I. "We Don't Run Away."
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…
{BLESSING}
Within the Enchanted Forest, a man rides on a horse with speed along a stretch of land towards a forest with snowy tops as snowflakes drip from the sky, and the Prince comes further within the trees, meeting several Dwarves gathering around a glass coffin. "You're too late," The leader of the Dwarves with white hair and glasses informs the man, and Prince Charming looks at the beautiful raven-haired woman lying deep in a slumber-like death inside the coffin.
"No. No!" Prince Charming denies it, looking at the men, wanting to see the beautiful brown eyes of the woman he loves. "Open it."
"I'm sorry, she's gone." The grouchy, dark-haired Dwarf tells him, saddened by the news of their friend.
"At least let me say goodbye." The man pleads with them, wishing there was something he could do. The dwarves comply, removing the lid from the glass coffin. Prince Charming sits by the side, admiring the ravenette before kissing her sweetly on the lips, which creates a blast of magic to erupt around them, spreading through the forest and breaking the spell. Snow White gasps awake as the magic leaves her body, and she opens her eyes, spotting the love of her life leaning over her.
"You… You found me." Snow White mutters, smiling happily at the man.
"Did you ever doubt I would?" Prince Charming questions, taking her into his arms, glad to see her again.
"Truthfully, the glass coffin gave me pause," She replies cheekily, returning the hug happily.
"Well, you never have to worry. I will always find you." He promises her with everything in his body and soul.
"Do you promise?" The Princess asks him and sees a glimpse of a shadow within the trees before it disappears, making the smile drop from her face.
{BLESSING}
A puff of green smoke reveals a muscular man dressed in high-quality fabrics and short cut brown hair, showing a small number of tattoos around his neck as he walks through the opening gates of the Evil Queen's castle with a smirk, holding a leather blue bound tome with silver edging. "Dear Sissy, it seems your spell has been broken." Landon Mills announces, looking at his younger twin sister, Regina, as she's dressed in a black gown with fine expensive fabric, scowling at her brother in anger.
"What did you say?" Regina sneers.
"I hear wedding bells." He replies, stepping past her into the castle doors.
{BLESSING}
At the royal wedding with Snow White and Prince Charming, decked out in white clothes for the grand event. "I do," The Prince smiles at his raven-haired bride.
"And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?" The Priest asks, finishing the vows between the happy couple in the castle's great hall with its glass-stained windows in front of all their friends.
"I do," Snow White smiles lovingly into the eyes of her new husband.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," He announces to the large crowd with a round of applause as the newlywed couple lean in for a kiss but are interrupted by the Evil Queen, slamming the giant wooden doors with her brother, The Historian, strolling behind her, both dressed in black.
"Sorry we're late." The Evil Queen smirks, approaching the couple when two guards try to stop her, and Landon pushes them away from his little sister with his magic, sending them far away.
"It's the Queen and Historian. Run!" Doc gasps, looking at the raven-haired princess, but she faces the woman and her brother, taking her husband's sword and pointing it at them.
"She's not the Queen anymore. She's nothing more than an evil witch. And he's nothing but a murderer." Snow White snaps, glaring at the twins.
"No, no, no. Don't stoop to their level. There's no need." Prince Charming assures her, taking his sword from his wife. "You're wasting your time. You've already lost. And I will not let you ruin this wedding."
"Oh, we haven't come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, Snowdrop, we've come to give you a gift." Landon grins dramatically, looking at the scared wedding crowd.
"We want nothing from you two," Snow White sneers at the man, who takes off his top hat, placing it in his hand with his cane.
"But you shall have it! Our gift to you is this happy, happy day. But tomorrow, our real work begins. You've made your vows, now we make ours. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise our victory. I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing we do." Regina declares before turning around, heading for the door, and Prince Charming calls after them.
"Hey!" Prince Charming shouts after the evil twins, making them turn around to see him throw his sword at them, but the Historian grabs his sister into his arms before disappearing into a cloud of green smoke as the blade reaches them. The remaining people at the wedding talk nervously among themselves as the married couple hug each other, scared of the warning from Regina and Landon.
{BLESSING}
A young boy with brown hair named Henry sits on a bus heading for Boston on a mission as he reads a book, looking at the faces of Snow White and Prince Charming, which aren't very legible. "That a good book?" A friendly woman asks, sitting in front of the boy on the bus.
"This? It's more than just a book," Henry replies, holding it protectively.
"Oh?" She smiles before turning back.
"Boston, South Station. Thank you for riding Greyhound." The driver announces through the speakers, opening the door to the bus and letting the passengers off. Henry ventures through the bus stations outside, finds a taxi on the side of the road and knocks on the window, gaining the attention of the man in the front seat.
"Uh… You take credit cards?" Henry asks the taxi driver.
"Where to, chief?" The man asks, accepting the fare straight away without question of the young boy's parents.
{BLESSING}
A gorgeous blond woman in a red cocktail dress exits an elevator, enters a fancy restaurant for a date, finds the man she's supposed to meet and moves toward the table for two; he notices her, getting up and shaking her hand. "Emma." The man guesses, seeming relieved at the beautiful woman before him.
"Ryan? You look relieved," Emma comments, sitting opposite him.
"Well, it is the internet. Pictures can be…" Ryan remarks, smiling.
