Chapter 55

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"Why don't you two go get us something to eat while I teach Killian how to use this sword," Emma said once they had reached land.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Good luck with that. I doubt he's ever even held one before. The only thing I've ever seen in his hand is the mop he uses to clean Blackbeard's ship."

"Oh trust me, he knows how to use this." Emma held the sword out to Killian with a grin.

"Whatever," Hanna shrugged and turned to Henry. "You coming with me or what?"

"Lead the way," Henry said as he held his hand out in front of him.

Hanna knew this village very well, and the villagers knew her. They definitely wouldn't be able to just swipe something here. Everyone would have their eyes on her…they already did, actually. Hanna was pretty sure she had stashed some coins under a rock around here somewhere. The rock was by a tree. Now she just had to find the right one.

"So, where do you live exactly?" Henry asked, trying to make conversation and get to know more about the life the author had written for Hanna.

"Around…" Hanna answered.

"Don't you have a house or something? What about parents?"

"No house. I sleep wherever I want. Parents abandoned me when I was a baby."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Henry was sad to hear that his best friend thought she lived this life.

"Don't be. I'm not."

"But you do know my mom…I mean Regina, right?"

Hanna shrugged. "Yeah I know her."

"Are you two friends?" Henry asked hopefully.

Hanna stopped walking and turned to face him. She did not want to tell this boy anything. She didn't even know him. He was no one. There was a part of her though, when she looked into his eyes, that made her want to just open up and tell him everything. What the hell is wrong with me? Hanna walked closer to Henry, and they were now toe to toe. "Ask me one more question about my life and I'll send my fist flying into your nose, got it?"

"Okay, sorry," Henry said, putting his hands up in surrender. He would try not to ask anymore personal questions. "Where are we going anyway? We've past about three food stands already."

"Would you just shut up. I have to get something first."

Hanna looked around, trying to find the tree. She finally spotted the right one…it had the bright red leaves just like she remembered. As she walked towards it, she could hear Henry's footsteps behind her. She wished he would have just stayed back with the one-handed pirate and the crazy lady. He was asking too many questions and Hanna didn't like it.

"Where did you get all of that?" Henry's eyes went wide when he saw the small bag filled with gold coins.

"Don't worry about it," Hanna pushed past him and walked towards the first food stand she came to.

They bought enough food to feed the four of them and made their way back to where they had left Emma and Killian.

"Wait," they heard a voice yell just after they rounded the corner.

Hanna's instantly dropped all the food she was carrying. She knew that voice. When she looked up, there they were. "It's Snow White and Prince Charming," she said frantically to Henry. "We have to get out of here."

"There he is," Charming said when he spotted the boy.

"My. My. I am going to enjoy watching him die in front of his mother. And you," Snow said as she looked towards Hanna. "I believe I had you locked in my tower as well."

Hanna's eyes went wide. She looked up at Emma who was running towards them. "Get this thing off of me so I can get far away from here," Hanna pleaded. She needed the cuff off right now! "I…I can't let her capture me again!"

Emma wasn't paying attention to her sister right now. Her focus was on the the fight happening right in front of her. Killian was able to knock the sword from Charming's hand but then…

"No!" Emma shouted as Charming plunged his sword right through Hook's heart.

"Mom! We have to get out of here!" Henry pleaded. "Mom!"

Hanna saw Snow White starting to form a fireball in her hand. "Come on!" she screamed, dragging Emma away.

They all ran until they were far enough into the woods that Snow White wouldn't be able to find them.

"If you would have just taken this stupid thing off of me…"

"Hanna would you stop!" Emma turned to her sister. "I just lost someone and I…"

"What's the big deal? You didn't even know him." Hanna saw the hurt on Emma's face though. Maybe she actually did know Hook. Hanna sighed. For some reason she felt bad for Emma. "Come on, I know a shortcut to Regina's."

"There it is!" Henry said when she spotted the familiar opening under the trees that led to Regina's hideout. He took off running inside.

Hanna and Emma followed behind.

"I brought someone else this time. Maybe you'll listen to her," Henry said just as Emma and Hanna made their way inside.

"Well look who it is," Regina said when she saw Hanna. "Where have you been?"

"Around," Hanna said with a shrug.

"I rescued her and my mom from Snow White's tower," Henry said.

"Shut up," Hanna said as she punched Henry's shoulder.

Regina's eyes went wide with worry. "That's where you've been all week? How did she get you?"

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Her little munchkin friends snuck up on me. It wasn't a big deal."

Regina glared at the young girl, knowing she wasn't telling the truth. "You were using your magic north of the waterfall again weren't you?"

"I was not!"

