Chapter Six - Red Handed
Season 1 - Episode 15
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…
Octavia enters the sheriff's station to find Henry and Ruby at the computer. "What are you doing?" Octavia asks, walking inside Emma's new office.
"We're looking for a new job for Ruby," Henry explains, making the Surgeon glance at the former waitress.
"How did that happen?" She questions, moving the extra seat to the desk and sitting near the sulking Ruby. The woman in red explains what happened to Octavia, who nods along, though she knows she will go back to Granny's Diner before too long. The phone starts ringing, annoying the office occupants as they look for jobs for Ruby.
"Want to be a bike messenger?" Henry asks, looking at the former waitress.
"Bike messenger?" Ruby repeats, frowning.
"You take things to people on a bike; maybe get a little basket," Octavia explains simply, folding her arms as she grows annoyed at the phone's continuous ringing.
"Nope. Yeah, see, I'm not so great at bike riding," She retorts, shaking her head.
"Yeah, I remember," The Surgeon muses, looking at her as she remembers the woman in red coming into the hospital after being goaded into riding a bike for the first time and ending up flying over a bush into the side of the Diner. Ruby ended up with a few fractures and bruises, which is why she ended up in Octavia's care.
"How about taking things on foot, to people, in a little basket?" Henry questions, smiling at her.
"I'm not so sure that's a real job," Ruby argues when the phone rings again. "Why do the phones keep doing that?"
"Oh, the non-emergency calls go to a machine when Emma's busy," He explains as the phone goes off again, annoying everyone, but Ruby decides to answer.
"Sheriff's station. How can I help you?" She answers the phone, listening to the person on the other line. "Mmhmm. I'll get her to return." She pauses again. "Thank you, too." She puts the phone down to start ringing again, which she answers. "Sheriff's station. Hey, Miss Ginger," She recognises the person. "Uh, no, that's not a prowler. That's Archie's dog - Pongo. Throw him a vanilla wafer. He'll quiet down. Did you still want to talk to Emma?" She pauses for a response. "Great. Glad I could help." Emma arrives for a break from being Sheriff and overhears Ruby on the phone as she enters the office.
"How's it going, you two? I mean three?" Emma questions, looking at the people in her office at her computer, though she's confused about why Octavia is here.
"Great. Except I can't do anything," The woman in red huffs, sulking in her chair.
"I'm sure that's not true," She retorts. "I just saw you on the phone. That was good."
"That? That's nothing," Ruby retorts, waving her hand in dismissal.
"No. No, it isn't," The blond Sheriff argues strongly. "I actually have some money in the budget if you want to help out around here."
"Yes!" the former waitress agrees happily. Thank you!" she cheers, jumping from her seat and almost hugging Emma. "Yes. Um, I could answer phones and help out. Um, is there anything else that you need done?" She looks around the messy Sheriff's office. "Organise files, clean up? Please—I want to be useful."
"I'm swamped with the Katheryn Nolan thing," Emma replies, glad to get some help while she still gets her bearings. "If you maybe want to grab us lunch, I would never say no to a grilled cheese."
"Done. You want anything?" Ruby asks, looking at Henry and Octavia.
"Um, two chocolate chip cookies, an apple pie, and a hot dog," Henry requests.
"He ate at school," Octavia and Emma inform her, and they look at each other as Ruby leaves the office and Mary Margaret enters.
"Hey! Lunch, Mary Margaret?" Ruby asks her, seeing Octavia getting up from her seat, guessing she has work this morning. "I'm getting for everyone."
"Uh, no. I'm not hungry," Mary Margaret declines, and Ruby nods understandingly before leaving.
"Well, I have the night shift; I better get going," Ocatvia announces and then looks at her nephew. "Be careful, understand."
"I will, promise," Henry agrees, smiling at his aunt. She kisses him on the forehead before leaving and says goodbye to the other women who respond.
"David's in the woods," Mary Margaret informs Emma, growing worried after her talk with David earlier. "There's something wrong with him. He looked right through me. It's like… It's like he was a different person."
Octavia soon arrives at the hospital and immediately goes to her office to start on the mountain of paperwork that's piling up as the Head of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery. Octavia doesn't bother to change into scrubs just yet, so she only puts on her Doctor's white coat as she stays in her office for the time being, catching up on her paperwork. She can't help but wonder about everything going on in town since Emma arrived, though something deep inside her she can't help but be glad it's all unfolding.
After Mary Margaret informs Emma about David's venture into the forest, the Sheriff gets her things ready to go into the woods, and Henry hides his fairy tale book in the desk's bottom drawer. "Okay, kid. Don't mean to kick you out, but I got to go see if David's in some kind of trouble out there." Emma informs her son.
"It's okay," Henry assures her, "I'm supposed to meet my Mum." He locks the drawer, making sure the book is safe from others. "There."
"Nice," she muses, looking at him, still not entirely believing him about the curse.
"You know, you can let Ruby do more. She's Little Red Riding Hood," He tells her, grabbing his bag.
"With the little basket?" The blond woman jokes. "Yeah, she seems like a badass."
"She is," The young Mills boy agrees, taking it seriously. "She just doesn't remember how cool she is or what she's capable of. But it's true." Ruby soon returns with the food from the Diner and her catch with Granny as Henry moves to the door. "Hey, Ruby."
"Hey, Henry," Ruby greets him. "Got your grilled cheese," She informs him, hanging over the food.
"Thank you. You all right?" Emma asks her new employee, seeing the look in Ruby's eyes.
"I guess," she replies. "I mean, this is something I know how to do. So, yay," she sighs, feeling a little lost.
"Okay, let's pack these back-up, and we can eat it in the car. I need to do a little wilderness search, and I need your help." The Sheriff informs her, watching Henry leave and thinks about what he said about the younger woman.
"I'm pretty sure I'm just going to screw it up," The woman in red sighs, feeling hopeless and useless after her talk with Granny. "I mean, I'll screw it up with flair, but…"
"No, you won't," Emma argues, trying to reassure the former waitress. "Come on - you can do this."
Emma brings David to the hospital after finding him in the forest with Ruby's help, which instilled some hope in the former waitress. Emma watches over David as Dr Whale treats him, though she would prefer Octavia, getting a shady feeling from the man. "Well, he's bruised, scratched up, a little dehydrated. What'd you expect?" Dr Whale remarks, looking at the new Sheriff.
"He's got a cut on his head," Emma comments, looking at the man on the hospital bed.
"It's superficial. I can refer him to Dr Hopper for a mental health eval, but it's my opinion that whatever caused this blackout is the same phenomenon we observed when he came out of his coma," Dr Whale explains. "Moving around, acting out, not remembering it later."
"We will figure it out," She assures David.
"It's so strange," David mutters, hanging his head. "I can't even believe it happened."
"How functional could he be during one of these episodes?" the blond woman asks, turning back to Dr. Whale. "I mean, he talked to someone."
"Well, people in similar states, even under sleep medication, do all sorts of things," Dr Whale explains further. "Cooking, talking, driving a car."
"You want to know if I could've made that call," David asks Emma, getting frustrated with the blank spaces in his memories. "Or more. You… You want to know if I could've… What? Kidnapped her? Killed her?"
"Now, take it easy there," Octavia says, walking into the trauma room, surprising the others. "No one's saying you did anything bad, David."
"No, but it would explain why it didn't seem like I was lying. I wouldn't know," David argues, growing annoyed when Regina storms into the room behind her younger Sister.
"Stop talking, David," Regina instructs him, moving to his side. "What are you doing here?" She glares at Emma. "Why doesn't this man have a lawyer present? Have you even read him his rights?"
"No, because he's not under arrest. We're just talking," Emma argues, knowing the law better than the Mayor.
"Right. Just talking," She sneers at the blond.
"What are you doing here?" The Sheriff asks the Mayor.
"Regina is still David's emergency contact," Octavia explains, sighing at the two glaring women.
"You have to be kidding me," Emma grumbles at the older Mills woman.
"I thought that changed to Katheryn?" David questions, looking at the Doctors.