"Fake. Outdated. Stolen from a Victoria's Secret catalogue. So…" She jokes, easing the tension.
"So… Um… Tell me something about yourself, Emma." He suggests, trying to make conversation.
"Oh. Ah, well, today's my birthday." The blond woman reveals nervously.
"And you're spending it with me! What about your friends?" Her date asks her.
"Kind of a loner," Emma answers.
"And you don't like your family?" Ryan questions, looking at her.
"No family to like," She answers, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Oh, come on. Everyone has a family," He argues.
"Technically, yeah. And everyone knows who they are? Ready to run yet?" The gorgeous woman in red teases her date.
"Oh, not a chance," The man assures her. "You, Emma, are, by far, the sexiest, friendless orphan I have ever met."
"Okay. Your turn. No, wait, let me guess," Emma says, looking at the man with a little game in mind. "Um… You are handsome, charming…"
"Go on." Ryan smirks.
"The kind of guy who - and now, stop me if I get this wrong - embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail," She finishes, scaring her date.
"What?" He questions, the smirk dropping from his face as she talks.
"And the worst part of all is your wife. Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out, and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date." The blond woman states, frowning at the man in front of her.
"Who are you?" Her date demands, glaring at the gorgeous blond.
"The chick who put up the rest of the money," Emma answers, spooking the man.
"You're a bail bondsman," Ryan concludes.
"Bail bondsperson," She corrects him dismissively before he overcomes with fear, flipping the table toward Emma, spilling everything on her as he runs out of the restaurant, leaving her behind. "Really?" She looks at her ruined red dress with stains on the bottom.
{BLESSING}
Ryan exits the restaurant's door before running across the street while dodging traffic and getting to his car. Meanwhile, Emma calmly walks behind him across the street, stopping cars and toward the man's car. The man starts his engine, but the car doesn't move; he opens the door to see a boot on his back wheel, and Emma catches up to him. "You don't have to do this, okay?" Ryan pleads with her. "I can pay you. I got money."
"No, you don't," Emma argues. "And if you did, you should give it to your wife to take care of your family."
"The hell you know about family, huh?" He snaps at her, angering the woman, who slams his head against the steering wheel, knocking him out.
"Nothing." She mutters, sighing to herself in disappointment.
{BLESSING}
Emma arrives at her apartment alone, carrying a small box and goes into her kitchen, placing the box on the kitchen island before opening it with a cupcake inside. She lights a single, star-shaped candle on top before leaning on the counter, staring at the candle deep in thought. "Another banner year." Emma sighs, closing her eyes and making a wish before blowing out the candle. Her apartment doorbell rings as if her wish has come true, and she quickly answers the door to find a boy. "Uh? Can I help you?"
"Are you Emma Swan?" Henry asks her, looking at the beautiful blond woman.
"Yeah. Who are you?" She asks, looking at the young boy at her front door.
"My name's Henry. I'm your son." He drops a bomb on the woman before he pushes past Emma into the apartment.
"Whoa! Hey, kid!" The blond woman calls after him. "Kid! Kid!" She follows him into the main living area. "I don't have a son! Where are your parents?"
"Ten years ago. Did you give up a baby for adoption?" The boy reveals, shocking her. "That was me."
"... Give me a minute," Emma mutters, rushing to the bathroom to help compose herself as Henry moves around the apartment.
"Hey, you have any juice? Never mind, found some," Henry yells through the door as he searches the kitchen, finding the fridge and taking out a juice carton. Emma looks at herself in the mirror before exiting the bathroom to find her son in the kitchen drinking straight from the bottle. "You know, we should probably get going."
"Going where?" She questions, looking at him.
"I want you to come home with me." He declares, wiping his upper lip of juice, something he copied off his uncle.
"Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops." The blond mother decides, getting out her phone.
"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." Her son argues, making her stop, lowering the mobile.
"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." Emma grumbles, looking almost impressed.
"Yep," Henry pops the 'p', thanking his uncle for his fast thinking.
"You're not going to do that," She argues, looking at him.
"Try me," He replies, standing his ground like his uncle taught him.
"You're pretty good. But here's the thing - there's not a lot I'm great at in life." His biological mother tells him. "I have on skill. Let's call it a superpower. I can tell when anyone is lying, and you, kid, are."
"Wait…" The young boy pleads, moving toward her as she raises her phone again. "Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me."
"Where's home?" Emma asks him, moving her phone down.
"Storybrooke, Maine," Henry answers.
"Storybrooke? Seriously?" She questions, looking at him as he hums and nods. "Alright, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke."
{BLESSING}
A while later, now dressed in more comfortable clothing, Emma drives in her yellow bug with Henry in the passenger seat as they head for Maine. "I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?" He questions, looking out the window.
"This is not a road trip. We're not stopping for snacks." Emma reminds her son, not letting her eyes drift from the road.
"Why not?" Henry asks her.
"Quit complaining, kid. Remember - I could have put your butt on a bus. I still could." She warns him, glaring ahead.
"You know I have a name? It's Henry." The boy argues, looking at her as he reads his book full of fairy tales.
"What's that?" The blond woman questions, glancing at the book.
"I'm not sure you're ready," Henry replies, holding the book away from her.
"I'm not ready for some fairy tales?" Emma asks the kid.
