Cruel Princess (No 20)

by DeadGirlEtarnal

Zelena isn't the only sister to the Evil Queen Regina, she has a younger sister, Octavia, and she's nothing like her older sister, though known for her fake alias, the Cruel Princess. Once in Storybrooke, things change maybe for the better for the two sisters, though the trouble seems to worsen once the Saviour steps into their town. Only Ocs.

3. Chapter Two - Hope Is There

Chapter Two - The Thing You Love Most

Season 1 - Episode 2

There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.

Or think we know.

One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.

Our World.

This is how it happened...

Henry and Octavia move to her room to get a better view of the clock tower; they sit on her balcony's chair together as Emma takes the room key, the clock hand starts to move, and the pair smile at each other. "I guess it's started," Octavia smiles as she hugs her nephew.

The clock continues to tick as the night turns to morning, and the town's residents continue as usual. Mary Margaret eats her breakfast at the window seat, noticing the clock working again further in town at Granny's B&B Emma wakes up in her bed and gets up to look out the window. Below, see Archie walking his dog, passing Mr Gold as Graham drives down to the diner, where he sees Ruby putting out the sign for Granny's Diner as the said lady walks in.

Octavia gets up from her bed and gets dressed for the day, looking out at the clock tower with a smile as she ties her hair into a low messy ponytail before grabbing her bag and passing her nephew's room to see him looking pleased with himself. "Get dressed; I'll take you for breakfast before work," She informs Henry, who jumps from his seat. She heads downstairs to see her older sister in her office reading the fairy tale book and comes across the end pages, which are torn out. Regina storms past her sister with the book in hand up the stairs to her son's room as he finishes getting ready for school.

"The missing pages - where are they?" Regina demands, showing the torn pages.

"It's an old book. Stuff's missing. Why do you care?" Henry asks his mom.

"I care because you think I'm some evil queen. And that hurts me, Henry. I'm your mother," She reminds him, cupping his chin.

"No, you're not," He argues, moving away from her.

"Well, then, who is? That woman you brought here? I don't like what she and this book are doing to you. Thankfully both are no longer an issue," His mom tells him, and he looks down at his bag. "What?" She asks; seeing the look on his face; the town clock chimes, causing her to look out his window, and he quickly leaves, running down the stairs to his aunt, and they escape the door.

"Bye, Gina!" Octavia shouts as she closes the door.

Regina walks into the town square and stands out in front of the clock tower, looking up at it as Archie walks past with his dog. "Hey, how about that? Guess those rusty ol' innards finally straightened themselves out, huh?" Archie comments as he looks at the ticking clock, and Regina looks at him displeased and spots Emma's unmistakable car parked on the side of the road.

"Yes, how about that, indeed," She fakes a smile, coming up with an idea.

Emma hears a knock at her room door and opens it to see Regina with a basket of red apples. "Did you know the Honeycrisp tree is the most vigorous and hearty of all apple trees? It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl, with some help from Tavia, of course. And to this day, I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers," Regina remarks and hands the blond an apple.

"Thanks," She accepts the offer.

"I'm sure y0u'll enjoy them on your drive home," The Mayor tells her, handing over the basket.

"Actually, I'm going to stay for a while," Emma declines the basket.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea. Henry has enough issues. He doesn't need you confusing him," Regina warns the birth mother.

"All due respect, Madam Mayor, the fact that you have now threatened me twice in the last twelve hours makes me want to stay more." She advises the brunette.

"Since when were apples a threat?" Regina questions.

"I can read between the lines. Sorry. I just want to make sure Henry's okay," Emma retorts.

"He's fine, dear. Any problems he has are being taken care of," The Mayor reassures the blond.

"What does that mean?" She inquires.

"It means I have him in therapy. It's all under control. Take my advice, Miss Swan. Only one of us knows what's best for Henry," Regina steps closer.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think you're right about that," Emma remarks with underlined meaning.

"It's time for you to go," The Mayor demands.

"Or what?" The blond counters.

"Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan. You have no idea what I'm capable of," Regina warns her before leaving.

"I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do," She finishes her speech and walks away, joined by her sister as they head for the door, leaving the crowd at the happy couple's wedding.

"Hey!" Prince Charming shouts, gaining the sisters' attention as he throws the sword at the Queen, but the Princess grabs her sister's hand and disappears in a puff of teal smoke before the blade can touch them.

Prince Charming's sword appears out of the smoke at the Evil Queen's castle, sticking into the wall as the sisters appear out of the smoke. Regina flicks her hair over her shoulder as the girls' father walks over to them with a tray of drinks. "Would you both like something to drink?" Henry Sr asks his daughters.

"Do I look like I need a drink?" Regina snaps at him.

"Thank you, father," Octavia says, taking the drink with her sisters.

"I was only trying to help," He replies, and she takes the drink from her younger sister's hand.

"Thank you," The Evil Queen smiles at her father, and the mirror on the wall behind the small family speaks.

"Now, that was an awfully big threat," The Mirror remarks as he appears in the mirror. "Destroy everyone's happiness? How do you plan on accomplishing that?"

"The Dark Curse," She answers, walking over, shocking the others in the room.

"Are you sure, your Majesty?" Henry Sr asks her, stepping to her side.

"But you said you'd never use it," The Mirror adds.

"You made a deal when you gave away that curse," Octavia adds.

"You traded it away."

"She won't be happy to see you."

"She won't be happy to see either of us."

"Since when do I care about anyone else's happiness but mine? Prepare the carriage. We're going to the Forbidden Fortress," Regina demands and walks off, leaving the others in worry. "Octavia!"

"I'm not going to see that wretched dragon lady!" Octavia shouts back, sitting down on one of the couches.

In the Forbidden Fortress that resides within the mountains, the Evil Queen and Maleficent sit by the fire chatting as the good friends they are. "How are you, dear?" Maleficent asks as she hands the Queen a goblet of wine.

"I'm doing fine," Regina sneers, growing bored with the pleasantries.