"Well, Katheryn's currently unavailable," Regina reminds him. "Some people haven't found her yet," She glances at Emma. "Stop trying to place blame and just find her."
"There's a whole lot of Maine to search, Regina," Emma retorts calmly.
"Well, you covered this room. I suggest you branch out," She snaps, and Octavia rolls her eyes at the women, wishing they could get along.
Chapter Six - Heart of Darkness
Season 1 - Episode 16
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…
Since finding the heart inside the jewellery box in the forest, Emma has many questions, especially considering they have her roommate, Mary Margaret's fingerprints on the outside of the box. Emma takes Mary Margaret's mugshot at the station, not liking it at all, but it's all part of the job now as Sheriff. "Please turn to the right," Emma instructs her roommate.
"Emma, this is a mistake. I didn't kill Kathryn," Mary Margaret argues, turning to her right as the camera goes off.
"Of course you didn't," She agrees with her only real friend. "But, while I am your friend, I am also the Sheriff. And I have to go where the evidence leads."
"Which points to me?" The sweet teacher questions in disbelief. "Emma, yesterday it was David. There's something not right here."
"I know," The blond woman nods, hating this even more. "But, your fingerprints were on the box, and his are not. So, now we have to deal with this."
"Evidence that says I cut out Kathryn's heart… and buried it in the woods. This is insane," Mary Margaret snaps, annoyed at the fake evidence surrounding her and David.
"If I don't book you, with all this evidence, it's going to look like favouritism," Emma warns her, knowing she could lose her job and not be able to protect her friend. "And then, Regina will have cause and she will fire me. And then, you know what she'll do? She'll bring in someone who will railroad you. So, please - just try to be patient and trust me. We can't even move forward till we verify the heart belonged to Kathryn. And I am still waiting for the DNA test results. But, in the meantime, you need to bear with me. I have to ask you a few questions."
"This is crazy. I would never hurt anyone," Mary Margaret argues, but she knows Emma is on her side.
Emma leads Mary Margaret after finishing her mugshots and booking her into the station; she takes her to the interrogation room to find Octavia sitting to the side, away from the table in the centre of the room. "Hey, Mary Margaret," Octavia greets her softly, feeling sorry for the woman.
"What are you doing here?" Mary Margaret asks the Surgeon.
"She asked me to be here as a third party to make sure that it stays impartial. It can only help you. I promise," She assures her as Emma and the innocent woman sit. "And seeing as you denied a lawyer present, Emma thought it was best I stay for this interview."
"I have nothing to hide. Ask me anything," The sweet teacher replies, and Emma turns on the tape recorder.
"The heart was found buried near the old Toll Bridge. It had been cut out by what appears to be a hunting knife. Have you ever been to that bridge before?" Emma questions, starting the interrogation.
"Yes, many times," Mary Margaret answers honestly. "It's where David and I liked to meet."
"Mr Nolan," She corrects for the official record.
"Yes," The innocent woman says.
"And you met there… For what purpose?" The Sheriff inquires, earning Octavia's glance, though all three women know the reason.
"We were having an affair," Mary Margaret confesses. "I'm not proud of what happened, and I'm sorry. But that doesn't change the fact that I did not kill Kathryn." Emma removes the jewellery box from the cabinet and places it on the table before the other woman.
"Have you ever seen this before?" Emma asks, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, it's my jewellery box," She responds, looking at her roommate.
"That's what we found the heart in," The blond woman explains carefully.
"Don't you see what's happening here? Someone stole that box and put the heart in it. I didn't have anything to do with it. I'm innocent!" The raven-haired woman declares with passion, worrying both of them.
"I get it, Mary Margaret, but we have to question everything," Octavia argues, trying to warn her friend. "With everything pointed at you, it does sound suspicious, but we all know lovers do strange things when things turn ugly. We can't ever really know what losing someone can do to a person."
"But I haven't changed. I'm still the same person I've always been—a good person. I did not do this," Mary Margaret argues, looking at the Surgeon angrily. She does not understand why she's being so harsh on her, but she hopes it's for her benefit.
"Can I speak to you in the hallway, please?" Emma requests, looking at Octavia, too, and they walk out of the interrogation room into the corridor. "I told you to leave the questioning to me."
"Sorry, I got a little carried away in there," Octavia apologises, "but you have to wonder, if that box was stolen from her as she claims, don't you think there'd be signs of a break-in? You're her roommate, surely you'd have noticed a break-in? She's a woman who's just had her heart broken, and that can change a person. You must know that. And I hate to say it even more than you. But we have to question everything, and something is fishy about this."
Snow White hides behind a tree in the forest as a black knight rides a horse too close to her hiding spot. When he gets close enough, she enacts her plan, clotheslining him and making him fall off his horse into the dirt. Snow uses the blunt end of the pickaxe, crushing the knight's ankle so he can't escape. "It'll heal. Eventually," Snow tells him.
"What do you want?" The Knight asks, recognising the woman as the former Princess.
"Information. Where's the Queen?" she demands, wanting to end Regina and her Sister Octavia's reign.
"And why would I tell you?" He snaps at the banished Princess.
"Do you know what a diamond is? It's the strongest substance known to man or beast," The former Princess explains, moving the pick axe closer to the Knight. "Beautiful, precious, nearly impervious to destruction. Nearly. This… This is an axe from the Dwarf Mines. It's a special blade. It can, believe it or not, actually cut a diamond. Imagine what it can do to human flesh. Soft, pliable, tender, flesh…" She threatens, raising the axe, but stops when the Knight yelps.
"She and her Sister are at her castle, but only for the night. In the morning, they leave for the summer palace." The Black Knight yelps, shielding his face. "Please! That's all I know."
"That summer palace was built for my Mother," Snow sneers angrily at the thought of the Queen and Princess spending even a second in the summer palace. In her anger, she hits the knight over the head with the handle of the pick axe, knocking him out. Snow steals his armour before leaving but stops when she hears a familiar voice.
"What do you think you're doing?" Grumpy asks, making her turn to see the Dwarf standing there to stop her.
"I already told you. I'm going to kill the Queen," She replies, referring to their talk earlier.
"By stealing the armour off a Knight?" He questions, gesturing to the unconscious man in the dirt.
"Whatever I have to do to get into that castle. So, get out of my way. I have to get there before they depart," The banished Princess explains harshly to her friend.
"Have you lost your mind?" The Dwarf questions, looking at her. "You really think this disguise is going to fool anybody?"
"I'm getting in there," Snow argues, having enough of him talking.
"Listen to yourself!" Grumpy shouts, trying to reason with her. "All you care about is revenge. You can't even see reality anymore."
"What I don't need is to be lectured by a Dwarf with a bad attitude," She retorts, turning away from him.
"I didn't come here to lecture you. I came here to help you," He offers firmly.
"Help me? How?" The former Princess wonders, turning back to face him.
"By taking you back to Rumpelstiltskin. He's the one who gave you the potion in the first place - the one that took away all your memories of your Prince. If anyone can give them back to you, it's him." The angry Dwarf reasons, trying to stop her in a way from losing herself even more than she already has.
"I don't want my memories back. That's why I took the potion," Snow argues, not understanding his upset, having lost her memories of the Prince she loves so dearly.
"And it changed you. Maybe he can at least bring you back to the person you used to be," Grumpy snaps, not liking this new Snow. "He's the most powerful man in the world. He can do anything."
"Anything?" She questions, becoming intrigued with the idea.
After talking with Octavia, Emma returns to the apartment to check on the idea of a break-in, but the doors and windows seem fine, with no signs of forced entry. "Henry," Emma exclaims, seeing her son enter the room. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?"
"We have to help Miss Blanchard," Henry tells her, wanting his favourite teacher back and to foil the Evil Queen's plans.
"I am helping her. That's why I'm searching the apartment. But you got to go home," She argues lightly with the kid.
"Not going to happen," He warns her, not wanting to leave or go to school.
"Just stay out of the way," The blond woman orders him.