"They're not fairy tales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened." He informs her.
"Of course they did." She mutters in disbelief.
"Use your superpower. See if I'm lying." The young boy tells her, turning to look at her.
"Just because you believe something doesn't make it true." His biological mother argues, turning back to the road.
"That's exactly what makes it true. You should know more than anyone." Henry says, believing with his whole heart.
"Why's that?" Emma asks him.
"Because you're in this book." He reveals, tapping on the sizeable classic book cover with a bright smile.
"Oh, kid. You've got problems." She mutters, shaking her head at the young boy, wondering how he got the idea.
"Yep. And you're going to fix them." The most faithful believer replies, smiling at his biological mother, hoping she will believe him soon enough.
{BLESSING}
Emma and Henry finally arrive in Storybrooke, passing the welcome sign and into the quiet town. "Okay, kid. How about an address?" Emma asks him, looking around at the deserted street.
"Forty-four Not Telling You Street." Henry answers, making the woman angry as she slams on the brakes and stops the car in the middle of the road before climbing out of the vehicle, followed by Henry.
"Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost…" She replies, looking at the clock tower. "... 8:15?"
"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here," He explains, looking at the clock face.
"Excuse me?" The blond woman questions, looking at her son.
"The Evil Queen and her brother did it with their curse. They sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here." The boy explains, not entirely blaming his uncle as much as his mother, knowing why his uncle did it in some small sense.
"Okay, the Evil Queen and her brother sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here." Emma nods along, still not believing him.
"Yeah, and now they're trapped," Henry adds.
"Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?" She questions, looking at him.
"It's true!" He exclaims, looking at his biological mother.
"Then why doesn't everybody just leave?" The blond bail bondsperson questions
"They can't. If they try, bad things happen," The young believer informs her, having heard and seen stories from around town printed in the newspaper.
"Henry!" A stranger calls out, approaching the mother and son with a Dalmatian.
"I'm fine, Archie," Henry assures the man.
"Who's this?" Archie questions, looking at his patient after glancing at the woman.
"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma answers, lying a little to the new man.
"She's my mom, Archie," Henry informs his shrink, making the man look at him and then at the new face.
"Oh, I see." Archie mutters, looking at the blond woman in surprise.
"You know where he lives?" Emma asks the ginger-headed man.
"Yeah, sure. Just, ah, right up on Mifflin Street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." He answers, pointing down the road.
"You're the Mayor's kid?" She questions, looking at the boy.
"Uh, maybe," Henry nervously answers.
"Hey, where were you today, Henry? Because you missed your session." Archie questions the boy.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." He lies through his teeth.
"Henry. What did I tell you about lying?" The shrink reminds his patient. "Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."
"Oookay. Well, I really should be getting him home." Emma interrupts them.
"Yeah, sure. Well, listen. Um. Have a good night and, uh, you be good, Henry." Archie says before leaving.
"So that's your shrink?" Emma asks, looking at the man as he walks away with his dog.
"I'm not crazy." Henry argues, hating how she's looking at him, wishing his uncle was with him.
"Didn't say that." She assures him. "Just he doesn't seem 'cursed' to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."
"He's the one who needs help because he doesn't know." He reminds his biological mother.
"That he's a fairy tale character?" The blond woman questions, looking at her son and the man.
"None of them do. They don't remember who they are," The young boy explains.
"Convenient. Alright, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" Emma asks him, staring at the man as he walks down another side street, probably heading home.
"Jiminy Cricket," Henry answers.
"Right, the lying thing. Thought your nose grew a little bit," The bail bondsperson jokes, staring at the boy.
"I'm not Pinocchio!" He snaps, growing annoyed at her.
"Course you're not. Because that would be ridiculous," His blond mother argues, getting back into the car.
{BLESSING}
Everyone is gathered around a table at the Prince Charming and Snow White castle, with the man leading the discussion of fairy tale characters and the impending doom of the evil twins as his wife sits beside him with her swollen pregnant bed. "I say we fight!" Prince Charming declares, not wanting to lose his firstborn child.
"Fighting is a bad idea. Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything," Jiminy reminds the man.
"Then how many wars has a clear conscience won? We need to take the Queen and her brother out before she can inflict their curse." He reminds the small cricket shown by the magnifying glass.
"Can we even trust Rumpelstiltskin?" Doc questions, looking at the man who is supposed to lead them.
"I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen and Historian's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something." The Prince warns the council members.
"There's no point. The future is written," Snow White says, thinking about what the Dark One said in the dungeons to the new parents some time ago.
"No, I refuse to believe that," Prince Charming tells her, sitting beside his wife. "Good can't just lose."
"Maybe it can," She argues, feeling defeated, rubbing her swollen belly.
No. No, not as long as we have each other," The Prince assures his wife. "If you believe him about the curse, then you must believe him about our child. She will be the Saviour." A noise comes from outside as guards go into the room, dragging behind them a piece of a tree with the Blue Fairy joining them. "What the hell is this?"
"Our only hope of saving that child," The Blue Fairy declares with certainty.
"A tree?" Grumpy questions, looking at it. "Our fate rests on a tree? Let's get back to the fighting thing."
"The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse. Geppetto, can you build such a thing?" She explains, trying to ease the new parents with her plan to save their child.
"Me and my boy, we can do it." Geppetto informs them, looking at his sweet boy at his feet, playing.