"Are you? If it were me, I'd be simply tortured watching that flake of Snow so happy. Weren't you about the same age when you were to be married?" She asks her dear friend.

"Yes, it was about the same age you were when that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you, my dear Maleficent," The Evil Queen retorts.

"I soldiered on, as you will too. Hopefully," Maleficent remarks.

"Enough games," She cuts the fake pleasantries. "You know why I'm here. I need my curse back."

"It's not yours anymore. A deal's a deal. I traded you my sleeping curse," The blond witch reminds her.

"Which failed," Regina reminds her. "Undone by a simple kiss. Now please, return what's mine."

"The Dark Curse? Really? You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead. Have you considered a pet?" Maleficent asks as she strokes the mane of her pet unicorn that lies by her chair. "They can be quite comforting."

"The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering," The Evil Queen snaps.

"Well, it's her wedding night. I doubt she's suffering right now," The blond jokes a little.

"I need that curse. I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff," The Queen says, looking at the staff in her friend's lap.

"Hidden for the good of all, old friend. Whoever created that monstrosity, makes the two of us look positively…moral. Who did give it to you?" Maleficent inquires.

"Where I got it's none of your concern. Hand it back," Regina replies harshly as she gets up from the chair, walking to the fireplace as it roars to life.

"Must we do this?" The blond asks her friend.

"Alas, we must," The Queen replies and begins controlling the flames to come to life as Maleficent jumps from her chair away with her staff and deflects the fireball Regina aimed at her. The Evil Queen summons the weapons around the room, seeming to aim for her friend, but at the last second, targets Maleficent's pet unicorn.

"No!" She shouts, jumping before her beloved pet, deflecting Regina's attack. Using the distraction, the Evil Queen causes the chandelier above the blond witch to fall on and wrap around her, trapping Maleficent. Regina walks over to her trapped friend and takes her fallen staff.

"Love is weakness, Maleficent. I thought you knew that?" The brunette questions.

"If you're going to kill me, kill me!" Maleficent snaps at her.

"Why would I do that? You're my only friend," The Evil Queen questions and smashes the orb on top of the staff and takes the curse scroll.

"Don't do this. This…curse. There are lines even we shouldn't cross. All power comes with a price. Enacting it will take a terrible toll. It will leave an emptiness inside you. A void you will never be able to fill," Maleficent warns her dear friend.

"So be it," Regina replies and walks out of the Forbidden Fortress.

The Evil Queen and multiple other villains stand around the fire on the outskirts of the forest; Octavia stands next to her sister, taking the ingredients for the curse from a sack her father is holding. "Who among us is tired of losing? That's why I called you here. To put an end to our misery. Today, we claim victory and move to a new, better realm. A place where we can finally win," Regina asks as her sister throws the ingredients into the fire.

"And we'll be happy?" The Blind Witch questions.

"I guarantee it. But first, I need something from you. A lock of hair from those with the darkest souls. You must trust me. Because if you don't, there are other ways," She warns the others as the trees around them start to grow taller, stopping them from escaping, and they nervously surrounder, cutting off or plucking a lock of hair. "A wise decision. All that remains is the final ingredient," The black knight gives the Queen a silver box that she opens. "The prized heart from my childhood steed," She takes out the heart. "The glorious beast whose passing will fuel our victory. Let my wrath be unleashed," She throws the heart into the fire, and a large pillar of smoke appears briefly; Octavia grows worried, but it soon disappears, and the others laugh at the failure.

"Yeah, you really unleashed something, there," The Gnome laughs, and the Queen grows angry with him and turns him to stone.

Emma sits at Granny's Dinner as she reads the newspaper about herself, going to eat the apple from earlier when Ruby serves her cocoa. "Here you go," She smiles as the blond looks surprised at the hot drink.

"Thank you. But I did not order that," Emma declines the drink.

"Yeah, I know. You have an admirer," She jokes, and Emma looks around, spotting Graham at another table and walks over, holding the cocoa.

"Ah, so you decided to stay," Graham comments as he looks at the blond.

"Observant. Important for a cop," She jokes.

"It's good news for our tourist business, it's bad for our local signage," The Sheriff teases her. "It's… It's a joke. It's because you ran over our sign."

"Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture, and I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon on my chocolate because most people don't, but I am not here to flirt. So thank you, but no thank you," Emma tells him.

"I didn't send it," Graham informs her and sitting in another booth, Henry and Octavia overhear them.

"I did. I like cinnamon, too," Henry announces; the two adults look at them.

"Don't you have school?" Emma asks, looking at his aunt.

"Duh. I'm ten," The kid reminds her. "Can she walk me?" He asks Octavia, who nods as she eats. "Walk me?" He grabs his bag and walks out, Emma following, leaving her drink on Graham's table.

"You sure your sister's gonna be okay with that?" The Sheriff asks the SurgeonSurgeon, who shrugs.

"I won't tell her."

Emma walks with Henry towards the bus stop. "So, what's the deal with you and your mom?" She asks.

"It's not about us; it's about her curse. We have to break it. Luckily, I have a plan. Step one - identification. I call it Operation Cobra," Henry declares.

"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales," Emma points out.

"Exactly. It's a code name to throw the Queen off the trail," He tells her.

"So, everyone here is a fairy tale character. They just don't know it," The blond asks.

"That's the curse. Time's been frozen - until you got here," Henry informs her, and the blond takes a bite of the apple. "Hey! Where'd you get that?"

"Your mom," Emma answers.

"Don't eat that!" He shouts, taking the apple from her and throwing it over his shoulder.

"Okay, uh… Alright. What about their pasts?" The blond asks.

"They don't know. It's a haze to them. Ask anyone anything. And you'll see," Henry tells her.

"So, for decades, people have been walking around in a haze, not again, with screwed up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious," Emma questions, trying to wrap her head around the idea.

"I knew you'd get it. That's why we need you. You're the only one who can stop her curse," The kid tells her.

"Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?" The blond asks, not really believing it.