"Damn it, Hanna. Yes you were. I've warned you about not using your magic there before. You know her scouts are all over that part of the woods looking for anyone with magic."

Hanna just let out a sigh. "Fine I admit it, okay. I won't do it again." Hanna reached out her arm. "Now, will you just take this stupid cuff off of me so I can get the hell out of here?"

"Nah," Regina shook her head. "It'll be good for you to take a break from that magic for awhile."

"Ugh! You're the worst!" Hanna shouted as she crossed her arms. She knew Regina well enough to know there was no point in asking a second time.

"Yes well, you'll get over it."

"Regina…"

"Let me guess…" Regina said as she turned towards the blonde. "You're his other mother?"

"Emma."

"I have to give you credit," Regina said to Henry. "Breaking her out of that tower couldn't have been easy."

"Henry, can you give us a minute?" Emma asked.

"Sure."

"You too, Hanna. Go out there with him," Regina told her.

Hanna rolled her eyes and followed the kid.

Once they were outside, Henry turned to Hanna. "Can you please just tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Hanna asked with a raise of her eyebrows.

"How do you know Regina?"

Hanna thought for a moment as she eyed Henry up and down. "Fine. We met a few years back. I got myself caught in a net. The net had a spell, so I couldn't poof myself out. I was stuck. Luckily, Regina came along before Snow White found me. She cut me down and kind of just took me under her wing after that."

"So you live here with her then?"

Hanna shook her head. "I don't 'live' anywhere. I told you I'm just around…sleeping wherever I feel like it. Did you not listen to me earlier?"

"Sorry." Henry could sense the frustration in her voice. "It's just…before all of this we use to be best friends. I just wanted to learn more about you."

"Is all of this really true?" Hanna asked, thinking back to how Emma reacted when Hook was killed. She acted as if she really cared about him. "I mean…you're really my friend? Emma's my sister? I actually have parents?"

"It is, Hanna. I promise." Henry told her. "We're going to break this curse, and you'll get to have your real home and family back again. Will you help us?"

"I just…I don't think that I can, Henry."

"Why not?"

"I just can't, okay?" Hanna said in frustration.

"That's not a reason. Tell me why."

"No, I can't!"

"Hanna!"

"Because what if it's all real?" Hanna shouted. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Henry, what if everything that you're saying is true? I can't handle that."

"If we break the curse, you'll have all your memories back. It won't seem like a big deal then."

"It just seems impossible now though," Hanna said as she shook her head in disbelief. "Regina is the closest thing I've got to family. Even though I'm a total pain sometimes, she's always there when I need her. I just can't imagine having more people like that in my life…it's just all too much." Hanna turned to walk away.

"Wait," Henry said, reaching out and taking ahold of Hanna's arm. "I know it's a lot, but I promise it will be worth it."

"Really?"

"Really." Henry nodded his head. "So, you'll stay with us and help?"

Hanna let her head drop. "I don't know…"

"Hanna what is it? You can tell me."

"I feel stupid."

"I won't think you're stupid. Just tell me."

"It's just…without my magic I don't feel safe. What if something happens? What if Snow White comes or that dragon lady?" Hanna shot her head up and looked at Henry, eyes wide with worry. "I won't be able to protect myself. They'll capture me and lock me away again. Or maybe something worse! I can't…"

"Hanna it's okay. We'll protect you. We won't let anything happen," Henry promised.

"You can't exactly be sure of that. None of you have magic. You can't protect me."

"Well…"

"But I can protect you, and I will." Hanna lifted her cuffed wrist up to Henry. "Just take this off."

Henry shook his head. "I don't know…"

"I promise I'll come with you and break this curse. I won't let anything happen to any of you." Hanna looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I'm scared without my magic, Henry."

Henry sighed. "Alright, I'll do it," he reached up and removed the cuff from Hanna's wrist.

"No, don't!" Regina shouted when she saw what Henry was about to do.

Hanna smirked. "Too late Regina." Hanna moved her wrist around, enjoying the freedom. She saw Henry quickly try to put the cuff back on, but she was quicker. With a wave of her hand she sent him flying backwards through the air.

Emma ran to Henry. "Are you alright, kid?"

Henry nodded his head and pulled himself up from the ground.

"Damn it Hanna," Emma turned to her sister. "That's why you need that cuff. You can't even control your magic. You could have hurt him!"

"Oh trust me. I knew exactly what I was doing," Hanna waved her hand and sent Emma flying backwards just like Henry. "See."

Regina grabbed ahold of Hanna's arm. "Hanna, what the hell is the matter with you?"

Hanna ripped her arm away. "Want me to send you flying too?"

"You told me you would help us," Henry said.

"Yeah well, I lied."