"This will work. We all must have faith. There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is, indeed, powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one." The Fairy assures the council members.
{BLESSING}
Emma and Henry finally arrive at a large white house and exit the yellow bug car, going through the front gate and walking toward the house. "Please don't take me back there." Henry pleads with her, though he wants to go see his uncle.
"I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." Emma tells her son, still unsure what will happen next.
"I don't have parents. Just a mom and uncle, and they're both evil." He explains, though, that he doesn't really think his uncle is like that anymore, just misunderstood.
"Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" She questions, looking at her biological son.
"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to." The boy tells her, thinking of his adopted mother and uncle. "I know my uncle does. But he's hardly around because of work."
"Kid… I'm sure that's not true." The blond woman assures the young child as a woman comes running out of the front door after slamming it open and spotting her son and strange blond out of the window.
"Henry! Henry… Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" Regina asks her son, bringing him into his arms, glad to see him safe.
"I found my real mom." Henry declares, running into the house away from the adults, though he glances at his uncle.
"Y-You're Henry's birth mother?" She stutters in surprise, looking at the blond woman, trying to size her up a little.
"Hi…" Emma waves nervously, looking at the tall brunette man with tattoos across his arms at his rolled-up sleeves and even through the rips of his denim jeans, showing more tattoos and even more around his neck.
"I'll just go…check on the lad. Make sure he's alright." Graham offers, wanting to escape the scary-looking man as he glares at the Sheriff.
"How would like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" Regina asks her, looking at her brother, who nods.
"Got anything stronger?" Emma asks the Mayor, sneaking a peak at the man, wondering who he is.
"I'm Landon Mills, Henry's uncle." He introduces himself, surprising her as she shakes his hand.
"Nice to meet you. Henry talked about you." She replies, liking the slight smile on his stoic face.
{BLESSING}
Emma, Regina and Landon move into the house; the man sitting on the sofa as his sister pours them all a glass, and Emma stares around the grand home. "How did he find me?" Emma questions, looking at the twins.
"No idea. When I adopted him, he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed. I was told the birth mother didn't want to have any contact." Regina explains, handing the glass over to her older brother and Emma.
"You were told right." She replies, growing slightly nervous about the stare the man gives her.
"And the father?" Landon questions, taking a sip of his drink.
"There was one." The blond woman answers, not wanting to discuss that part of her life.
"Do I need to be worried about him?" Regina asks the bail bondsperson, growing worried about her happy life being upturned.
"Nope. He doesn't even know." Emma assures the Mayor.
"Do we need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?" Landon asks the gorgeous blond.
"Absolutely not." She tells them, making the twins nod, and Sheriff Graham comes downstairs, entering the room nervously because of Landon.
"Madam Mayor, Mr Mills, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine." Graham informs the twins, looking at Emma.
"Thank you, Sheriff." Regina smiles, and he quickly leaves as the women move into a different room, leaving Landon alone, but he jumps up, heading upstairs for his nephew's room. "I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him."
"Kid's having a rough time. It happens." Emma comments, moving around the kitchen.
"You have to understand. Ever since I became Mayor, balancing things has been tricky. You have a job, I assume?" She questions, busying herself around the room.
"Uh, I keep busy, yeah." The blond woman answers vaguely, not going too into her real life as she will likely leave soon.
"Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom. So I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose. But I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil, do you?" The Mayor explains, looking at her, wishing her brother was there.
"I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairy tale thing," Emma remarks, surprising the Evil Queen.
"What fairy tale thing?" Regina asks her, having heard about it for the first time.
"Oh, you know. His book. How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket." She informs the adopted mother.
"I'm sorry. I really have no idea what you're talking about." The Mayor replies, looking at the blond, wondering what else her son told the stranger.
"You know what? It's none of my business. He's your kid. And I really should be heading back." The bail bondsperson assures her, trying to back away.
"Of course." Regina smiles fakely, letting Emma out the front door.
{BLESSING}
Emma walks down the walkway to her car and looks up to the second-story window to see Henry and his uncle, Landon, peering out before the boy closes his curtains and turns off the light. She gets into her car before driving along the road, heading out of Storybrooke and spots Henry's book in the passenger seat. "Sneaky bastard," Emma mutters, looking back to the road and seeing a white wolf in front of her car, making her swerve to avoid the animal and hitting the welcome sign.
{BLESSING}
Landon sits on his nephew's bed as he tucks the boy into his bed and takes out a book from Henry's pillow, seeing notes on the fairy tale book his nephew owns. "You know, I'm surprised you didn't tell me about this." Landon comments, looking at his nephew as he lies his head on the pillow, trying to sleep as he reads through the notes, seeing the detail of it all, surprised and impressed.
"Sorry, Uncle Lala," Henry mutters; tiredness overtakes him from the long night of life-changing events.
"I know, Little Mills." He smiles, stroking his hair from Henry's forehead with a fond smile. "But, remember, we don't run away. We face our problems," He reminds the young boy before standing and leaving Henry to sleep.
"I remember. Night." The boy whispers, letting sleep overtake him and closes his eyes. Landon closes the door, heading downstairs to join his sister in a quick drink before returning to his apartment.