"Yes. And right now, we have the advantage. My mom doesn't know that. I took out the end. The part with you in it. See? Your mom is Snow White," He takes out something from his bag and shows her the missing pages from the book.

"Kid…" Emma sighs.

"I know the hero never believes at first," Henry reasons, trying to get her to believe. "If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need proof, take them. Read them," He gives her the pages. "But whatever you do, don't let her see these pages. They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are, then it would be bad. I got to go. But I'll find you later and we can get started. I knew you'd believe me!"

"I never said I did!" Emma shouts back as he rushes into school.

"Why else would you be here?" Henry questions as he passes Mary Margaret, who sees Emma approaching her.

"It's good to see his smile back," The teacher comments.

"I didn't do anything," She denies.

"You stayed. So, does the Mayor know you're still here?" Mary Margaret asks her,

"Oh, she knows. What is her deal? She's not a great people person. How did she get elected?" The blond inquires, finding it strange.

"She's been Mayor for as long as I can remember. No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of, well, fear. I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book. Now he thinks she's the Evil Queen," She replies.

"Who does he think you are?" The blond asks, curious.

"Oh, it's silly," The teacher smiles, shy about the answer.

"I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me," Emma assures her.

"Snow White. Who does he think you are?" Mary Margaret asks back, not seeing the surprised look on the blond's face.

"I'm not in the book. Can I ask you a favour? Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy. Do you know where I could find the doctor?" She asks.

Graham takes Emma's mugshot at the Sheriff's station. "You know the shrink is lying, right?" Emma asks him.

"To the right, please," Graham instructs her, and she complies. "Why would he lie?"

"The Mayor put him up to this. She's got to have something on him. He's terrified of her like everyone else in this…town," The blond reasons.

"To the left," He instructs her, and she complies. "Regina may be a touch intimidating, but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job," He tells her.

"How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?" She questions.

"Well, she's the Mayor. She has her hands in everything," The Sheriff replies, sorting out the camera.

"Including the police force?" Emma asks him, looking at him, and Henry runs into the room with Mary Margaret and Octavia.

"Hey!" He calls out, gaining their attention.

"Henry! Henry, what are you doing here?" Graham asks the young boy.

"His mother told him what happened," Mary Margaret informs them.

"Of course she did," Emma sighs. "Henry, I don't know what she said-."

"You're a genius," Henry smiles.

"What?" She asks him.

"I know what you were up to. You were gathering intel for Operation Cobra," He tells her, confusing the other parents.

"I'm sorry. I'm a bit lost," Graham frowns.

"It's need to know, Sheriff," Henry tells him. "And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard and Aunt October are going to bail her out."

"You are? Why?" Emma asks, looking at the two women.

"I, uh, trust you," Mary Margaret tells her.

"I think you're good for my favourite nephew," Octavia tells her.

"Well, if you can uncuff me, I have something to do," Emma tells Graham, holding her cuffed hands.

Regina stands alone after failing to enact the curse, and her father walks over with her younger sister. "Maybe it's for the best. The forces you are summoning are darker than we can conceive," Henry Sr tells her.

"Oh? Now you're trying to protect me?" The Evil Queen sneers at him.

"It's what I do," He replies.

"I know. You're the only ones who do," Regina says, looking at the only family she has left.

"Helping you two is my life," Their father tells them, taking his youngest's hand.

"Well then help me understand why this curse isn't working," Regina asks them.

"If you want to know that, then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place," Octavia tells her sister.

"Revenge is a dark and lonely road, and once you go down it, there is no heading back," Henry Sr warns his oldest daughter.

"What is there for me to head back to?"

Inside Rumpelstiltskin's dungeon, mice are everywhere, one dark-haired mouse heading towards the cell. "It's just us, dearie. You can show yourself," The Dark One says, and the creature transforms into the Evil Queen.

"The curse you gave me - it's not working," Regina tells him.

"Oh so worried. So, so worried. Like Snow and her lovely new husband," Rumpelstiltskin teases her.

"What?" She asks.

"They paid me a visit, as well. They were very anxious…about you and the curse," The Dark One tells her.

"What'd you tell them?" The Queen inquires.

"The truth! That nothing can stop the darkness. Except, of course, their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. Their child is the key. Of course, the curse has to be enacted first," The Dark One informs her.

"Tell me what I did wrong," The Evil Queen tells her.

"For that, there's a price," He reminds her.

"What do you want?" She asks.

"Simple. In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life," Rumpelstiltskin demands.

"Fine. You'll have an estate. Be rich," The Queen accepts.

"I wasn't finished. There's more!" He tells her, stopping her from walking away.

"There always is with you," Regina groans.

"In this new land, should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say 'please'," He adds to his request.

"You do realise, that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this," She reminds him.

"Oh, well then. What's the harm?" The Dark One asks her.

"Deal. What must I do to enact this curse?" Regina inquires.

"You need to sacrifice a heart," Rumpelstiltskin tells her.

"I sacrificed my prized steed," The Queen informs him, and he grows angry, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him.

"A horse? This is the curse to end all curses. You think a horse is going to do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious," He tells her, angrily speaking through his teeth.

"Tell me what will suffice," She asks him.

"The heart of the thing you love most," The Dark One tells her, and she smacks his hand off her.

"What I love most died because of Snow White," Regina sneers.

"Ooh. Is there no one else you truly love?" He asks her, thinking of her father and sister. "This curse isn't going to be easy. Vengeance never isn't, dearie. You have to ask yourself the simple question. How far are you willing to go?"

"As far as it takes," The Evil Queen replies.

"Then please don't waste everyone's time and just do it. You know what you love. Now go kill it," Rumpelstiltskin tells her, and she walks away.

Regina continues picking apples off the ground of her garden after Emma has used a chainsaw to chop down a part of her beloved tree, and Graham walks up to her. "She destroyed city property. I want her arrested," She snaps.

"Again?" He asks her.

"What are you waiting for?" Regina asks, getting to her feet.

"I'm just not convinced arresting her is the right plan. And I'm not talking about your tree. We both know she didn't steal those files," Graham tells her.

