the fic to wattpad (eventually) to give some visual aspects to it, e.g. gifs of characters etc. either way, thanks for sticking with me, and i hope this update doesn't disappoint!