{BLESSING}
A few weeks after the council meeting, Snow White watches from the balcony of her room as Geppetto and Pinocchio carve away at the magical wardrobe out of the enchanted tree down below. "I don't want to do this." Snow White tells her husband, looking into the room in despair.
"It has to be you." Prince Charming reminds, hating to have this argument again.
"I'm not leaving you." She argues, moving into the room to face her husband.
"It's the only way. You'll go in there, and you'll be safe from the curse." He tries explaining again.
"He said it would be on her twenty-eighth birthday." The raven-haired Princess reminds the Prince, the words never leaving her mind since their visit to Rumpelstiltskin's cell below the castle.
"What's twenty-eight years when you have eternal love? I have faith. You'll save me as I did you." The brave man assures his wife, trying to give her some peace of mind, and they kiss sweetly when they break apart as Charming looks at Snow, seeing the distraught look on her face. "What is it?"
"Baby… She's coming." Snow White announces, looking down at her feet and seeing the patch of water on the floor.
{BLESSING}
In the castle, Grumpy watches the land when he spots something on the horizon and kicks Sleepy, who is napping next to his feet in the watchtower, trying to wake him from his slumber. "Get up! Get up! Look." Grumpy shouts as a dark, purplish, almost black smoke comes storming toward them from a distance, rapidly covering the land and progressing towards the castle as the Dwarf frantically rings the bell, alerting the palace. "The curse! It's here!"
{BLESSING}
Landon arrives at his apartment in the centre of Storybrooke, looking around his dark blue wall hallway as he places his keys on the desk he uses for work and runs his finger along the white piano by the front door. "Happily Ever After… doesn't seem that long way away now." He mutters to himself before heading through the hallway into his black-walled contemporary living room, grabbing his laptop and moving back into the hallway to his white-tiled kitchen, holding himself a glass of whiskey from his black wooden varnished cupboards. Landon takes his computer and whiskey to his comfortable blue bedroom and changes before settling on his bed, needing to find some information for his sister on the newcomer, Emma Swan.
{BLESSING}
The following morning, Emma wakes up to find herself in a jail cell and looks around to see she isn't alone as there is another prisoner in the cell next to hers; whistling can be heard from the man who catches her staring.
"What are you lookin' at, sister?" Leroy snaps at the blond, glaring at her.
"Hey, Leroy! Manners. We have a guest." Marco scolds the man and turns to the blond woman. "So you are, uh, Henry's mother? How lovely for him to have you back in his life."
"Actually, I was just dropping him off," Emma argues lightly with the sweet old man.
"Tch, don't blame ya. They're all brats who needs 'em." Leroy scowls, glaring at the air.
"Well, I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years. But, uh, he was not meant to be." Marco replies softly with a hint of wishful thinking in his tone.
"Well, cry me a river." He grumbles, rolling his eyes, and Sheriff Graham enters the room, walking toward the other cell, unlocking it and letting the grumpy man out.
"Leroy! If I'm going to let you out, you need to behave." Graham tells the man. "Put on a smile and stay out of trouble." Leroy steps out of the cell, smiling sarcastically before leaving.
"Seriously?" Emma questions, looking at the Sheriff through the bars of her cell.
"Regina's drinks are a little stronger than we thought." He replies, smirking a little.
"I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road." She tells him, surprising him a little.
"A wolf. Right." The Sheriff nods, not believing her, when the door of the small office building slams open.
"Graham! Henry's run away again. We have to…" Regina calls out as she enters the room and spots Emma inside the prison cell. "What is she doing here? Do you know where he is?"
"Honey, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house. And I have a pretty good alibi." Emma replies, looking at the panicked mother.
"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his room this morning. And I called my brother, but he hasn't seen him since he's been at work all morning." She snaps, growing worried for her only child.
"Did you try his friends?" The bail bondswoman suggests, thinking as someone who finds people for a living.
"He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner." The Mayor informs her, wishing her son had more friends, but Henry is more mature than most of his classmates.
"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them." Emma gives her suggestions.
"And you know this how?" Regina asks, not knowing much about the woman, though her brother is getting what he can about the new blond who is supposed to be her son's biological mother.
"Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him." She shrugs, looking at them, and the two officials agree, letting the blond woman out of the prison cell.
{BLESSING}
Emma, Graham and Regina stand in Henry's room at the Mills House as the blond woman searches through the boy's computer. "Smart kid – cleared his inbox," Emma comments, taking out a small hard drive from her jacket pocket. "I'm smart too. A little hard disk recovery utility I like to use…" She clicks on the mouse, finding some new folders and internet history.
"I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing." Graham remarks, watching her with fascination. "This reminds me of Mr Mills sometimes."
"You're on salary. I get paid for delivery. Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get." She replies, clicking on the mouse and looking through the folders. "What does Mr Mills do?"
"He's the Editor in Chief of the local newspaper. Runs it like a tight ship. Always reading something interesting. Never a dull posting. He finds all kinds of things." He informs her, making the blond woman wonder what else Landon can do, and she finds something interesting in the internet history.
"Huh. His receipt for a website – . It's expensive. He has a credit card?" The bail bondsperson wonders, looking at Regina, who nervously paces the room.
"He's ten," Regina replies, glaring at the other woman, who seems clueless about the workings of a child.
"Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record." Emma scrolls through, finding what they need. "Mary Margaret Blanchard… Who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"
"Henry's teacher." She growls, thinking of the woman in question, having a long history of hate between them.