"Oh, do we?" The Mayor asks him.

"I mean, she looked pretty shocked when I levelled the charges against her." The Sheriff informs her.

"It's because she doesn't like being caught," She retorts.

"Or because she was set up. And if she was, that means Dr Hopper was lying. And if he's lying, that means that someone asked him to. Are we really confident that the man's conscience won't eventually get the best of him?" He warns her.

"I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgement. Remember - I made you Sheriff. And I can take it away just as easily," Regina threatens him.

"If you want me to arrest her again, I will," Graham tells her to calm her down.

"Good," She smiles sarcastically.

"But she's going to keep coming at you. And I know that you're going to keep coming at her and you will do whatever it takes to get her out of here and you may succeed." The Sheriff warns her again.

"No, I will succeed. He's my son. It's what's best for him," The Mayor sneers.

"I know that's what you believe. Yeah, but if this escalates, it seems to me the only one who will get hurt is Henry," Graham warns her for the last time.

Emma comes to Regina's office after being invited to talk, and the two women take a seat. "I'd like to start by apologising, Miss Swan," Regina starts the conversation.

"What?" Emma asks, confused.

"I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here," She continues.

"That's right. I do," The blond confirms.

"And that you're here to take my son from me," The Mayor adds.

"Okay, let's be clear. I have no intention of taking him from anyone," Regina promises.

"Well, then, what are you doing here?" Regina asks.

"I know I'm not a mother. I think that's pretty self-evident. But I did have him. And I can't help that he got in my head and I want to make sure he's okay. The more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here. Especially after seeing how troubled he is," Emma tells her.

"You think he's troubled?" She goads her on.

"Well, he's in therapy. And I only got through a couple of pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside. He thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character," The blond adds.

"And you don't?" Regina asks, continuing to goad her.

"How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy," Emma tells her, unaware Henry is listening to their conversation.

"You think I'm crazy?!" Henry yells as he walks into the room.

"Henry…" She calls after him as he runs out of the room, and she tries to go after him. "How long was he there?"

"Long enough," Regina informs her with a smug smirk.

"You knew he would be here," The blond accuses her.

"Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely 5:00 pm so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I'm his mother. Your move," The Mayor threatens her.

"You have no soul. How in the hell did you get like this?" Emma asks her and walks out of the room.

The Evil Queen walks down the hall of her castle with several mirrors on the wall. "What happened? Did you get your answer? What's going on? Your Majesty? Your Majesty!" The Mirror questions as she enters the room with her father and sister waiting for her.

"Did Rumpelstiltskin tell you what you needed to know?" Henry Sr asks his oldest daughter.

"Yes," Regina answers.

"And?" Octavia asks her.

"I'm not sure I should say. I'm conflicted," The Queen replies.

"How bad is it? Maybe we can help?" Their father asks.

"I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most," She answers.

"One of us?" Henry Sr and Octavia questions.

"Daddy, Tavia, I don't know what to do," The Evil Queen pleads with them.

"My dear, please. You don't have to do this," The older man tells his daughter.

"I have to do something," She reasons.

"Then move past this. I know this may sound self-serving, but you don't need to enact the curse," The Queen's father tells her.

"But I can't keep living like this," The Evil Queen says, and Octavia holds her sister, seeing her close to tears. "What Snow did to me, what she took from me? It's eating me alive, Daddy, Tavia. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished."

"But, if the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it? Stop worrying about Snow White and start over. We can have a new life," Octavia tells her sister.

"But what kind of life?" Regina snaps, pulling away from her sister. "All I've worked for, all I've built, would be gone. My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing."

"Power is seductive. But so is love. You can have that again," Henry Sr warns her.

"I just want to be happy," She replies.

"You can be. Of this I'm sure. But I believe, given the chance, we can find happiness. Together. But the choice is yours," He reassures his daughter, pulling her into a hug.

"I think you're right. I can be happy… Just not here," The Queen concludes and wretches his heart from his chest; Octavia gasps in shock as their father falls to the floor. "I'm sorry…."

Mary Margaret sits at home at the dinner table sewing when there is a knock on the door and gets up to open the door to see Emma. "Hey," Emma greets her nervously. "Just wanted to say thank you and, um, pay you back the bail money back." She hands over a brown envelope of half the money.

"You look like you need to talk," Mary Margaret comments, taking the envelope, letting the blond inside, and making her cocoa for both of them. Emma takes a sip of the hot drink, noticing the familiar flavour.

"Cinnamon?" She questions as she sits at the dinner table.

"Oh, I'm sorry," The raven-haired woman apologises as she sits at the table with some cookies. "I should've asked. It's a little quirk of mine. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Oh, thanks," Emma takes a cookie. "When you and Octavia bailed me out, you said that you trusted me. Why?"

"It's strange. Ever since you arrived here, I've had the oddest feeling like we met before. And, I know it's crazy," Mary Margaret tells her.

"I'm starting to re-evaluate my definition of crazy," Emma replies.

"For what it's worth, I think you're innocent," She tells her.

"Of breaking and entering, or just in general?" The blond asks jokingly.

"Whichever makes you feel better," The teacher teases.

"It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks I did or didn't do. I'm leaving. Thank you - for everything - but I think it's for the best. If I stay, Henry's only going to keep getting hurt," Emma tells her.

"What happens if you go? I think the very fact that you want to leave, is why you have to stay. You care about him. Who will protect Henry if you won't?" Mary Margaret asks her, and that gives her an idea.

Henry sits in his therapy session with Archie in his office on the couch, clutching the umbrella to avoid talking and feeling upset about what he heard at his mom's office. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Archie asks the young boy. "You know, that umbrella kind of is my good luck charm. Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?"

"I don't think you're anyone," Henry denies, putting the umbrella down, and Emma barges into the room.

"Miss Swan!" The doctor stands to his feet in surprise at the intrusion. "Look, I can explain. The Mayor forced me to-."

"I know. Don't worry about it. I get it," Emma tells him and crouches on the table before her son. "Henry, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to talk to you," Henry sulks.