"So, what are we looking for?" The young Mills boy asks, looking around the apartment.
Prince Charming barges through the front doors of The Dark One's castle after hearing from Grumpy and the Knight about Snow White. "Rumpelstiltskin! Show yourself!" Prince Charming shouts when the Dark One appears behind the man.
"Still dressing like a prince, I see. Even though you ran away from the life I gave you. How's that for gratitude?" Rumpelstiltskin remarks, eyeing the man.
"You gave me a prison sentence," He sneers at the other man.
"Yeah, one that you've now skirted. Careful, dearie - King George is a vengeful man," The Dark One retorts, staying calm.
"I'm here about Snow," the handsome Prince informs him, needing to see the woman he loves. "Rumour has it, she's after the Queen, and she came to you for help."
"Yes, indeed," Rumpelstiltskin confirms, not bothering to lie about it as it falls right into his plans.
"What did you do to her?" Prince Charming demands, glaring at the creature and drawing his sword.
"What did I do to her? You mean, what did you do to her?" He retorts, pointing the finger back at the man. "You caused her pain. Without that pain, she would never have drank my potion to forget about you. That's what changed her."
"Undo the potion. All magic can be broken," The blond man argues.
Oh, yes. With twoo wuv," The Dark One mocks the man in love.
"So, that's it then? True love's kiss will awaken her?" Prince Charming asks him, wanting to find a way to save her.
"Most certainly. But, it's going to be hard to kiss her when you don't know where she is," Rumpelstiltskin teases him, swatting the sword from his face and walking away unbothered by the man.
"Name your price," He reasons, wanting to find her as soon as possible.
"How about…your cloak?" The Crocodile asks, looking at the Prince.
"My cloak? Why would you want my cloak?" The blond Prince questions, glancing at the creature.
"It's draughty in here," Rumpelstiltskin jokes, but Prince Charming agrees, taking off his cloak and placing it on the table without argument.
"Where is she?" Prince Charming demands, glaring at him.
"On her way to the Queen's Highway," He answers, magically producing a map. "This is the route she's taking, but you better be quick. Because, if she kills the Queen, she becomes as evil as the woman whose life she takes." He warns her, showing the road.
"She could never become that evil," The Prince argues, not believing the woman he loves could become so evil.
"Evil isn't born, dearie – it's made. If Snow starts down that road, you'll never get her back," The Dark One warns the man before he leaves, thinking of the Queen and Princess, the Sisters being a prime example.
After Snow White tied Prince Charming to a tree and escaped with the help of Jiminy, the Evil Queen rides on horseback with her Sister, the Cruel Princess, and their knights accompanying them through a road in the forest. Regina rides past rows of peasants, who are watching from the side. "Clear the road! Bow your heads before the Queen!" The Knight orders, as atop a small cliff and hidden by the trees, Snow White follows Regina and Octavia from a distance. When she gets to the spot specified by Rumpelstiltskin, she takes aim with her bow and arrow, shooting it, but Prince Charming jumps in the way, getting struck in the shoulder, saving the Evil Queen and Snow White.
"What do you think you're doing? Why would you do this?" Snow White shouts at him, growing angry at the strange man.
"Well, because… You said you appreciate… Action more than words. So, now… You're going to get both. I love you, Snow." Prince Charming grunts from the pain in his shoulder from the arrow sticking out.
"But I don't love you. I don't even remember you," she argues, glaring at the man who keeps professing his love for her.
"Well, I don't care. The only thing I care about is that you don't forget who you really are. I would rather die than let you fill your heart with darkness," He declares as he looks at her.
"You would really die for me?" The fugitive Princess questions, looking at him in surprise.
"Does it look like I'm making this up?" The runaway Prince retorts, gesturing to the arrow in his shoulder. Below, Octavia moves away from his Sister and the knights, looking around when she hears the commotion coming from the cliff in her riding clothes and decides to summon someone to draw the two lovers apart because otherwise, it will be dangerous for her future plans.
Mary Margaret is still in her cell, making her bed after her lousy sleep after her talk with David, where she practically accused her of murdering his wife. Something falls out as she tucks in the thin, scratchy bed sheets, clinking onto the ground. Mary Margaret crouches, looking at the object to find a key, which seems to be another of Regina's skeleton keys. The prisoner picks it up and tries the key in her cell door, which surprises her, but she hears the door open and quickly closes, hiding the key to see Emma and Octavia walking inside, the Surgeon in her scrubs, holding a bag of food. "Hey. Breakfast," Emma announces, walking over to the cell.
"Thanks," Mary Margaret smiles stiffly back at the two women.
"I know Mr Gold doesn't want us to talk, but I thought you should hear this from Octavia instead." She says, and Octavia hands over the food after taking out hers and Emma's.
"The test results came back on the heart… And the DNA was a match for Kathryn," Octavia informs them but doesn't look at Mary Margaret.
"I'm sorry – for a lot of things. But, now that we have proof of the death, we have enough evidence to move forward with a case against you. It's going to happen. You know I do believe you, right?" The Sheriff tells her, looking at her friend and roommate.
"Yeah," Mary Margaret agrees, looking at her.
"All this evidence tells me one thing for certain – that you are being framed. And I think Regina's behind it," Emma announces, looking at Octavia, who avoids her gaze.
"Then why am I still in here? Why don't you confront her?" She asks, looking at Emma.
"Because, belief is not proof," The blond woman argues, standing at the cell door.
"But you just said-," The sweet teacher snaps, throwing her arms in the air.
"If I don't do this right, things will end up worse for you. Every time I've gone up against Regina, she's seen it coming, and I've lost," Emma warns her.
"So, what makes this time any different?" Octavia asks her, and Mary Margaret nods, pointing to her in agreement.
"Because she doesn't know I suspect anything," She reasons and pointedly looks at Octavia.
"Why would she do this to Mary Margret?" The Surgeon questions, looking at the teacher.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Emma replies and turns to her roommate. "And I promise, I won't stop until I expose what she's up to."
"And how are you going to do that? This is her town," Mary Margaret argues, folding her arms and wishing she could get out of the cell a free woman.
"I'm working on it. I have faith in you. And now, I need you to have faith in me," she tells her, grabbing her friend's hand through the bar as it rests on it. "Can you do that?"
"Of course," The prisoner agrees firmly.
"Lovely. Well, I have a shift at the hospital," Octavia announces, grabbing her food bag. "Good luck. And don't worry, you'll beat this." She leaves the room with Emma, leaving Mary Margaret alone in her cell again, and she looks at the key in her hand.
Rumpelstiltskin looks through the fur on Prince Charming's cloak with a magnifying glass in his workshop. He finds light human hair, picks it out with some tweezers, and drops it into a vial containing a dark strand of hair from Snow White's head. The two pieces of hair begin glowing and then wrap around each other, forming a double helix. Rumpelstiltskin watches and places the vial in his cabinet above the heart label next to a few other vials filled with different ingredients. "That's interesting," Octavia comments, strutting into the room after leaving her Sister alone in the woods after finding King George and separating Prince Charming and Snow White.
"Hello, dearie, what brings you here?" Rumpelstiltskin questions, looking at her as her long red skirt drags on the floor as she walks through his workshop.
"We need to talk…"
Chapter Six - Hat Trick
Season 1 - Episode 17
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…
The morning after Mary Margaret escapes from her cell thanks to the skeleton key, she flees into the woods, though Mary Margaret doesn't know where she is going or what she will do now that the sweet teacher is alone.
Meanwhile, Henry sits on the sheriff's station bench reading a book when Emma and Mr Gold walk inside and spot him. "Henry?" Emma calls her son, gaining his attention. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to congratulate you," Henry says, jumping to his feet.
"For what?" She asks him.
"Your genius plan," He retorts, looking at her and avoiding Mr Gold's stare.
"And what plan's that, Henry?" Mr Gold asks him, but Henry doesn't speak. "Right." He leaves the son and Mother alone in the hall, heading into the office.
"Sorry. I thought Mr. Gold was in on it, now that he's Miss Blanchard's lawyer," The Mills boy replies, looking at the Sheriff.