"Hanna, don't do this," Regina pleaded. She knew Hanna was just scared. Scared of having the life Emma and Henry were talking about. Hanna was scared to get too close with anyone, even her. That's why she never stayed more than a few nights at a time with Regina before starting some fight and running off. Regina thought nothing of it when she would go days without seeing the girl. "Hanna just listen to me," Regina walked closer to her friend and talked in a whisper so only Hanna could hear. "Look, I know this scares you. It scares me too. But what if it's all true? It sounds to me like we have some pretty good lives back where they say we're from. If it doesn't work, then we just go back to the way things were. Nothing to lose," Regina shrugged.

"Sorry Regina…" Hanna poofed herself away leaving them all behind.

Hanna walked through the woods, glad to be away from those people. If she had to hear one more word about being cursed she was going to lose it. Hanna just wanted to get on with her life…her life here. She was tired of hearing about the life Henry and Emma claimed she had. They were both delusional. Hanna couldn't believe that they had actually managed to convince Regina that their fantasies were true. Hanna knew Regina would feel pretty silly and would regret going into that wedding when she kissed Robin Hood and wasn't magically taken to this whole other life. Hanna decided she would go back to Regina's in a week or so to rub it all in her face.

Hanna walked for awhile longer and spotted a cottage up ahead. She was still starving. She never actually got to eat any of the food she bought earlier. She quietly walked to one of the windows, hoping no one would be home. She could just swipe something quickly and be on her way. As she walked closer though, she started to hear voices coming from inside. She turned to walk away when she heard someone inside mention Regina.

"You're not really a hero, and if you don't kill Regina and keep her from her happy ending then everyone, including Belle, will know too," the man said.

Hanna stopped in her tracks. Someone was planning to kill Regina? Hanna couldn't let that happen. She walked to the edge of the woods and waited for the man to come out so she could follow him and find out what he was up to.

Hanna watched him exit the cottage. She noticed he wore the same kind of strange clothes as Henry. Clothes not from this world. Hanna followed him for awhile so they were far enough away from that cottage and no one would hear him yell for help when Hanna confronted him.

"Stop." Hanna demanded as she stepped out in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Hanna noticed the look on his face…as if he knew who she was. "I'm asking the questions. Who are you?"

"I have to be on my way," he said, quickly walking past Hanna.

"I told you to stop!" Hanna said as she froze him in place with her magic. She turned and walked a few steps forward so she was in front of him again. "Now, I'll ask you again. Who are you?"

"You have your magic, but the cuff…you're not suppose to have magic."

"How do you even…" Hanna shook her head. She didn't know how this guy knew that about her. "Tell me who you are!" Hanna reached out her hand and lifted the man into the air by his throat, cutting off his air supply.

"Okay, okay," he said as he grasped at his throat, trying to breathe.

Hanna let him go and watched as he dropped to the ground. She shoved him with her foot before asking again. "Who are you?"

"My name is Isaac. I…"

"Issac?" Hanna thought for a minute. She'd heard that name before. That's who Emma was talking about in the tower. According to her, he was responsible for writing their lives this way. He put them in this apparent curse. Hanna didn't care about all of that right now though. Her main concern was Regina.

"Look, I'm just trying to get to a wedding. I…"

"I know what you're trying to do! I heard you talking to your friend. You're trying to kill Regina. Now, you're going to tell me why."

Isaac pulled himself to his feet and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Look, I can either rip your heart out now and make you tell me before I crush it or you tell me yourself and you get to live." Hanna didn't really know how to rip out hearts yet, but he didn't know that. Hanna walked closer to him, reaching out her hand. "Your choice."

"Alright, alright. If she kisses her true love, it will destroy this whole world and take us back to reality," Isaac quickly explained.

"Reality? So, you're telling me what Emma and Henry said was true?" Hanna asked as she put her hand down. Could all of that nonsense they were telling her actually be real?

"I'm not sure what they told you, but you don't want to go back to that life. Your life their was wretched. This life you have here is much better," Isaac told her.

"But Henry said…"

"He lied," Isaac said quickly, trying to put doubts in her head. "He would say anything to destroy this world. Trust me. You are far better off here."

"Shut up!" Hanna glared at him. "You're the author. You created my life here and it's been terrible. Why should I listen to you?"

"Well, I…"

Hanna put her hand up to stop him. "I don't care about any of this! I'm not going to let you kill Regina. I'm going to that church."

"You're probably too late. The Light One is already on his way there."

"The Light One?" That's who Isaac was talking to. Hanna had heard of him and his power. He was suppose to be a hero. According to what Isaac said at the cottage though, he wasn't really the hero he claimed to be. And if Regina kissed Robin Hood and got her happy ending, everyone would know the truth. Hanna didn't know how she was going to do it, but she had to stop him. She had to get to that wedding. With a wave of her hands she poofed herself to the church.