"Miss Swan, if she knew you were here-." Archie warns her.

"To hell with her. Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here. You. I wanted to get to know you," Emma reveals, taking down a part of her walls.

"You think I'm crazy," Henry replies.

"No, I think the curse is crazy. And it is. But, that doesn't mean that it isn't true. It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in, but there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So what do I know. Maybe it is true," The blond tells him.

"But you told my mom," He argues.

"What she needed to hear. What I do know is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen into thinking that we are non-believers. Cause that way, she's not on to us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about? Throwing her off the trail?" Emma admits.

"Brilliant!" Henry exclaims.

"I've read the pages and, Henry, you are right. They are dangerous. There is only one way to make sure that she never sees them," She says and throws the torn pages into the fireplace, watching them burn. "Now we have the advantage."

"I knew you were here to help me," He beams.

"That's right, kid. I am. And nothing, not even a curse, is going to stop that," Emma assures him, and they walk out of the room.

The Evil Queen is back at the cliff where the failed attempt of the curse happened, and Octavia sits on one of the rocks as she watches her sister finish the curse and takes a moment before throwing the heart into the fire. A large pillar of dark purple smoke plumes into the air, growing more prominent, and the sisters walk over to another area of the cliff to a tombstone; the sisters place roses on the tombstone that reads 'Henry'. "We love you, Daddy," The sisters say before leaving.

Emma and Henry leave Archie's office building together while, elsewhere, Regina is cleaning up the damage done to her apple tree by Emma, and Mr Gold enters the garden. "What a mess," He comments.

"Not for long. What could I do for you, Mr Gold?" Regina asks him.

"I was just in the neighbourhood. Thought I'd pop by. Lovely to see you in such high spirits," Mr Gold remarks.

"Well, it's been a good day. I just rid the town of an unwanted nuisance," She chuckles, feeling proud.

"Emma Swan. Really?" Mr Gold questions.

"Yes. I imagine she's half-way to Boston by now," The Mayor replies.

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that. I just seen her strolling down the main street with your boy. Thick as thieves, they looked," He enlightens her.

"What?" She gasps.

"Perhaps you should have come to me. If Miss Swan is a problem you can't fix, I'm only too happy to help. For a price, of course," He tells her.

"I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore," Regina says.

"To which deal are you referring?" Mr Gold inquires.

"You know what deal," She replies, trying to poke at him.

"Oh, right. Yeah. The boy I procured for you. Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However, did you pick it?" He asks her, looking at the apple he picked.

"Did you want her to come to town?" The Mayor accuses him. "You wanted all this to happen, didn't you? Your finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?"

"Whatever do you mean?" He faints innocence.

"Where did you get him? Do you know something?" Regina demands answers.

"I have no idea what you're implying," Mr Gold denies the accusation.

"I think you do. Who is this woman, his mother, this…Emma Swan?" She asks him an important question.

"I would say you think you know exactly who she is. I really must be going," Gold leaves her with that and walks off, and Regina rushes over to him, stopping him from leaving.

"Tell me what you know about her," Regina demands.

"I'm not going to answer you, dear. So I suggest you excuse me," Mr Gold tells her. "Please," That word makes her stop, she moves out of the way in shock, and he takes a bite of her apple, walking out of the garden and throwing the apple over his shoulder, leaving Regina in shock.

Chapter Two - Snow Falls

Season 1 - Episode 3

There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know.

Or think we know.

One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen.

Our World.

This is how it happened.

Mary Margaret walks down the dark street after her failed date with Dr Whale. After his lingering eyes, she comes across Emma reading in her car. "Hey. You okay?" Mary Margaret asks the blond.

"Oh, in the world of tight spots I've been in, crashing in my car doesn't even rank in the top ten," Emma assures her.

"You're sleeping here?" She asks in shock.

"Til I find a place," The blond tells her.

"You decided to stay. For Henry," The teacher replies.

"Yeah, I guess. This town doesn't seem to have any vacancies. None, actually. Is that normal?" Emma asks as she looks at the newspaper.

"Must be the curse," Mary Margaret jokes.

"Why are you out so late?" She asks.

"Well, I'm a teacher, not a nun. I had a date," The teacher tells her.

"From the looks of things, it went well," Emma jokes.

"As well as they ever do," Mary Margaret sighs.

"Tell me he at least paid," She asks and gets a negative response. "Ew."

"Well, guess if true love was easy, we'd all have it. You know, if things get cramped, I do have a spare room," The raven-haired woman offers.

"Thanks. I'm not really the roommate type. It's just not my thing. I do better on my own," The blond declines the offer.

"Well, goodnight. Good luck with Henry," Mary Margaret says goodbye.

"Yeah…" Emma mutters and gets back into her car.

At the local hospital, the children from Mary Margaret's class run around the ward, and their teacher watches them; Octavia walks into the room as Mary Margaret notices Henry inside the room with John Doe. The two women walk inside as he's about to touch the man's face. "Henry. We could really use your help with the decorations," Mary Margaret tries drawing him out of the room.

"Is Mr Doe going to be okay, Miss Blanchard?" Henry asks him.

"His name's not John Doe, Little Mills. That's just what they call people when they don't know who they are," Octavia explains.

"Do you know who he is?" He asks his teacher.

"Nope. Just bring him flowers on my rounds," Blanchard answers, and Octavia shakes her head.

"What's wrong with him?" He asks.

"I don't know. He's been like this as long as I've been volunteering," Mary Margaret answers.

"Same, since I started working on this ward from time to time," Octavia answers.

"Does he have any family or friends?" The kid asks.

"No one's claimed him," His aunt answers.

"So, he's all alone," Henry concludes.

"Yeah… It's quite sad," Mary Margaret comments.

"You sure you don't know him?" He asks again.

"Course I'm sure. Come on. You shouldn't be in here," She tells him, escorting him out of the room, leaving Octavia alone as she checks his vitals.

Later in the day, Emma and Henry sit at the playground on Henry's 'castle'. "I found your father - Prince Charming," Henry announces.