"In on what?" Emma questions, looking at him in confusion.
"The escape plan," Henry tells her.
"The what?" She repeats this when they hear Mr Gold calling them from the other room.
"Sheriff, could you join me, please?" Mr Gold yells from the office. They walk inside to see Mr Gold standing outside Mary Margaret's cell, but it's empty. "She's gone."
"Henry, what did you do?" The blond woman accuses her son, looking at him.
"Nothing. She was gone when I got here," Henry tells her, not lying.
"Her arraignment's tomorrow. If she's not there…" Mr Gold warns the Sheriff.
"She's a fugitive. Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not – she's screwed. I have to go find her before someone notices she's missing," Emma replies, knowing she's got to find her roommate as soon as possible.
"Oh, you mean Regina?" He questions, looking at her.
"The arraignment's at eight A.M. I'm sure she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory," She replies sharply, looking back at him.
"Well, you have until eight A.M., then," The sharply dressed man nods, unsure if he believes she can do it in time.
"Uh, what about me? How can I help?" Henry asks, looking at the adults.
"Go home," Emma tells him.
"Emma, if she leaves Storybrooke…" He warns her quietly.
"Not now, Henry. Come on," She says, stopping him.
"Miss Swan, I know time is of the essence, but if Miss Blanchard doesn't return… Her future's in jeopardy. And if you're caught helping her, so is yours," Mr Gold warns her, liking the girl and needing her for future plans.
"I don't care. I'd rather lose my job than my friend," The Sheriff replies vehemently.
Jefferson runs through the woods close to his house, seemingly trying to escape from something, when he stops to rest by a tree. However, his Daughter, Grace, giggles at him and catches him. "Papa, I found you!" Grace cheers, smiling.
"You certainly did," Jefferson smiles back at his Daughter. "You must be part bloodhound, my dear Grace."
"Now it's my turn to hide, and you seek," She replies, looking around the forest.
"I'm afraid playtime's over," He denies her request, making her frown. "Though, you can still use that nose of yours to hunt mushrooms. Enough to sell at market tomorrow. Do you think you can do that? Ready or not, here we come." The family of two head back to their little house further into the woods to see the Evil Queen's carriage parked outside. "Wait," He stops, looking at the carriage in worry, wondering if the Queen is alone or if her Sister's there with her.
"Whose carriage is that?" She asks, not recognising the black carriage.
"The Queen's," The Hatter answers, growing worried.
"In our house? Do you know her?" The Little Hatter asks another question, looking at her Father.
"Of course not," Jefferson lies. "Now, listen carefully. Hey. I want you to stay hidden in the woods. Like our game. I'm going to find out what she's doing here." He steps into the house while Grace runs off into the forest, and he finds the Evil Queen waiting patiently in the house with her Sister, sitting at the table.
"I'd like to say you're looking well, Jefferson, but I'd be lying. Poverty doesn't suit you," The Evil Queen comments, looking around the tiny house.
"I like it, Jefferson," The Cruel Princess argues, making him smile softly at her.
"What are you doing here, Regina?" Jefferson asks, glaring at the older Sister.
"We have a job for you," Regina announces.
"I don't do that anymore," He argues, shaking his head, not wanting to do something like that again.
"Yes, my Sister told me you hung up your hat. Why? Is it because of your sweet Daughter Grace?" She questions, looking at him.
"Because of my work, she lost her Mother. I don't want her to lose her Father, too," The Hatter argues, and Octavia moves towards him, rubbing his arm in comfort.
"So, now you're foraging for fungus. What kind of future does your Daughter have here with you? Do this one last favour for me, and you can give her the life she deserves," The Evil Queen reasons, playing on the man's love for his Daughter.
"That's why I'm staying. You don't abandon family. That's… What she deserves. Now, please leave," Jefferson retorts, not wanting to leave his Daughter alone.
"All we need is your special skills to get us somewhere. Somewhere you've been before. Do it, and we can change your life," She assures him and hands him a piece of paper.
"What business could you possibly have there?" He asks, looking at the piece of paper in shock.
"Something of ours was taken and found its way over there. We want it back," Octavia tells him, not really wanting it back.
"Then, find someone else to get it," The former dimension traveller snaps, not wanting to return there.
"I see. Hard living has strengthened your resolve. Well, I'm sorry I couldn't convince you, but I understand. There's nothing more important than family," Regina snarls, glaring at him.
Jefferson and Grace are at the outdoor market after selling their wares, but only for a bit of money, which disappoints the man. They come to an old woman selling toys. "The toy cart!" Grace exclaims in delight, seeing the number of different toys.
"Come," The old woman smiles kindly as the girl runs towards her, and Grace looks around, seeing a stuffed white rabbit.
"Wouldn't this make the perfect guest for our tea parties, Papa? Can I have him? Please?" She asks, looking at her Father, who turns to the old woman.
"Excuse me. How much for the rabbit?" Jefferson asks her, wanting to give his Daughter everything she ever asks for.
"That costs one silver," The old woman answers, making the Hatter frown, seeing how much he has.
"Would you take it for eight coppers? It's all I have," he tells her, holding out his hand with the small, meagre amount of money.
"Oh, you are a good Father. Your last coppers for your little girl's happiness, ah?" She muses, making the man smile.
"Thank you," The Hatter says, picking up the stuffed toy.
"Oh, I did not say I accept. Alas, I cannot take less than one silver. The economy. You understand," The toy cart owner argues, shrugging.
"It's okay, Papa. Come on – people are waiting," Grace assures her Father.
"I will not take no for an answer," Jefferson snaps, looking at the old woman.
"Papa, please. I don't need it," She tells him, pulling him away.
"Come on, sweetie," Jefferson mutters, walking with his Daughter away. The old woman walks away from the crowd to a mirror.
"Well, that was awfully cruel. You could at least let the girl have her toy," The Magic Mirror scowls the Evil Queen.
"Where's the fun in that?" The old woman retorts, and Octavia walks away, taking the stuffed rabbit from the cart before someone steals it. The woman's face briefly morphs into the Evil Queen's, and Octavia walks past him.
Emma wakes to find herself bound and gagged on the couch of the strange man named Jefferson after nearly running him over and accepting a cup of tea from him that was laced with sleeping pills. Emma looks around and sees Jefferson is not in the room and suits up, noticing the fallen teacup on the floor. She throws a pillow over the cup to muffle the sound and stomps on it with her feet before manoeuvring herself onto the floor and grabbing a shard of the broken cup to cut through the ropes, binding her hands and feet. Emma tries opening one of the windows but sees it's locked; the same goes for the others as the blond woman tries them all until Emma comes across a telescope. Emma looks through the lens to see it's pointed at the Sheriff's station when she hears a noise coming from the room across the hall. Emma peeks inside to see Jefferson sharpening a pair of scissors, which fills her with dread.
Jefferson sits at the table, finishing his little project after being unable to get his Daughter what she desired. He looks at the messy stuffed white rabbit toy he made for Grace and places it on a chair next to Grace as she has a make-believe tea party with her other toys. "I know it's not the same as what you wanted," Jefferson muses as he looks at her as she admires the toy made by her Father.
"I love it, Papa. Thank you," Grace beams as she looks at it, taking it into her arms and placing it back in its chair, pouring tea for her other toys and herself. "Mm. This is really good. Don't you think so, Mr Tortoise? Papa, do you like your tea?" She asks, turning back to him.
"Grace… I want you to go to the neighbours' for the rest of the day. There's work I have to do," He tells her, deciding to take the Evil Queen's offer.
"Can't I come with you? I like being with you in the forest," She argues lightly, loving to spend time with her Father.
"I'm not going to the forest, sweetie," The Hatter informs her, feeling dread.
"This has to do with the Queen's visit, doesn't it? Whatever she wants you to do, don't do it," The Little Hatter pleads with him.
"Grace, I have to. I want you to have what you need," Jefferson replies, looking into her eyes and seeing the fear of losing him.
