"Once Upon A Time
There was an filled with all the classic characters we know.Or think we know.One day they found themselves trapped in a where all their happy endings were stolen..
This is how it happened."
Enchanted Forest, past
Riding on his steed came Prince Charming, a young handsome prince with short blonde hair cladded in white rides towards a glass coffin.
Inside the glass coffin lay Snow White, a beautiful young girl with long raven hair and rosy red cheeks lying motionless. Around her stood seven dwarfs, one young girl and a tall young man wearing a tuxedo and a top hat.
One of the dwarfs, Doc looks up to Prince Charming and he solemnly says to him," You're too late."
Refusing to believe him, Prince Charming frantically screams at the dwarves," No! No! Open it!"
" I'm sorry, she's gone." The leading dwarf, Grumpy apologizes, only for Zatara to put his hand on the dwarf's shoulder, whispering to him," It's okay. Let him say his final goodbye."
The dwarves and the girl grabs onto the lid of the glass coffin, lifting it up to remove it as Prince Charming looks down at Snow White before planting a kiss on his lips.
And without warning, a sudden burst of magic exploded around the group before Snow's eyes snaps open. Gasping out in shock, Snow looks up to Charming and she says," You...you found me."" Did you ever doubt I would?" Charming smiles as he asks.
" Truthfully? The glass coffin gave me pause." Snow says." Well, you never have to worry. I will always find you."
" Do you promise?" Snow asks as the entire area around them trendscends into a wedding altar at the castle.
Prince Charming answers," I do."
The Bishop turns to Snow and he asks," And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband, and love him for all eternity?
" I do." Snow answers.
The Bishop then announces," I now pronounce you husband and wife."
As both the newly wed couple kisses, the wedding guests erupts in a massive cheer.
However, their moment of happiness was interrupted by the entrance of a rather menacing figure. She is Regina, the Evil Queen.
"Sorry I'm late. " The Evil Queen apologizes snarkily as she crosses the room, waving her hand in the air as she dispels the guards attempting to attack her.
" It's the Queen! Run!" Doc screams out as Snow draws out Charming's sword, pointing it at the Evil Queen before stating," She's not a queen anymore! She's nothing more than an evil witch!"
Prince Charming lowers the sword, saying to her," No no no, don't stoop to her level, there's no need."
"I agree," Both Zatara and Zatanna steps forward as Zatara declares to Regina," You're wasting your time, you've already lost. And we will not let you ruin this wedding.
" Oh, I haven't come here to ruin anything. On the contrary, dear, I've come to give them a gift." The Evil Queen answers, prompting Snow to refuse her in defiance," We want nothing from you."
"But you shall have it." The Evil Queen insists," My gift to you is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow, my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you. Forever. And out of your suffering will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do. "
She turns and walks towards the door, only to hear a voice shouting at her," Hey!"
The Queen turns, narrowing her eyes as both Zatara and Zatanna thrusts their hands out, launching two sphere of magic at her. She disappears in a cloud of smoke, narrowingly dodging the projectiles as they disappear upon missing their targets.
As Snow White and Prince Charming hold each other, the scene transforms into a drawing in a book held by a boy named Henry Mills, who is seated in a bus.
The woman sitting next to him notices the book held in his hand and she questions out in curiousity," That a good book?"
" This... it's more than just a book." Henry answers, prompting the woman to chuckle out.
At that moment, the announcement was made on the speaker," Boston sub-station. Thank you for riding Greyhound."
Henry gets off the bus and knocks on the window of a taxi. The driver rolls down the window just as the boy held up a credit card.
" Uh, do you take credit cards?"" Where to chief?"
Boston, present
In an upscale restaurant. Emma Swan arrives and walks through the restaurant, donning a red dress as she searches around until she finds a man seated on the table. The man looks up and he acknowledges her.
" Emma."
" Ryan? You look relieved." Emma asks, prompting Ryan to answer," Well, it is the Internet. Pictures can be..."
" Fake. Out-dated. Stolen from the Victoria's Secret catalogue." Emma lists out," So..."
" So... tell me something about yourself, Emma." Ryan asks.
" Oh... Uh, well, today's my birthday." Emma answers, surprising the man a bit," And you're spending it with me? What about your friends?"
Emma shrugs," Kind of a loner."
" And... you don't like your family?" Ryan probes. Emma answers," Just one sister, and that's about it." " Aw. Come on, there should be more, like a mom, or dad or even a grampa."
Emma then rephrases," Technically, that sister of mine was adopted when her dad took me in. He was nice but I still couldn't help but wonder about my real family."
Ryan chuckles," Oh, not a chance. You, Emma, are, by far, the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met."