"Henry…" Emma signs.

"He's in the hospital, in a coma. See the scar?" He explains, showing her the picture in the storybook of Prince Charming. "He has one, too."

"So? Lots of people have scars," She reasons.

"In the same place? Don't you see what this means? The curse is keeping them apart with the coma. Now they're stuck without each other. We have to tell Miss Blanchard we found her Prince Charming," The kid explains.

"Okay, kid. Telling someone their soulmate is in a coma is probably not helpful. Not having a happy ending is painful enough, but giving someone unrealistic hope is far worse." The blond comments.

"But what if I'm right? We know who they are. Now they have to know," Henry tells her.

"And how do you intend to make that happen?" Emma asks him.

"By reminding him. We have to get her to read their story to John Doe. Then, maybe, he'll remember who he is," He comes up with an idea.

"Okay," She gives in.

"Okay?" The kid questions.

"Yeah, we'll do it. But we'll do it my way. Let me ask her," The blond tells him.

Emma walks into the hospital, looks around, sees the reception desk, and walks over to see the receptionist. "Hi, I'm looking for Octavia Mills?" Emma asks them, and the female receptionist looks at the blond with a friendly smile.

"Sure, her office is on the third floor, it's by the theatres," She informs the blond Emma takes off to the stairs and heads up to the third floor and quickly finds Octavia's office; she knocks on the door waiting for an answer. Finally, the door opens to reveal Octavia in different scrubs and a doctor's coat; she smiles, seeing the blond and lets her into the office.

"Nice place," Emma comments as she looks around the plush white office.

"Thanks, so what has you coming all the way here?" Octavia asks the blond as she sits at her desk.

"So, I was talking to Henry earlier and he has it in his head that this John Doe is Prince Charming and as you know, Mary Margaret is Snow White. And he wants to convince her to read their story from the book," Emma explains as she sits opposite the desk.

"And you want me to help you convince her with you," Octavia finishes her thought.

"Yeah…" She signs and looks at the SurgeonSurgeon.

"Why not? I finish work in an hour, I'll meet you at hers," The brunette tells her, and Emma nods, getting up from the chair.

"Thanks, I know your sister isn't my biggest fan, but thanks," Emma says, walking to the door.

"I'm mainly doing this for Henry, but also because I like you, and I know you're trying to look out for my nephew," Octavia tells her and the blond nods before leaving. "And it'd annoy my dear sister ever so much."

Mary Margaret makes cocoa for herself, Emma and Octavia as they sit and talk at the teacher's loft, and the girls explain their idea. "You want me to read to a coma patient?" Mary Margaret questions.

"Henry thinks it will help him remember who he was," Emma explains.

"And, who does he think he was?" She asks.

"Prince Charming," Octavia replies with a sly grin

"And if I'm Snow White, he thinks me…and him…." The teacher stutters.

"He has a very active imagination, which is the point. I can't talk him out of his beliefs, so we need to show him. Play along, do what he says and maybe, just maybe," Emma explains her idea.

"He'll see that fairy tales are just that. That there's no such thing so love at first sight or first kiss. He'll see reality," Octavia huffs.

"Something like that," The blond nods.

"Well, sadly this plan is rather genius. We get him to the truth without hurting him," Mary Margaret reasons.

"I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's. And you will give a full report," Emma tells her.

"Well, I suppose I'll get ready for my date. I guess I'll have to do all the talking," The teacher jokes.

"It'll be good. There are studies that show coma patients benefit from the familiar voices of loved ones, so if you really are Snow White and he's your Prince Charming, it might help him to wake up," Octavia informs them and takes a sip of her hot drink.

Mary Margaret sits in John Doe's room at the hospital with Henry's storybook. "Look, I know this is odd, but I'm doing it for a friend. So please, just bear with me," She says, reading the story about Snow White and Prince Charming. Near the end of the story, John Doe reaches out, grabbing her hand, startling the woman, and she races out of the room, grabbing Dr Whale and Octavia to check on the patient. "No, I'm sure he's waking up. He… He grabbed my hand," She explains as they rush into the room.

"Everything's steady. The same as it's always been. What were you doing in here?" Dr Whale asks her, looking over the machines as Octavia checks John Doe.

"Oh, I was just reading h-him a story," She stutters.

"Oh. Well perhaps you, um, dozed off. Perhaps you imagined it," The doctor lies.

"No, I didn't imagine anything," Blanchard denies.

"Miss Blancard, I can only tell you what I see, which is nothing. Sometimes there are minor fluctuations in readings. Perhaps you heard the machine register something and misunderstood? Look, why don't you go home, get some rest. If anything changes, I'll call you, okay?" The doctor tells her, trying to get Mary Margaret out of the way, and she complies, though deep in thought.

"You lied to her," Octavia says, looking at him as he gets out his phone.

"I had to, you know that," Dr Whale replies as he dials.

"You don't have to tell her," She argues.

"You know as well as I do that we can't," He argues.

"Yes?" Regina answers the phone.

"It's Dr Whale. You told me to call you if there was ever a change in a John Doe. Something's happened," The doctor answers.

"What?" She asks.

"One of our volunteers said he grabbed her. And there was a slight fluctuation in brain activity," Dr Whale informs her.

"And who was this volunteer?" The Mayor questions.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard."

Henry and Octavia sit in one of the booths at Granny's diner as Emma walks out of the bathroom, having changed her shirt. "Thanks for the shirt. Hey, is this your sister's?" Emma asks Octavia.

"She'll never notice," Octavia waves her off with a smirk. "I couldn't give you one of mine, I like my shirts too much."

"Thanks. Where does she think you are, anyway?" The blond asks, looking at her son.

"Playing Whac-A-Mole," Henry answers.

"And she bought that?" Emma asks.

"She wants to believe it, so she does," He replies.

"Oh, imagine that," She teases, and Mary Margaret enters the diner.

"She's here," Octavia announces as she sips her coffee.