"All I need is you, Papa. Please, stay," Grace pleads with him to stay with her.
"Come here. I know. I'm sorry, baby. I have to go," He says, pulling her into his arms as he wishes to hold her forever.
"Just promise me you'll come back. You have to promise," she begs him, looking up at him and wrapping her arms around him.
"Of course," the man assures her, though he doesn't know if he can keep his promise.
"For our tea party. Promise?" The little girl questions, looking at him and back at her toys.
"I promise. I won't miss it for the world. Go," Jefferson promises her, and she runs out of the house, leaving him alone for a moment before he opens a locked chest, pulling out a hat box with a pit in his stomach.
Jefferson meets with the Evil Queen and Cruel Princess at the castle, entering the room with the hat box, escorted by several guards. "Jefferson. So good to see you looking more like yourself," Octavia compliments with a friendly smile. "I assume you're here because you've reconsidered my Sister's offer?"
"I want both your guarantees. That, if I do what you ask, my Daughter will want for nothing," Jefferson asks them, knowing Octavia will stand by her word, though he isn't sure about her Sister.
"You have my word. Now, let's open that box of yours and see what it can do," Regina assures him, and he pulls out a top hat from the box. "I do so like a man who dresses for the occasion." Jefferson places the hat on the floor of the Queen's chambers and spins it when it begins turning on its own.
"Step back," He warns the Sisters, who cautiously watch the hat as it forms a purple vortex on the floor. "After you." He bows to the Queen.
"Together!" The Evil Queen instructs him, and they link arms.
"Hold on!" The Hatter says as the Queen, and he and the Queen jump through the vortex together, leaving Octavia behind.
"I hope they make it back without him," Octvaia mutters before heading out of the room to do something else besides wait for their return. She then goes to her room to make more of her potions.
Jefferson brings Emma into a room with several walls covered with shelving filled with top hats, the same as the Hatter's after she escapes her binds and finds Mary Margaret tied up in another room. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but if you hurt my friend, I swear I'll make you regret it." Emma threatens him, glaring as she's tied up again.
"Hurt her? I'm saving her life," Jefferson argues, looking at her as he moves around the room.
"How do you figure that?" She questions, glancing at him.
"Don't play stupid. We both know what happens when people try to leave Storybrooke," He snaps.
"What are you talking about?" the blond woman asks, still unsure of Henry's stories about the town.
"The Curse," The Hatter counters, making her frown at him.
"What Curse?" Emma says, unsure what he's talking about and wondering if he means about Henry's fairytale book.
"The one keeping us all trapped. All except you," Jefferson reasons, pointing at her.
"Have you been reading Henry's book?" She questions, frowning at him.
"Henry? You mean the Princess' Father?" He asks, knowing of only the old man who is Octavia and Regina's late Father.
"Henry, the Mayor's adopted kid," The Sheriff retorts, making the man realise who she's talking about.
"Oh, Henry. Your Henry. And his book of stories. The ones that you choose to ignore. Maybe, if you knew what I know, you wouldn't," The Hatter argues, his thoughts running wild.
"Why have you been spying on me?" Emma asks him, thinking of the telescope in the room she woke up in.
"Because, for the last twenty-eight years, I've been stuck in this house. Day after day, always the same. Until one night, you, in your little yellow bug, roll into town, and the clock ticks, and things start to change. You see… I know what you refuse to acknowledge, Emma. You're special. You brought something precious to Storybrooke – magic," Jefferson explains passionately.
"You're insane," She scoffs, shaking her head.
"Because I speak the truth?" He questions, looking at her.
"Because you're talking about magic," The Sheriff retorts.
"I'm talking about what I've seen. Perhaps, you're the one that's mad," The dimension jumper scoffs defensively.
"Really?" Emma quizzes, not sure why she's even having this conversation.
"What's crazier than seeing and not believing? Because that's exactly what you've been doing since you got to our little hamlet. Open your eyes. Look around. Wake up. Isn't it about time?" Jefferson reasons that he needs her to believe so he can be reunited with his daughter after all these years.
"What do you want?" She asks him.
"I want you to get it to work," He tells her, sitting her in front of a table with sewing supplies and materials.
"You want me to get what to work?" The blond woman asks again, looking at the stuff before him.
"You're the only one that can do this. You're going to get it to work," The Hatter repeats, growing tired.
Jefferson and Regina end up inside the hat, with several different-coloured doors lining the walls. "I forgot how magnificent you are," The Evil Queen compliments the man, who doesn't seem to care; he just wants to return to his Daughter.
"I'm not here to relive the past. I'm here for my Daughter," Jefferson retorts and points towards a door made of glass. "Here – this is the entrance. It's important that we stick together. Same amount of people that go through have to come back. No more, no less. It's the hat's rule, not mine."
"I understand," She smirks, thinking her plan will go just as well, and they enter through the mirrored door and arrive in a crazy-looking world. Along the path, they encounter the Caterpillar.
"Who are you? Who? Who?" The Caterpillar says, looking at them as they walk past.
"I hate Wonderland," Jefferson mutters in distaste.
In Wonderland, Jefferson and the Evil Queen come to a hedge maze which leads to the Red Queen's castle. "You want to go in there?" Jefferson questions, looking ahead of them.
"What I want is a short walk through," Regina corrects him.
"A short walk? You know who this belongs to," He argues, looking at her as if she's insane.
"The Queen of Hearts. She's not one for subtlety," She muses, thinking of her Mother and glad she didn't bring Octavia with her.
"This wasn't part of our deal. You know what she does to anyone that crosses her," The Hatter snaps at her.
"Indeed. Better than most. You can't leave Wonderland without me. Two go through, two go back. You're not going to let the Queen of Hearts keep you from returning to your Daughter, are you?" The Evil Queen questions, and Jefferson says nothing, so she walks into the maze, and he follows after her. "That's what I thought."
"Wait," Jefferson says, picking up a branch from the ground and throwing it towards one of the walls. The hedge grabs the branch and pulls it into the leaves. "Stay away from the walls."
"I've got a better idea. The walls should stay away from me," She smirks, waving her hand and creating a fireball, blasting a path through the maze. The two proceed through the chinged hedges until they reach a vault containing a wall of hearts like the Evil Queen's. Regina pulls a drawer open and takes out one of the boxes.
"Okay? You got what you need. Shall we?" he asks, growing nervous about being caught as they go to leave. Suddenly, several of the Queen of Hearts' guards ambushed them.
"Trespassers! Halt!" the guards shout, and the Hatter and Evil Queen run through the hedge maze again, heading for the exit. The guards follow them and try to stop them, but Regina thwarts them with her magic as they run back to the burned path, where the Evil Queen magically reforms the hedges. Regina and Jefferson end up back at the mirrored door, and they enter through.
"The Looking Glass! There it is!" Jefferson shouts, seeing Regina stop. "C- What are you doing? We can't stop now. We got to get out of here."
"There's something I need to do first," Regina tells him, breaking off a mushroom piece. "A little snack."
"Are you mad? Do you know what the food here does?" He asks her in shock as he watches her.
"I'm well aware," She replies, setting the open box on the ground and placing the piece of mushroom inside. Purple smoke emerges from inside the box and materialises into Henry Senior. "Oh, Daddy!" She cries, looking at her Father and hugging him tightly, missing him.
"This is what she took from you? Your Father?" The Hatter asks, looking at her.
"The Queen of Hearts has always seen me as a threat. So, she wanted some leverage. I got it back," The Evil Queen smiles, pulling away from her Father.
"The Queen's soldiers – we must hurry," Henry Sr warns her.
"You knew only two can go through the hat… Which is why you didn't tell me about your Father," Jefferson mutters, looking at her in shock and betrayal.
"It was the only way to make sure you'd help me," Regina replies calmly. Jefferson chases after them, trying to get through, but his feet get swallowed by the ground. "Wait! Wait! Wait, please. My Daughter… My Grace… She's… She's waiting for me. I promised her I'd… I'd be home for tea. Octavia… Tell her, please!" he shouts as she gets swallowed into the ground.