Emma then declares out,"Okay! Your turn. No, wait, let me guess. Um... you are handsome, charming..."" Go on."" The kind of guy who... and now, stop me if I get this wrong," Emma then began listing out things that begins to cause Ryan to become uncomfortable," Embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail."
" What?"
" And the worst part of all this 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." Emma concluded. With his suspicions growing, Ryan questions her," Who are you?"
" The chick who put up the rest of the money." Emma answers.
Ryan says," The bails bondsman."
"Bail bondsperson." Emma corrects. Without warning, Ryan flips the table, distracting Emma before turning tails, dashing straight towards the exit of the restaurant.
He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, running out of the restaurant and into the streets before heading towards his car. But despite the speed he is running, Emma walks calmly after him.
Ryan gets into his car and starts it, but it goes nowhere. He opens the door to discover that his car has been booted. Emma walks up to him.
Knowing that he has nowhere to go, Ryan begged, " You don't have to do this, okay? I can pay you, I've got money."
Emma shakes her head," No you don't. And if you did you should give it to your wife and take care of your family."
" The hell do you know about family, huh?" Ryan spat, only for Emma to lean forward, answering his question," Better than you do."
Apartment.
The door slides open as Emma steps into the living room, closing the door behind her as she calls out," I'm home."
" Took you long enough. Another hit?" Emma looks up and she smiles as stepping out of the kitchen stood a now grown up Zatanna.
" Yup. Took out a thief and returned his money back to his wife and kids before putting his ass into jail. How's tonight's performance?"" It was good. Got a five star review from the critics today." Zatanna answers just as Emma nods in approval," Good to know."
Zatanna then reaches out from behind her back, pulling out something as she says to Emma," Here, I got you something." Emma looks just as Zatanna held up a pink cake, with a large candle on the top as she wishes," Happy birthday Emma."
Smiling, Emma steps towards the table as Zatanna sets the cake down, watching just as Emma blows out the candle.
" Well? What did you wish for?" Zatanna asks. Before Emma could answer, right at that moment, the door bell rang, attracting both their attention.
Outside
The door slides open as Emma looks out, finding a boy standing in the hallway. Confused, Emma asks," Uh...can I help you?"
" Are you Emma Swan?" The boy asks." Yeah, who are you?"" My name's Henry, I'm your son."
Without waiting for Emma to say anything, Henry slips underneath the woman's arm, before entering the apartment, shocking Zatanna as she asks out in confusion," Okay, I'm confused here. You have a son?"
Shaking her head frantically, Emma protests," Hey whoa whoa! I don't have a son!" However, the boy has an answer for that," Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me."
Zatanna widens her eyes in shock and she mutters," Okay, I must have missed something out."
Henry walks out to Zatanna and he says," I know you. You are Zatanna Zatara, the greatest magician ever."" That's right kid." Zatanna kneels down and she smiles at Henry," You a fan?"
" More than that, you and your father were in my book." Henry opens the book and he shows it to Zatanna, prompting her to narrow her eyes as memories of her past floods her mind.
" Say, where did you get that Henry?" Zatanna asks. However, instead of answering her, Henry says to Emma," You know, we should probably get going."" Going where?" Emma asks.
" I want you to come home with me." Henry answers. Upon hearing that, Emma then declares out," Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops."" Whoa whoa! Let's not get hasty here shall we." Zatanna stops Emma before turning to Henry, saying to him," We'll come back to you for a moment, in the meantime, you want some juice? You can go help yourself in the fridge."
Henry then rushes off into the kitchen, leaving Emma and Zatanna alone together.
Emma raises up her hands and she speaks out to her adoptive sister," Whoa whoa. I am not gonna go with some kid I don't know."" Well, he seems to know you." Zatanna shrugs." And besides, what's the worst that could happen? We'll only be helping him get home, that's all."
Emma ponders for a while and she relents, turning to Henry before calling out to him," Alright kid. We'll go with you. Where's home?"" Storybrooke."
Upon hearing that, Emma raises an eyebrow and she questions out," Storybrooke?"' Yup." Henry nods, prompting Emma to say," Alright, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke.
Enchanted Forest, castle past
Inside the castle balcony, Snow White stands staring out of the balcony, now pregnant.
Concerned for his wife, Charming asks Snow," What's wrong?"" Nothing." Snow lies, to which was to no avail.
" You're thinking about what the Queen said again, aren't you? Snow, please... I can't keep having this conversation, you have to let it go. We're about to have a baby!" Charming states, only for Snow to say, her voice filled with worry," I haven't had a restful night since our wedding."