"Hey, don't get your hopes up," Emma warns Henry, seeing the excitement. "We're just getting started, okay?"

"He woke up," Mary Margaret announces as she sits beside Emma.

"What?" She asks, looking between the teacher and the SurgeonSurgeon.

"I knew it," Henry grins.

"I mean, he didn't 'wake up' wake up, but he grabbed my hand," Blanchard corrects herself.

"He's remembering!" He exclaims.

"What did the doctor say?" Emma asks.

"That I imagined it, but I'm not crazy. I know it happened," Mary Margaret argues, and Octavia nods.

"I believe you. I checked over to double check. It seems there was a slight flux," Octavia tells them.

"We have to go back. You have to read to him again," Henry suggests.

"Let's go," Mary Margaret eagerly agrees.

"Wait, wait what?" Emma questions as the teacher jumps from her seat.

"If I got through to him, if we made a connection," She argues.

"You don't believe…." Emma stutters in disbelief.

"That he's Prince Charming? Of course not. Somehow, some way, I touched him," The raven-haired woman tells her, and they leave.

"I'm driving," Octavia announces, putting on her jacket.

The small group arrive at the hospital and walks onto the ward, seeing a group of health professionals and the Sheriff. "You're right - he's waking up," Henry exclaims, and Graham walks over, stopping them from walking further.

"Henry, you should stay back," Graham warns them.

"What's going on? Is it John Doe? Is he okay?" Mary Margaret questions.

"He's missing," He informs them, and they notice that John Doe's room is missing a patient, and Regina standing in there with some of the doctors and nurses. The Mayor spots the group and walks out of the room, approaching them, not looking pleased.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina demands at the adults, then turns to her son. "And you - I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"

"What happened to John Doe? Did someone take him?" Mary Margaret questions.

"We don't know yet. His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle," Graham informs them.

"What did you do?" Henry asks his mom.

"You think I had something to do with this?" Regina asks, looking hurt at his words.

"It is curious that the Mayor is here," Emma questions.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact," She informs her.

"You know him?" Mary Margaret asks in surprise.

"I found him. On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here," The Mayor explains.

"Mayor Mills saved his life," Dr Whale interrupts.

"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret inquires nervously.

"Okay? The man's been on feeding tubes for years on constant supervision," Octavia explains. "He needs to get back here right away, or quite honestly, 'okay' might be a pipe dream."

"Well then, let's quit yapping and start looking," Emma suggests.

"That's what we're doing? Just stay out of this, dear," Regina tells her. "And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you," She grabs Henry by the wrist, pulling him to her side. "Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting. Sheriff, find John Doe. You heard Dr Whale. Time is precious," She walks away, dragging the boy behind her.

"Doctor, how long between your rounds since you last saw him?" Graham asks.

"Twelve hours or so," Octavia answers. "Me and Dr Whale left at the same time."

"Then that's what we need to account for," The Sheriff complies.

Graham stands in the security room of the hospital with the others joining him to help find the missing patient. "You two were the only employees on the floor last night. And you saw nothing?" Graham questions the two employees, Walter - security guard - and Leroy - janitor.

"Not a thing," Walter denies.

"Did anyone walk by?" Emma asks them.

"I didn't see nothin'," Leroy denies.

"Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your trip with your class?" Graham questions the teacher.

"I don't think so," Mary Margaret replies, thinking.

"We're looking at the wrong tape," Emma concludes. "This is the ward where Henry's class put up decorations. If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung."

"Tch, you fell asleep again," Leroy grumbles.

"You selling me out?" Walter challenges.

"I ain't getting fired for this," The janitor argues.

"At least I don't drink on the job," He retorts.

"Gentlemen, enough. Where's the real tape?" Graham tells them, and Walter switches the tapes, and they see the ward as John Doe gets up and walks out the side door.

"He walked out alone. He's okay," Mary Margaret sighs in relief.

"Four hours ago. Where does this door lead?" Emma asks.

"The woods," Leroy answers.

Emma, Graham, Octavia and Mary Margaret search in the woods for John Doe as it gets dark. "What is it?" Emma asks the Sheriff.

"The trail runs out here," Graham announces.

"You sure? Because I thought tracking was one of your skills," She retorts.

"Just give me a second. This is my world. I got it," The Sheriff assures her.

"Right. Sorry," The blond apologies.

"What does he mean, 'his world'? Isn't finding people your thing, too?" Mary Magaret questions.

"Sure. Just, people I find usually run places like Vegas. Not a lot hit the woods," Emma replies.

"That's an interesting job - finding people. How'd you fall into it?" She asks, trying to get to know the blond.

"Looking for people is what I've done. As long as I can remember," The blond answers with a shrug.

"What made you start?" Octavia asks her.

"Your parents? Henry told me that your… Th-That you were from a similar situation to his own. Did you ever find them?" Mary Margaret questions.

"Depends who you ask," Emma replies, and the women hear a cracking noise behind them; they turn around, startled to see Henry runs down the hill, joining them.

"Henry!" Octavia scolds her nephew.

"Did you find him yet?" Henry asks them.

"No, not yet. You shouldn't be here," Emma tells him.

"I can help. I know where he's going," The kid argues.

"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asks him.

"He's looking for you," The kid tells her.

The group continues to search for the missing John Doe patient. "You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!" Henry explains.

"Henry, it's not about me. I just… I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time," Mary Margaret denies.

"But he loves you! You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you," The kid argues.

"Kid. You need to go home. Where's your mom? She's going to kill me then your aunt then you…and then me again," Emma reminds him.

"She dropped me at the house. Then, went right out," Henry informs them.

"Sounds like her," Octavia mutters.

"Well, we need to get you back immediately," Emma tells him, taking his arm.

"No!" He snaps, shaking his arm free.

"Guys!" Graham calls to them, and they rush to join him as he's found John Doe's hospital bracelet on the ground with drops of blood.

"Is that…" Mary Margaret questions.

"Blood," Octavia confirms.

The group of five still search the woods for John Doe as it turns to night, and they come to the Toll Bridge. "Where is he? Can you see him?" Mary Margaret asks as they look around.