"A promise which you now have broken. If you truly cared for your Daughter, you never would've left her in the first place. You were right, Jefferson. You don't abandon family," She says back to him and goes through the mirrored door with her Father.
"No! No…" The Hatter shouts as the Queen of Hearts' men finally catch up to Jefferson, and two guards drag him away.
"Take him to the Queen," Knave of Hearts orders his men.
Emma takes Jefferson's gun and heads to the room where Mary Margaret is tied up. After taking him out, she ungags her roommate, beginning to untie her. "Hey. It's alright. I'm going to get you out of here. You're going to be okay. He can't hurt you anymore," Emma assures her.
"Emma! Look out!" Mary Margaret shouts, warning her as Jefferson comes behind her and tackles the blond woman to the floor. They fall into Mary Margaret, causing them to fall onto the floor. The fall knocks the gun from Emma's hand, and she and Jefferson scramble for it as they fight while Mary Margaret tries untying herself from the chair. Jefferson wrestles away the gun and points it at Emma, and she looks closely to see a scar around his neck as his scarf is on the floor because of the scrambling on the floor.
"Off with his head," Jefferson says, and Mary Margaret frees herself from the rope and grabs a croquet mallet, using it to hit Jefferson, temporarily distracted, and she kicks him out of the window.
"Are you okay?" She asks Emma.
"Yeah," Emma huffs, trying to catch her breath and getting up. They move towards the window, but there is no Jefferson, just the hat.
Emma and Mary Margaret head out of the house, needing to return to the Sheriff's office. "There's no sign of him anywhere," Emma announces, walking to her car.
"Who was he?" Mary Margaret asks her.
"A very lonely man. By the way, have you been taking kickboxing and not telling me about it?" She questions, smiling.
"I have no idea where that came from," The sweet teacher replies, and they walk around the side of the house, discovering Emma's car under a tarp. "Emma, look," She points to the tarp, and the blond removes the tarp, looking inside to find the keys in the car. "So, Sheriff, I guess you'll be taking me back now." Emma throws the keys to Mary Margaret.
"Here. Go," The Sheriff says, and Mary Margaret catches them.
"You want me to run?" Mary Margaret asks, looking at her in shock.
"No, but it's your choice. Just know something – running ain't easy. I've done my share of it. And once you go, there's no stopping," Emma warns her.
"Emma, everyone thinks I killed Kathryn," She argues, unsure she can handle this anymore.
"Mary Margaret, you have to believe me. You have to trust me. I know it seems impossible, but I can get you out of this," The Sheriff promises her roommate and friend.
"Why is it so important to you what happens to me?" The raven-haired woman asks, looking at the keys and then back at the blond woman.
"Because, when Regina framed me, and you bailed me out, I asked you why. And you said you trusted me. And then, when I wanted to leave Storybrooke cause I thought it was best for Henry, you told me I needed to stay because that was the best for him. And I realised, all my life, I have been alone. Walls up. Nobody's ever been there for me – except for you. And I can't lose that. I cannot lose my family," Emma declares, making her friend stare at her in shock.
"Family?" Mary Margaret repeats with her mouth agape.
"Friends. Whatever. You know what I mean. Wouldn't you rather face this together than alone?" She asks, and Mary Margaret gives the keys back to Emma. In the distance, the clock chimes. "The arraignment. Regina."
Regina and Octavia arrive at the Sheriff's station for two different reasons, and the Mayor is surprised to see Mary Margaret sitting in her cell reading the morning paper. "Madam Mayor," Mary Margaret greets her. "Hey, Octavia."
"Good morning," Regina replies, trying to keep her shocked face from showing.
"Morning, Mary," Octavia waves, smiling, and Mr Gold appears behind the Mills Sisters.
"Excuse me, but my client is not having any visitors," Mr Gold announces, making the Sisters look at him.
"Of course not," Regina mutters, stepping away.
"Good luck," Octavia says before leaving. She needs to get some sleep as she only got home an hour ago from working all night.
"I'll see you both," Mr Gold offers, and they go out into the hall.
"What is she doing here?" Regina demands, looking at him.
"She came back," He answers, and Octavia looks between them in shock, though she tries pretending she isn't there.
"You said this was going to work. That she'd take the key, that she'd go," She argues, glaring at him.
"And she did. But it seems that Miss Swan is rather more resourceful than we thought. Fear not, Your Majesty. Miss Blanchard is still guilty of murder. You may yet get what you want," Mr Gold replies, and Octavia glances between them before speeding towards the door. Before they remember she's there, she gets into her Sister's car.
"Oh, I better. The only reason I made a deal with you, Gold, is because I wanted results," Regina sneers at him.
"And results you shall have. See you at the arraignment," He smiles stiffly before heading out the door.
When Emma approaches him, Henry sits on the bench outside his school, waiting for class to start. "Henry," Emma greets him. "Well, I found Mary Magaret."
"How is she?" Henry asks her.
"She's okay. Other than being on trial for murder, she's fine," She replies, and a group of kids walk past them.
"Hi, Henry," Paige greets him, waving as she walks past.
"Who is that?" Emma asks, looking at the girl, remembering what Jefferson said last night.
"Her name is Paige. She goes to school with me," Henry tells her.
"Henry, do you have your storybook with you? Can I see it?" She asks, surprising him a little.
"Yeah. Why?" He answers, looking at his bag.
"I'm just curious about something," the blond woman says. He takes the book from his backpack and gives it to Emma, who flips to the story about the Mad Hatter.
"What? What is it?" The young Mills boy asks.
"Nothing," Emma mutters, looking at the picture.
"Emma? Emma?" Henry calls her when the bell rings. "I got to go."
"Right. Can I hold on to this?" she asks, holding the book, unsure of how she's feeling right now.
"Absolutely," He smiles before running off into the school building.
Chapter Six - The Stable Boy
Season 1 - Episode 18
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…
A younger Regina rides her horse as her Father watches Octavia reading a book. Regina jumps over several barricades and then stops near her Father and Sister, getting off and hugging them. "That's beautiful, Sweetheart," Henry Sr compliments her.
"Thank you, Daddy," Regina smiles, pulling away from him and turning to Octavia, who looks up from her book.
"Nicely done, Gina," Octavia says, hugging her Sister when Cora approaches them while Daniel handles the saddles, trailing behind her.
"Beautiful? I'd hardly call that beautiful," Cora snips, glaring at her Daughters.
"You didn't like it, Mother?" Regina asks, and Octavia moves her book over her face, trying to avoid her Mother's gaze.
"You ride like a man. A lady should be graceful. You should use a saddle," Cora scolds her oldest Daughter.
"I was just having fun," She argues lightly, looking at her Mother.
"Well, you're getting a little old for fun. Who's going to want to marry you when you behave like a commoner?" Mrs Mills scoffs in disbelief.
"A certain stable boy," Octavia mutters under her breath.
"Honey, please leave her alone," Henry Sr says quietly, trying to stop his wife from saying anything more to his eldest Daughter.
"Stop coddling her. She's becoming an old maid. All the other girls her age are married. I had such high hopes," Cora snaps at her weak-willed husband.
"Milady, perhaps this saddle-," Daniel says, trying to talk.
"I'm done riding for the day. And don't ever interrupt me and my Mother again," Regina snaps at him, playing with him. She hands over her horse to him, who leads the animal away. "Why do you always have to criticise me?" She turns to Cora.
"I'm not criticising you – I'm helping you," Cora argues, and Regina stomps away. "Don't you walk away from me." Cora uses magic to lift her middle child off the ground and bring her closer.
"Mother! You know I don't like it when you use magic," She growls, struggling in the air.
"Mother, you promised not to do that anymore," Octavia warns her Mother, who glares at her. "Nevermind."
"And I don't like insolence. I'll stop using magic, when you start being an obedient Daughter," Cora retorts, ignoring her youngest Daughter.
"Why can't I just be myself?" Regina asks her, wishing for anything for an ordinary mother.