Charming said," That's what she wants, to get in your head! But they're only words. She can't hurt us." Not believing him, Snow reminds her husband over the Queen's actions," She poisoned an apple because she thought I was prettier than her. You have no idea of what she's capable of."
Worried for his wife, Charming then asks her," What can I do to ease your mind?" Snow then instructs," Call in Zatara. I need to speak to him."
" Zatara's not here Snow," Charming said," He left earlier with his daughter into another realm, saying that there are things in there in which he can use in order to save you." Lacking any other options, Snow then commands," Then...let me talk to...him..."
Upon hearing that, Charming questions out," Him? You don't mean..."" I do." Snow nods.
Knowing of the danger, Charming quickly objects," No. No. No. It's too dangerous."" He sees the future."" There's a reason we had Zatara enchanting the cell we locked him in."" Can you promise me that our child will be safe? Can you guarantee it? Because he can." Snow questions out.
Knowing of the urgency of their situation, Charming gives in to his wife's request," Alright. For our child."
New England Highway. Present. Inside Emma's car
Driving through the highway, Emma sighs out in exasperation as she listens to the combine voices of Henry and Zatanna singing to the tune of the song, California Gurls by Katy Perry," California girls, we're unforgetsable, Daisy Dukes, Bikinis on top, Sun-kissed skin so hot we'll melt your popsicle..."
" Alright! That's enough of all this singalong kiddo." Emma calls out to the two.
Both Henry and Zatanna kept silent before Henry asks," I'm hungry. Can we stop somewhere?"
" This is not a road trip, we're not stopping for snacks." Emma refuses." Why not?" Henry asks.
At that moment, Zatanna eyes the book and she asks Henry," Say kid, what's this book you got?"
Henry looks at Zatanna and he says to her, directing his head to Emma," I'm not sure she's ready."" Ready for some Fairy Tales?" Emma scoffs.
" They're not fairy tales. They're true. Every story in this book actually happened." Henry states. Zatanna nods and she vouches for the boy," It's true though."
Feeling rather doubtful, Emma snarkly snaps at Zatanna," Oh come on sis, don't tell you actually believe all that?"
" But it's true." Henry enforces," You should know more than anyone."" And why's that?"" Because you're in the book." Henry answers.
" Oh kid, you got problems." Emma sighs as Henry spoke," Yup. And you're going to fix them."
The Enchanted Forest. Past. Rumplestiltskin's cell
In the dark and wet halls of the castle's dungeon, Snow and Charming, now donning a pair of hoods follows a guard as he pulls them to the side, instructing the couple." When we reach the cell, stay out of the light, and whatever you do, do not let him know your name. If he knows your name, he will have power over you."
The guard then turns to face Rumplestiltskin and he spoke out," Rumplestiltskin. Rumplestiltskin! I have a question for you."
Rumplestiltskin, a lanky scaly figure scales down the bars of his cell, chuckling as he said to the guard," No, you don't. They do. Snow White...and Prince "Charming"! AH HA HA HA HA HA!!! You insult me. Step into the light, and take off those ridiculous robes."
" Ah, ha-ha ha... that's much better." Rumplestiltskin nods as Snow and Charming obediently removes their robes.
Prince Charming then spoke," We've come to ask you about the..." However, Rumplestiltskin interrupts him," Yes, yes, I know why you're here! You want to know about the Queen's threat."
Snow White then orders," Tell us what you know."
Rumplestiltskin chuckles, finding amusement in the princess's worries," Ohh! Tense, aren't we? Fear not, for I can ease your mind! But. It's gonna cost you something in return."
Prince Charming shakes his head, refusing to entertain the creature any longer," No. This is a waste of time." However, Snow had a different outtake of the situation," What do you want?"
Rumplestiltskin answers," Oh... the name of your unborn child?"
Furious, Prince Charming shouts at him,"Absolutely not!" Only for Snow to speak out," Deal! What do you know?"
Rumplestiltskin explains, "Ah. The Queen has created a powerful curse. And it's coming. Soon you'll all be in a prison, just like me, only worse! Your prison...all of our prisons-will be time. And time will stop. And we will be trapped, someplace horrible, where everything we hold dear, everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates, victorious at last! ...No more happy endings."
Snow White asks," What can we do?"
Rumplestiltskin shakes his head," We can't do anything! Not even the Magician and his daughter that imprisoned me in this cage could stop her."
" Who can?" Rumplestiltskin reaches hand beyond bars, pointing at Snow's stomach and he answers," That little thing. Growing inside your belly."
Prince Charming drew sword and slaps Rumplestiltskin's hand with it, warning the creature," Next time, I cut it off."
Rumplestiltskin turns to the prince,scoffing at him,"Tk, tk, tk, tk, tk. The infant is our only hope."