{BLESSING}
The local school has a classroom full of young children who appear to be in art class, making birdhouses as their teacher delicately holds a bluebird. "As we build our birdhouses, remember – what you're making is a home, not a cage. The bird is free and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures. If you love them and they love you, they will always find you." Mary Margaret Blanchard explains to the class with a caring tone, and the school bell rings, signalling the beginning of recess. "We'll pick this up after recess. No running!" The young children file quickly out of the classroom as Regina, hurrying to find her son, shoves through them without a care, and Emma trails behind her. "Miss Mills. What are you doing here?"
"Where's my son?" Regina demands, growing worried and scared.
"Henry, I assumed he was home sick with you." She replies, getting nervous with the Mayor standing in front of her.
"You think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so he can find her?" The Mayor snaps at her, questioning the woman she despises the most.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" The teacher asks the blond woman, who seems out of place in the classroom.
"I'm his… I'm his…" Emma stutters, trying to find the words, but Regina interrupts the b in her anger.
"The woman who gave him up for adoption," Regina says, interrupting the stuttering blond, growing frustrated.
"You don't know anything about this, do you?" She questions, looking at the raven-haired teacher, who seems clueless at the other women.
"No, unfortunately not." Mary Margaret replies, taking out her wallet from her bag and noticing her credit card missing. "Clever boy… I should never have given him that book."
"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina demands, looking at both of them, growing annoyed.
"Just some old stories I gave him. As you well know, Henry is a special boy. So smart, so creative, and, as you might be aware, lonely. He needed it." She informs the adopted mother, who glares back at her.
"What he needs is a dose of reality. This is a waste of time." The Mayor sneers before storming out of the classroom, intentionally knocking over a stack of books on her way out. "Have a nice trip back to Boston." She says to Emma before leaving.
"Sorry to bother you," Emma mutters, going to leave, but Mary Margaret stops her, seeming to see something in her.
"No, it's… It's okay. I hear this is partially my fault." Mary Margaret says, kneeling on the floor as she collects the fallen books.
"How's the book supposed to help?" She asks, helping the sweet teacher.
"What do you think stories are for? These stories are classics. There's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. See, Henry hasn't had the easiest life." The raven-haired woman explains, seeing more than some of the parents.
"Yeah, she's kind of a hardass." The blond woman replies, scoffing a little. "But the uncle doesn't seem to be as bad."
"No, it's more than her. He's like any adopted child. He wrestles with that most basic question they all inevitably face – why would anyone give me away? …I am so sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean in any way to judge you." Mary Margaret explains, stopping when she sees the other woman's face fall a little as she talks.
"It's okay," Emma assures him, shrugging it off a little, though it still hurts.
"Look, I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have. Hope. Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing." She informs the bail bondswoman.
"You know where he is, don't you?" The blond woman questions, seeing the glint in the ravenette's eyes.
"You might want to check with his uncle." The kind teacher suggests with a smile, having another idea in mind too.
{BLESSING}
Snow White lies in her bed with her husband and Doc as she screams in labour. "I can't have this baby now!" Snow White shouts through her contractions as she leans on Prince Charming's chest.
"Doc, do something. It's going to be okay. The wardrobe is almost finished; just hold on." Prince Charming yells at the Dwarf, worrying about his wife, turning to her, trying to reassure her, unaware that the Evil Queen and the Historian are travelling with their cohorts through the forest towards the castle. Geppetto rushes into the room with good news for the couple.
"It's ready," Geppetto announces, but their happiness is interrupted when the contractions become too close together for the Princess to move.
"It's too late. We can't move her." Doc informs them, and Snow White screams as she gives birth to baby Emma before lovingly holding her daughter while the Prince looks at the two happily.
"The wardrobe… It only takes one." Snow White mutters, breaking the moment as she looks at her husband.
"Then our plan has failed. At least we're together." Prince Charming replies in despair, holding onto his wife.
"No." She argues, holding their daughter to him. "You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."
"Are you out of your mind?" He questions, looking at his wife in shock, not believing what she is suggesting.
"No, it's the only way. You have to save her." The Princess argues, wanting to save their daughter.
"No, no, no. You don't know what you're saying." The Prince tells her, shaking his head at her idea.
"No, I do. We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance." Snow White replies and kisses her husband goodbye before he pecks his daughter's head before leaving a crying raven-haired Princess. "Goodbye, Emma…"
{BLESSING}
Prince Charming takes a sword near the door, knowing the Evil Queen's men may be lurking in the hallway, and carefully walks through, having to fend off two of the black knights, but is injured in the process before heading toward baby Emma's nursery where the wardrobe is being kept and carefully places his darling daughter inside after kissing her forehead. "Find us…" Prince Charming whispers before closing the doors when two more guards enter the room; one mortally wounds the Prince as he defends himself, and the other guard breaks open the wardrobe to discover it is empty with the baby gone and Prince Charming sees it too before lying on the fall unconscious.
{BLESSING}
Emma walks through the doors of the Daily Mirror to see a hive of madness as people rush around the floor, and she finds the reception desk with a squirrely-looking young woman on the phone, seeming terrified. "Hi," Emma smiles, scaring the scared-looking brunette. "Hello, I need to talk with Landon Mills."