"Oh, because you can be so much more. If you'd just let me help you…" She replies, stepping towards her.
"I don't care about status. I just want to be-," The older Mills Sister argues, and Cora magically wraps the reins around her middle child, cutting off her air supply in a show of brute strength.
"Cora, please," Henry Sr pleads with his wife for his favourite Daughter.
"Please… I'll be good," Regina agrees.
"Excellent. That's all I wanted to hear," Cora smiles before walking away and releasing Regina from her reins. Octavia watches her Mother walk away and wonders if they'll ever be free of the woman.
Regina hides from her Mother with Daniel in the clearing one day when they hear someone shouting for help, stopping them from their little rendezvous. "Shh. Someone's here," Regina whispers, stepping away to see a young Snow White flying past them on her out-of-control horse.
"Somebody, help me!" Snow White screams in fright as she tries to stop her horse, and Regina jumps onto her horse, chasing after the little girl. "Come on, please, stop! Help me! Help! Help me! Please help me!" Regina gradually catches up with the runaway horse and extends her hand to the young Snow White.
"Give me your hand!" Regina shouts, holding her hand out, and Snow White takes her hand, allowing herself to be pulled from her own horse onto the other. Snow White's horse continues to run while Regina's comes to a sudden stop. The girl tumbles off the horse, and the raven-haired woman jumps off to help her. "It's okay, dear. You're safe."
"You saved my life," The young girl beams, smiling at the woman.
"Are you alright?" The woman asks her, checking if she's injured.
"Yes. But I'll never ride again," Snow White replies, glad to be safe.
"Nonsense. The only way to overcome fear is to face it. To get back on that horse as soon as possible," Regina assures her, smiling kindly at the Princess.
"Thank you," She says.
"Regina," The raven-haired woman tells her.
"I'm Snow. Snow White," The Princess tells her, hugging Regina tightly.
Regina dresses in her usual riding clothes, checking herself over in the mirror, when Cora walks in with Octavia behind her in her usual clothes. "No, this won't do," Cora scoffs, looking at the beautiful older Daughter and using her magic to engulf her in purple smoke. When it clears, the riding clothes are transformed into a gown, and her hair is down.
"What are you doing?" Regina asks, looking at herself and feeling out of her comfort zone.
"We have a guest. He'll be here any moment," she warns, putting on a fake smile.
"I can't. I have a riding lesson with Daniel," The favourite Mills Daughter argues, looking at her younger Sister's help.
"Well, that's been cancelled. Now, smile. We don't want to disappoint him," The Mother instructs her.
"Disappoint who?" Regina asks, looking between her Mother and Sister.
"The King," Octavia announces, still surprised about the sudden arrival of the most important man.
"The King? Why is the King coming?" She asks, looking at them.
"Because you've finally done something right. That little girl you saved? Is the King's Daughter," Cora tells her, leading Regina out of the room and leaving Octavia alone. She can't help but feel jealous and sorry for her Sister, who goes to meet King Leopold, who apparently wants to marry her, though she suspects her Mother has something to do with the whole thing.
"Here," Daniel says, kissing Regina, but they break apart when they hear a noise disturbing them, and they see Snow White at the stables' entrance.
"Snow! Dear, what are you doing?" Regina asks, looking at the young girl.
"You said to get back on the horse and… What are you doing with him?" Snow White asks, looking behind the woman to the strange man.
"Snow, I can explain," She lies, trying to think of it, but Snow White takes off, running away from them. "No, no, no. Snow! Snow!" She chases after the girl through the forest, and when Snow trips, Regina catches her and tries to help her. "Snow! Snow! Wait! Snow! Snow! Are you okay?"
"No. No. Why were you kissing that man in the stable? You're to marry my Father. You're to be my Mother," The little girl cries.
"Oh, Snow, please. Listen to me. Hey. Your father, King Leopold, he's a kind and fair man… But I don't love him," Regina tells her, trying to get the girl to understand.
"I don't understand. Why not?" Snow asks her, still too young.
"Love doesn't work that way. Love, true love, is magic. And not just any magic—the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness," she explains as simply as she can.
"And that man in the stables… You love him?" The Princess asks, thinking of what she saw.
"With all my heart," The raven-haired woman answers honestly.
"Then you must marry him. I will go tell Father right away," Snow announces and goes to get up, but Regina stops her.
"No, no, no, no. You can't," Regina warns her, knowing what her Mother will do if she learns of this.
"Why not? Surely he'll understand," She asks the woman.
"Perhaps. But not everyone will. My Mother, for one. She'll stand in the way," The favourite Daughter tells her, knowing what it would do to her Sister if she left as well, but maybe she'd be okay.
"That's why you're running," The young girl realises.
"It's the only way our love can survive. Snow, do you know what a secret is?" Regina asks, and Snow nods. "If you really, truly want to help me…"
"I do," Snow tells her, liking the woman and her younger Sister that would be her new family, but maybe that wasn't in the cards for her.
"Then, what you saw, what I told you – you must keep it a secret. Can you do that?" She asks the girl, who looks at her.
"I think so," The Princess promises with her sweet, childish smile.
"I need you to be certain. You can never speak of this. And, above all, you mustn't tell my Mother. Will you do that for me?" the raven-haired woman asks, needing to ensure the little Princess can keep a secret.
"Yes, I promise," Snow says firmly, unaware that Octavia is listening. However, she knows her own plans to run away will have to come sooner than she thinks.
Regina checks on Henry in his bedroom and sees that he's asleep, but he is actually pretending when she walks away to take a shower. Henry grabs the walkie-talkie from under his pillow with Emma and August outside the house, awaiting instructions. "The eagle is in the nest, and the package is secure," Henry hisses into the radio.
"Henry. I left the code book at home," Emma says back, looking to suddenly see Octavia's bedroom light switch on and hide.
"She's getting in the shower and the keys are under the mat. Aunt October is set to go out soon, so you have to be quiet." He warns them, and Emma takes the key from under the mat before they enter the garage.
"Don't touch a thing," she tells August as they search the garage with flashlights. Emma comes across several shovels, though only one is missing a piece in the corner. She. She calls her accomplice over, testing the shard they found earlier, and it ends up being a perfect fit. "We got her."
Later, Emma gets a search warrant for Regina's garage and returns as quickly as possible, showing it to the Mayor, who seems overly calm, unnerving Emma a little as she leads her to the garage. Emma walks straight to where she found the broken shovel last night, but instead, she sees all of them perfectly intact. "Where is it?" Emma demands, turning to Regina, who stands calmly watching.
"Where is what, Sheriff?" Regina asks, glancing at the blond woman.
"You knew I was coming," She snaps at her, stomping towards her.
"How on earth would I know that?" The Mayor questions calmly.
"Mary Margaret is a good person. She doesn't deserve this," The Sheriff sneers at the woman, not understanding her hatred of the sweet teacher.
"Miss Blanchard is a liar and a murderer. No matter what accusations you throw my way, that won't change. She's going to pay for what she's done. That woman has destroyed the last life she is ever going to destroy," Regina declares, and Octavia walks inside, seeing Emma and Regina glaring at each other.
"Regina, that's enough. Sorry, Emma, but it doesn't seem like you found what you were looking for," Octavia tells her, winking at her as the Sisters leave. Emma wonders what she means and remembers that she was home last night. However, she knows that Octavia also wants to help Mary Margaret, so she knows it isn't her.
Regina meets Daniel in the stables with two bags in tow as they try to escape her Mother. "Are you ready?" Daniel asks her.
"Let's go," Regina answers, trying not to think of abandoning her Father and Sister to her Mother's wrath. They go to leave, but Cora blocks their escape.
"You could've at least left a note," Cora remarks, producing a wave of magic and pushing her Daughter and Daniel back into the stables. She then shuts all the doors, locking them inside.
"Mother, I-," She pleads with her.
"Don't. You sneak out of my house in the dead of night, and think I won't notice? How dare you," The Mother snaps at her older Daughter.
"You're impossible to talk to. Stop with the magic and listen to me. I want to be with Daniel," The raven-haired woman argues, shaking her head.