As Hanna came through the trees, she saw Regina at the door of the church and Emma getting blasted back and knocked out by the Light One's magic.

"Mom!" Henry bent down and picked up her sword, ready to duel the Light One himself.

Hanna quickly ran to Henry. "Get out of the way. Let me handle this."

"You came back?"

"Yeah clearly. Now shut up and get out of here!"

"Both of you get out of my way," Rumple warned.

Hanna formed a fireball in her hand. "You'll have to get through us to get to her."

Henry turned towards Regina. "Go! You have to stop that wedding!" Just as Henry turned around, Rumple knocked the sword from his hands.

Hanna threw her fireball to stop him, but he easily dodged her attempt. Hanna quickly used her magic to move Henry out of the way. He had no way of defending himself and Hanna wasn't going to be the one responsible if the Light One drove his sword through the boy.

"You think you'll be able to stop me?" Rumple asked with a smirk.

"You won't hurt me," Hanna told him. "You're suppose to be a hero."

"And that's exactly why I must do this. To ensure I remain one."

Hanna saw him about to swing his sword. She had her magic ready to deflect him, but she felt herself being pushed out of way and…

"No!" Hanna watched as Regina fell to the ground, taking the full brunt of the sword. "No, no no!" Hanna knelt down beside her, tears starting to form in her eyes. This wasn't suppose to happen. "What did you do?" Hanna yelled at the Light One.

"It's done," he said before disappearing.

Henry came to the other side of Regina. "Mom?"

"Regina?" Emma finally came to and ran to check on her friend.

"Why did you do that?" Hanna asked, wiping away her falling tears. "You should have just gone into the church."

"I couldn't let you die," Regina told her.

Hanna shook her head. "I…I can't let you die either." She waved her hands over Regina's wound, trying to heal her. She hadn't quite figured out how to heal people yet, but she had to try. The magic did nothing though. "Come on! Just work!" Hanna waved her hands frantically, but nothing happened. Hanna dropped her head in her hands "I can't lose you Regina."

Regina reached out and pulled Hanna's hand from her face, holding it in her own. "It's going to be okay."

Hanna lifted her head. "No. It's not."

Just then, the bells started to ring and everyone was coming out of the church.

"We're at the end of the book. We're not going to be able to change anything now," Emma said.

Hanna sat back in disbelief. If I had only stayed with them, then maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe we would have stopped the wedding sooner, before the Light One even arrived. I could have helped. I could have poofed us all here in an instant from Regina's. Instead, they had to waste time traveling here. We all could have been back to whatever reality Henry and Emma kept talking about by now. Maybe what they said was true. Maybe I did have a happy life with a family who loves me, but now I'll never know. And now I'll never get to see my only friend again. Regina is dying because of me. Because I was too selfish and stubborn to listen. I…

"Too little too late."

Hanna pulled herself from her thoughts when she heard Isaac's voice. She quickly stood and turned to face him. "I'm gonna…" Hanna had her fist up ready bloody his nose.

"I've got this Han," Emma said as she stood in front of her sister and punched Isaac herself. "You're going to change things. Return them to the way they were. Bring back Hook. Save Regina."

"I can't. I'm not the author anymore. I can't change a thing.

Hanna watched as Henry picked something up from Isaac's bag. It was a quill, and it started to glow as soon as it touched Henry's hand.

Emma saw too. "Whoa, kid."

Hanna's eyes went wide. "What the hell?"

"No," Isaac said in disbelief.

"What's happening?" Emma asked

"He's the next author," Isaac told her.

Henry stared at the quill. "I…I can feel it."

"Henry. Fix it," Emma told him. "Write everything the way it was."

"Without ink, he's not writing anything."

Emma picked up sword. "My blood. It was suppose to work last time."

"Yes, when mixed with darkness," Henry told her. "But you're not the savior here. Because of him. But that doesn't mean we didn't find one. And in this world we don't need a dark savior. We need a light one."

Henry walked over to Regina and dipped the quill into the blood from her wound. "Hold on, Mom."

"No, don't!" Isaac called out.

Hanna quickly used her magic to blast Isaac back. "Do it, Henry!" Hanna wasn't sure if she was ready to face the life Henry and Emma talked about. She didn't know if she could handle having a whole family that loved her, but this would save Regina. No matter how scared that reality seemed, Hanna would face it. She would face anything to save Regina's life.

Hanna watched as Henry began to write in the book. "Thanks to the hero Regina's sacrifice, Isaac's villainous work was undone." The book began to shine. Hanna couldn't see a thing as the light became brighter and brighter…