"The trail dies at the water line," Graham announces, and they look around the area, finally finding John Doe lying in the water.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" She cries, running to the unconscious man.

"I need an ambulance! At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible," The Sheriff calls into his radio, and the four adults drag the unconscious man to the shore.

"No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!" Mary Margaret cries as they set him on the ground.

"It's going to be okay," Emma assures her.

"Help's coming," Graham says.

"Is he okay?" Henry asks in a panic.

"Henry…" Emma tries to stop him from seeing the scene in front of him.

"Is he going to be okay?" He asks again.

"Henry, don't look. Okay? Don't look," She warns him, shielding his eyes.

"Come back to us. Come back to me," Mary Margaret cries as Octavia starts CPR; the raven-haired woman gives him mouth-to-mouth, and when she puts her mouth on John Doe's, he starts breathing again and coughs up water.

"You saved me," John Doe whispers.

"She did it. She did it! She woke him up," Henry exclaims.

"Yeah, kid. She did," Emma agrees with a small smile.

"Thank you," John Doe says.

"Who are you?" Mary Margaret asks him.

"I don't know," He replies.

"It's okay. You're going to be okay," The raven-haired woman assures him as the sound of the ambulance grows closer.

The paramedics bring John Doe in as the others follow him back to the hospital. "Watch your back. Coming through!" The paramedics warn as they push the stretcher back into the room.

"We got it from here," Dr Whale tells them, taking the stretcher, and Octavia walks through the glass doors, leaving the other four to watch as the doctor and nurse treat the man. A blond woman bursts through the group and the doors into John Doe's room, where he is being treated, and rushes to his side.

"David! David, is that you?" The blond asks the man.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Octavia asks her.

"Oh my god…." The woman gasps.

"Ma'am, you can't be in here. Please, you can't be here right now," Dr Whale tells her.

"David…" She mutters.

"You can't be here, ma'am. Can you wait over here for a second, okay?" Octavia requests.

"Who is that?" Mary Margaret asks as she watches from the other side of the door, and Regina walks up behind the group.

"His wife," Regina announces, loving the devastation on the teacher's face. "His name is David Noland. And that's his wife, Kathryn. And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood," She explains and turns to her son." We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means? It means you're grounded," She tells her son as Kathryn and David are in the room together as the others stand or sit outside, and the wife exits the room.

"Thank you. Thank you for finding my David," She tells them.

"Um, I-I don't understand. You didn't… You didn't know that he was here in a coma?" Mary Margaret asks her.

"A few years ago, David and I were not getting along. It was my fault, I know that now. I was difficult and unsupportive. I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave. And he did. And I didn't stop him. It was the worst mistake I ever made," Kathryn explains.

"You didn't go look for him?" Emma questions.

"I assumed he'd left town all this time. And now I know why I never heard from him. Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever - say I'm sorry. Now we get a second chance," She tells them, close to tears.

"That's wonderful," Mary Margaret says through her smile, and the two doctors leave the room.

"Well, it's something of a miracle," Dr Whale remarks.

"He's okay?" Kathryn asks them.

"Well, physically, he's on the mend, but, his memory is another issue. It may take time, if at all," Octavia explains.

"What brought him back?" Mary Margaret inquiries.

"That's the thing. There's no explanation. Something just clicked in him," Dr Whale answers.

"He just got up and decided to go for a stroll?" Emma asks.

"He woke up and he was delirious and his first instinct was to go find something, I guess," He replies.

"Someone," Henry corrects.

"Can I see him?" Kathryn asks.

"Yeah, of course," Octavia tells her, and she returns to David's room.

"Henty, let's go," Regina orders her son, walking off, and he gets up from his chair.

"Wait, my backpack," Henry tells her and returns to grab his bag. "Don't believe them. You're the one he was looking for," He whispers.

"Henry…" Mary Margaret sighs.

"He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story," He tells her.

"Henry, he was going there because it's the last thing I read to him," She argues.

"No, it's because you belong together," The kid argues.

"Henry," Regina calls for her son, and they leave.

Emma catches up with Regina and Henry as they leave the hospital entrance. "Madam Mayor!" Emma calls, making them stop.

"Wait by the car," Regina orders her son, and Henry walks away, leaving the two women alone. "Miss Swan, I let you off the hook back there. Don't press it."

"I'm sorry, but Mrs Nolan? Kind feels like her story could be a load of crap. All this time, there's a John Doe lying around in a coma and nobody puts it in the news, nobody goes looking. Something's not right here," Emma tells her.

"Well, what else would make sense to you? Why would Mrs Nolan lie? Do you think I cast a spell on her?" The Mayor taunts her.

"I think it's rather strange you've been his emergency contact all these years and you only found her now." The blond retorts.

"Well, this town is bigger than you know. It's entirely possible to get lost here. It's entirely possible for bad things to happen," Regina argues.

"And just when it's convenient you manage to solve the mystery?" Emma questions.

"Thanks to you. That tape you found was a stroke of genius. So, we went back and looked at past tapes. Turns out Mr Doe's been talking in his sleep. He's been calling out for a Kathryn. After that, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. And here I thought you and Mary Margaret would be pleased. True love won out. So bask in the moment, dear. Were it not for you two, they would have lived their lives completely alone. That's why I'm willing to forgive your incessant rudeness. Because all this has reminded me of something oh-so very important. How grateful I am to have Henry. Because not having someone? Well, that's the worst curse imaginable," She replies, leaving the blond to think.

Mary Margaret watches David and Kathryn inside his room, hating every second as she watches the couple hug. She looks down at her hand as she fiddles with her ring - the same ring Prince Charming would give to his fiancee. Octavia walks out of the room and leads the raven-haired away.

Mary Margaret is sitting back at home when there's a knock at the front door; she gets up from her couch and answers the door. "Emma," She greets the blond.

"Sorry to bother you so late. Is that spare room still available?" She asks, and the raven-haired woman nods happily and lets her inside.