"Oh, you don't know what you want. But I do. I didn't make the sacrifices I did in life, to get you to the cusp of greatness, so that you could end up the wife of a stable boy," Cora sneers, glazing at Daniel disapprovingly.
"But it's my life," Regina snaps, wishing to be free.
"You foolish girl. It's mine. After what I had to do… The deals, I had to make to get us out of poverty, to get us this life, and you just want to toss it away?" She retorts, shaking her head.
"Stay strong, Regina," Daniel tells her.
"Your magic can't keep us apart. I love him," Regina declares firmly, looking at the man she loves.
"And I love her," He adds, looking back at her.
"And I love her, too," Cora replies, though she can't really love her Daughters without a heart.
"If you loved me, you wouldn't try to keep us apart," Regina argues, seeing how cold her Mother is to her and her Sister.
"And if you loved me, you wouldn't try to run away," She says, making it about herself again.
"I'm sorry, but this is my happiness. We're going," The favourite Daughter declares, looking at her Mother and Daniel.
"No, you're not," The Mother announces.
"So, what's your plan? You're going to keep us here forever? Because that's what you'll have to do," Regina warns her, holding her ground against her Mother.
"So, this is… Your decision? This will make you happy?" Cora asks her, seeming to soften in her decision.
"It already has," She tells her, holding Daniel's hand.
"Then, who am I to stop you?" Mrs Mills says Regina moves away from Daniel, hugging her Mother.
"Thank you, Mother," The raven-haired woman smiles, and Cora moves Daniel aside to talk to him.
"Daniel. If you want to have a life together, a family… Then, there's one important lesson I can impart on you. It's what it means to be a parent. You always have to do what's best for your children," Cora says, looking at him.
"Thank you. I understand. Because that's what you're doing now," Daniel replies, not seeing the danger.
"Yes. It is," She agrees, plunging her hand inside Daniel's chest.
"Mother!" Regina shouts, watching her rip out Daniel's heart, and he falls to the ground; she quickly rushes over to him. "No! No! No, no, no." Cora crushes Daniel's heart to dust so he can never come back and ruin her plans. "Mother, why have you done this?"
"Because this is your happy ending," Cora declares.
"What?" She asks, looking at her as she holds the love of her life in her arms.
"Oh, you have to trust me, Regina. I know best. Love is weakness, Regina. It feels real now. At the start, it always does. But, it's an illusion. It fades. And then, you're left with nothing. But power, true power, endures. And then, you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. I've saved you, my love," Mrs Mills says, looking at her Daughter and thinking of her past.
"You've ruined everything. I loved him. I loved him!" the favourite Daughter yells, and the doors of the stables open suddenly to see Octavia running inside. Having heard everything, she goes to her Sister, hugging her as she cries.
"Enough! I've endured this long enough. Now, clean yourself up, wipe away your tears, because now… You're going to be Queen," Cora snaps, having enough of the crying over a dead man.
Regina is being fitted for her wedding dress in her chambers when Snow White walks in, seeing the Mills Sisters. "Wow… You are most certainly the fairest of them all!" Snow declares excitedly as she moves towards her new stepmother.
"Thank you, dear," Regina replies stiffly, not wanting to be there.
"I hope for my wedding day I will be as beautiful," She says, looking at the beautiful white dress.
"I'm sure you will be," The bride retorts, looking at her Sister as she gets her dress sorted for her big day.
"I know you and Daniel will be so happy together," The Princess says, making the Sisters turn to look at her.
"What?" Octavia asks, looking at the little girl.
"Well, I just knew your Mother would let you marry him. Once she knew how happy it'd make you, once she knew how much you love him. You have such a wonderful Mother. She would do anything for your happiness," Snow announces, making the Sisters look at her in disbelief at how naive the girl is about their conniving Mother.
"Snow… Did… Did you…tell her about me and Daniel?" Regina asks her, bending down to look at her.
"Yes," She answers with a beaming smile.
"But I…told you…very specifically not to," The raven-haired woman snaps lightly at the girl.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to lose your mother. Like I've lost mine. Are you mad?" The young girl asks, looking close to crying, not realising what she's done.
"No. I'm not mad at all. You were just trying to help me. However, I'm not marrying Daniel. This dress is for your Father," Regina informs her, hating the situation.
"But… I thought… You were in love," Snow questions, not understanding.
"So did I. But I was wrong," She agrees, and Octavia sees how sad her Sister is and moves towards her.
"Daniel has run away," Octavia lies.
"What I had with Daniel wasn't real. It was an infatuation. You see, that's the thing about love. It can come in the most unexpected places. Your Father and I have something even more special, because it's not just about the two of us. It's about all of us. We're going to be a family," Regina tells the girl, her heart breaking piece by piece.
"We are?" Snow asks, looking hopeful at the older Mills Sister.
"That's right. I'm going to be your stepmother, and I couldn't be happier," She lies through her teeth, holding her Sister's hand in a death-tight grip.
"Me, too," The Princess grins, hugging Regina when Cora walks inside.
"Snow. You need to go to your room and help with the packing. Your Father wants you ready for the journey, and we're heading to your castle first thing in the morning," Cora announces, speaking kindly to the young Princess.
"You're all going to love it there," Snow assures them, looking at the three female Mills.
"I know we will," she replies. Snow races out of the room, leaving Cora with her two daughters. "Well played, dear. You're learning."
"I should change. I wouldn't want to ruin the dress before my big day," Regina remarks, looking at the dress.
"I am so proud of you," the mother praises her older daughter, glancing at her youngest, who hangs her head. She never feels enough for her mother, even if she is much better at magic and healing than even her.
"You knew the King was travelling through our land, didn't you? That steed with Snow on it… It didn't go wild on its own, did it?" Octavia questions, looking at her Mother and Regina.
"I have no idea what you're saying," Cora lies and Regina goes to leave.
"I should've let her die on that horse," Regina mutters, making Cora and Octavia look at her.
At the Sheriff's station, Mary Margaret is being handcuffed by the police as Emma and Mr Gold watch. "Mary Margaret…" Emma says as her friend is led out of the room. You told me you could fix this; that's why I came to you—so that you could make sure Regina didn't win."
"She hasn't, yet," Mr Gold corrects her.
"Well, she's going to. And now, my friend is going to pay for me trusting you," She argues.
"Look, Sheriff. I know this is emotional, but it's also not over. You must have faith. There's still time," He tells her.
"Time for what?" The Sheriff asks him, not fully trusting him.
"For me to work a little magic," Mr Gold replies, walking away. She enters her office, leaning against her desk and looking at the vase of flowers that Sidney Glass gave her. Emma angrily grabs and smashes it against the wall but notices a wiretap amongst the debris, and everything falls into place.
Emma waits for August outside Granny's Diner as he comes outside. She needs to apologise after accusing him of ratting her out after not finding the shovel. "Hey. I'm sorry," Emma apologises to him.
"For what?" August asks, looking at her.
"For doubting you. I made a mistake," She says, handing him a bag containing the bug she found in the vase.
"What's that?" He asks, looking at it.
"Evidence. Evidence that proves that I've been trusting all the wrong people. I should have listened to you. This bug was from Sidney," The blond woman explains.
"The newspaper guy?" The Writer asks, looking up at her.
"I should've seen it," Emma replies, sighing.
"Well, don't beat yourself up about it, Emma. Sometimes, it's hard to see what's right in front of us, but I knew you would," August tells her, smirking.
"I'm trying," She replies when suddenly they hear a scream from behind the Diner. Emma and August race to investigate and find Ruby walking in the opposite direction. "Ruby! What's going on?"
"She… She… She's in the alley," Ruby stutters in fear, shaking.
"Who, Ruby? What happened?" The Sheriff asks, trying to get an answer out of her.
"Hey, you alright?" August asks the girl, and Emma goes around to the parking lot in the back of the Diner to find a body lying face down on the ground. Emma leans down, turning the body over and revealing a barely conscious and very alive Kathryn.