"I see…" The woman mutters. "Well, he's not in a very happy mood right now. His nephew has gone missing again. I don't know how we'll cope again. I mean. What is it regarding?"
"It's about his nephew." She informs her, making the brunette sigh in relief almost.
"Of course. I'll take you to his office." The Receptionist offers, moving from the desk when the phone rings. "Hang on a moment. Hello, Daily Mirror Newspaper. How can I help?"
"Where's his office?" The blond woman whispers when there is a crash inside the office space through the closed stylish glass doors.
"What the bloody hell do you call this!" Emma hears Landon shout at the top of his lungs and scurries into the main area to see him standing at the front of the open floor of desks, throwing papers around.
"I think I've found him," Emma mutters, walking through the desk toward the angry brunette man dressed in a sharp black suit and thin blue tie, who slams the door of - she guesses - his office. She hesitantly knocks on the door, earning a shout and a shuffling from behind the large blue oak door that slams open, revealing an angry-looking Landon.
"What the blo… Oh, Miss Swan, how can I help you?" Landon asks her, calming himself down and letting the blond woman into his gorgeously styled dark office space.
"I was talking to Miss Blanchard earlier about finding Henry," She explains as she sits in the guest chair opposite his desk as he sits at his chair.
"Ah, how is Mary Mag?" He questions, smiling fondly almost, though it is more about the past in another world.
"She seemed okay. She said you may know where Henry would go." The blond bail bondswoman answers, looking at him.
"Did she now? Well, if he isn't hiding away in class, away from my sister's prying eyes. I'd venture a guess and say he is most likely at his little castle by the marine. He goes there to think. I helped build it when he was born. It was the first place we went together once my sister brought him home. She let me even near my nephew." The man explains, looking at her, wondering what was so special about this woman, but he knows Henry needs something more in his life to break out of his shell.
"So it's not just me she doesn't like," Emma remarks, earning a slight glare from him before he laughs, and she likes the thundering sound of it.
"Gina doesn't not like you. She's protective of him. She can't have children, so she is a little overprotective of Henry." He explains, making her nod, seeming to understand Regina a little more.
"I see. Thank you for letting me know where Henry is. I'll get him home soon." She assures him and heads out of the office.
"She certainly is a unique woman." The man smirks to himself before going back to his paperwork.
{BLESSING}
Henry sits alone on his 'castle', a wooden old structure that looks like a castle with a slide in the centre of the playground by the marina's shore. Emma smiles, glad she found the boy, and walks up behind him, carrying his book. "You left this in my car," Emma tells her son, giving him the book back as they look at the clock tower. "Still hasn't moved, huh?"
"I was hoping that when I brought you back, things would change here. That the final battle would begin." Henry sighs in disappointment, looking at the old tower.
"I'm not fighting any battles, kid." She reminds him, not wanting to disappoint him but also not to give into his 'fantasy'.
"Yes, you are." He argues, knowing something more than her. "Because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."
"Can you cut it with the book crap?" The blond woman snaps, getting a little annoyed at him, but sighs, hating that she lost her cool with him.
"You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me – I can tell." The young boy smirks, reminding the woman of her old flame. "You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance."
"How do you know that?" Emma asks him, surprised, never having told anyone that, not even herself really.
"Because it's the same reason Snow White gave you away," Henry replies, thinking of the book and moving the pages to show the chapter he refers to.
"Listen to me, kid. I'm not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no saviour. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Come on, let's go." She tells him, trying to remain calm.
"Please don't take me back there. Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy." He pleads with her, though the minute Henry goes home, he'll head to his uncle's apartment if he has to.
"I have to get you back to your mom." The bail bondswoman reminds him with a sigh, thinking of the angry Mayor.
"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!" The young boy exaggerates a little, leaving out his busy uncle.
"Oh, you want to know what sucking is?" Emma yells, jumping to her feet away from her son as all her pent-up emotions run through her body. "Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system, and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own, so then they sent me back. Look, your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard, and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you."
"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of a freeway. That's just where you came through." Henry informs her calmly, knowing what a surprise this must have been for her.
"What?" She questions, looking at him.
"The wardrobe. When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse." He explains, making her look at him.
"Sure they were. Come on, Henry." His biological mother tells him, taking his hand and leading him back to her car to bring him back home.
{BLESSING}
Snow White stumbles through the castle after giving birth to the nursery to find Prince Charming lying on the ground, appearing dead. "No, no! No! No! No! Please… Please come back to me." She cries, kneeling next to him and kisses him twice, attempting to revive him, but nothing happens when the Evil Queen and the Historian enter the room.
"Oh, don't worry, dear. In a few moments, you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him." Regina informs her step-daughter, smirking down, loving the tears running down her face at losing the love of her life like she did long ago.
"Why did you do this?" She asks her stepmother, more tears falling down her face at the loss of her husband.
"Because this is our happy ending." The Historian informs them, and two black knights enter the room. "The child?"
"Gone." The guard on the left announces. "It was in the wardrobe, and then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."
"Where is she?" The Evil Queen demands, swirling around to face them angrily, and Landon holds her back from killing them.
"She got away…" Snow White smiles, feeling a tiny spark of hope ignites in her heart. "You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win."
"We'll see about that." Landon smirks at her, though he has other ideas about why he has gone to the real world, having been told he'll need to be there for something special to come his way. Landon is taken from his thoughts when the ceiling breaks apart as the curse spreads through the castle, and a twister starts forming in the centre of the room.
"Where are we going?" She asks, looking around as the dark black and purple smoke fills the room.
"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be ours." The Evil Queen grins as the windows shatter, adding a dramatic flare as the dark mist fills the room, whisking them away to another place.
{BLESSING}
Emma brings Henry back home to Regina at the front door, looking worried for her only son, but he runs past her inside the house, going straight upstairs. "Thank you," Regina smiles stiffly at the blond woman.
"No problem," Emma assures her, smiling.
"He's seemed to have taken quite a shine to you." She comments, looking at the biological mother of her adopted son.
"You know what's kind of crazy? Yesterday was my birthday and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then, Henry showed up." The blond woman informs her, smiling a little happier.
"I hope there's no misunderstanding here." The Mayor interrupts her moment with a sour look on her face.
"I'm sorry?" Emma questions, looking at her and seeing the overprotective mother that Landon warned her about.
"Don't mistake all this as an invitation back into his life." Regina warns her, stepping toward the woman and trying to intimidate her.
"Oh…" She mutters, trying to stop her, but the dark-haired woman keeps talking.
"Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been… Well, who knows what you've been doing. I've changed every diaper. Soothed every fever. Endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son." The Mayor snaps at her, not letting her talk.
"I was not…" The blond bail bondswoman tries reassuring the woman, but it goes over her head.
"No! You don't get to speak." Regina sneers. "You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry, and you're going to be held to that. So, I suggest you get in your car and you leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan." Regina continues her long prepared speech and returns to the house, but Emma plucks up some courage.
"Do you love him?" Emma questions, stopping her, making the Evil Queen turn to face her, remembering something similar in her past.
"Excuse me?" She asks, looking at the woman, raising an eyebrow for even suggesting something like that.
"Henry. Do you love him?" The blond woman repeats herself, feeling a little more courage spark through her veins.
"Of course I love him." The mother answers, getting angry at the woman, trying to stop herself from killing her on the spot.
"I can see that," Emma announces, surprising the dark-haired woman, who moves toward her. "I see how protective you are of him. And I get where you're coming from. But I am not trying to steal him from you. I promise. I just want to know that he's okay. There has always been a part of me that has regretted it. And I know you're right, and I have no right to just jump into your lives. I just need a peace of mind. So, I hope you can understand that." Emma leaves Regina with that thought and lets Regina walk back into the house before stealing her son Henry's book from his room and holding it to her chest, staring into the mirror in the hallway angrily at the past that makes her son seem so distant toward her of late. But she thinks about what Emma said and places the book down on the side, pondering what to do next.
{BLESSING}
At the local hospital, Mary Margaret volunteers, placing vases of wildflowers next to patients' beds and goes into the side room with a comatose patient named 'John Doe', placing another vase next to him, who is really Prince Charming.
{BLESSING}
Elsewhere, Henry looks out his bedroom window at his uncle's house, having sneaked away from his mother's and looks at the clock tower across the street from Landon's apartment, though the clock face hasn't changed yet.
{BLESSING}
Meanwhile, Emma heads to Granny's Bed and Breakfast and finds Granny and Ruby arguing. "You're out all night, and now you're going out again," Granny shouts at her granddaughter as they descend downstairs.
"I should have moved to Boston." Ruby shouts at her grandmother, stomping down the steps past her.
"I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the eastern seaboard." She calls after her, leaving her to cool down.
"Excuse me? I'd like a room." Emma interrupts their little argument, moving toward the reception desk.
"Really? Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally, there's an upgrade fee for the square, but, as friends do, I'll wave it." The elderly woman questions but brushes it off and steps behind the counter.
"Square is fine." She smiles fondly at the woman.
"Now, what's the name?" Granny asks her, taking out her guest book.
"Swan. Emma Swan." The blond woman answers, and a man, Mr Gold, enters the inn, unnoticed by the women.
"Emma. What a lovely name." Mr Gold comments, surprising the women with his sudden appearance.
"Thanks," Emma replies, feeling a little self-conscious around the man for some strange reason and watches Granny pass the man a roll of bills.
"It's all here." Granny tells him, wanting him out of her building as quickly as possible.
"Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you. You enjoy your stay…Emma." Mr Gold smiles before exiting the inn, leaving them alone.
"Who's that?" Emma asks, looking behind her before turning back to the elderly woman.
"Mr Gold. He owns this place." Ruby informs the blond newcomer, coming into the room and surprising the blond a little.
"The inn?" She questions, gesturing to the building.
"No, the town." Granny corrects her. "So, how long will you be with us?"
"A week. Just a week." The blond bail bondsperson tells them with a smile, wondering what will happen while she's there.
"Great." She smiles, taking a key from the wall behind her and handing it to Emma. "Welcome to Storybrooke."
{BLESSING}
Landon returns home and finds his nephew in his living room. He texts his sister quickly to not worry about the boy going missing again and joins him at the living room window to watch the clock tower; at that exact moment, Emma accepts the room key, the clock hand begins to move, and Henry can't help but smile. "I guess you were right." Landon smiles, bringing his nephew into his arms, thinking of what will happen soon.