He then instructs Snow White," Get the child to safety. Get the child to safety and on its...twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return. The child will find you-and the final battle will begin!"
Rumplestiltskin then bursts into a fit of maniacal laughter, prompting Prince Charming to say," Heard enough. We're leaving."
However, as they are about to leave, Rumplestiltskin's laughter turns into a loud angry shout as he screams," Hey! No! We made a deal! I want her name! We had a deal..I. Need. Her. Name! I want her name!"
" Her? It's a boy." Charming lies. However, Rumplestiltskin was not convinced, turning to Snow and coaxing her," Missy, missy...you know I'm right. Tell me. What's her name?
Snow White turns around, reluctantly answering the creature's question," Emma. Her name is Emma."
Rumplestiltskin whispers out," Emma."
Storybrooke, present
Driving through the now empty streets of Storybrooke, Zatanna looks around, her eyes widens in shock and awe as she gasps out," So this is Storybrooke..."
Emma then looks back at Henry, asking him," Okay, kid. How about an address." To which Henry replies with a," Forty-four, not-telling-you street."
Having enough, Emma then presses down onto the brakes, stopping the car before getting off, telling Henry," Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost..."
As Emma looks up at the clock, her eyes widens in shock as she concludes her sentence," Eight fifteen?"
Zatanna felt her jaws drop and she questions both Emma and Henry," Eight fifteen? I was pretty sure we were driving more than two hours on the road."
Henry explains," The clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."" Excuse me?"" The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here." Upon hearing that, Zatanna narrows her eyes, remembering the evil queen as she listens to Emma question Henry," Hang on. The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here."" Yeah. And now they're trapped."
Confused, Emma probes further," Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?"" It's true!" Henry insists.
Curious, Emma asks," Then why doesn't everybody just leave?"
" Because if they do, bad things will happen." Henry answers.
At that moment, a tall middle aged man with curly hair on the the side, walking his Dalmation dog across the street as he approaches the trio. Zatanna widens her eyes in shock and recognition as the man asks Henry," Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"
" I'm fine Archie." Henry assures him as he pats the dog, Pongo.
Archie looks up at both Emma and Zatanna and he asks," And who are they?"
" Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma answers, only for Henry to answer," She's my mom and that is Zatanna."
" Zatanna?"" You know where he lives?" Zatanna asks, only for Archie to answer," Oh. Yeah, sure, just uh, right up on Mifflin Street; the Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block."
Surprised, Emma turns to look at Henry and she asks," You're the Mayor's kid?"" Uh...maybe."
Archie then brought up a question to the boy," Hey. Where were you today, Henry, because you missed our session."" Oh, I forgot to tell you, I went on a field trip." Henry lied, prompting Archie to crouch down to meet the boy at eye level, saying to him," Henry, what'd I tell you about lying? Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."
" O...kay! Well, I really should be getting him home." Emma states. Archie nods and he bids Henry farewell," Yeah. Sure. Well, listen...have a good night, and uh, you be good, Henry."
Just as Archie is about to walk away, Zatanna stops him in his path and she smiles, saying to him," It's been a long time old friend."" Huh? Friend? But I just met you miss." Archie says to her in confusion.
Zatanna lowers her head and she spoke," Don't worry. Someday, you'll remember me."
The Enchanted Forest. Past. The Castle.
Prince Charming, Snow White, Red Riding Hood, Granny, Grumpy, Doc, Geppetto, Pinocchio, several guards and Jiminy Cricket sat around a large round table in the meeting room, discussing their course of action of dealing with the curse.
Prince Charming slams his fist on the table and he declares out," I say we fight!"
" We shouldn't fight," Jiminy objects calmly," Giving in to one's dark side never accomplishes anything."
" And how many wars has a clear conscience won?" Charming retorts," We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse."
Doc asks," Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?"
Prince Charming explains," I've sent my men into the forest. The animals are abuzz with the Queen's plan. This is going to happen unless we do something."
Snow White shakes her head," There's no point. The future is written."
Prince Charming strongly objects," No. I refuse to believe that. Good can't just lose!"
" Maybe it can.""No. Not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse then you must believe him about our child. She will be the savior."
At that exact moment, the door opens as the Blue Fairy and some soldiers enter, carrying a tree trunk towards the group.
Grumpy stares at it and he questions," What the hell is this?"
The Blue Fairy answers,"Our only hope of saving that child."
Grumpy simply stares at her skeptically," A tree? Our fate rests on a tree? Let's get back to the fighting thing."
The Blue Fairy explains," The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel it can ward off any curse." The Blue Fairy turns to Geppetto, asking him," Geppetto, can you build such a thing?"
Geppetto ruffles Pinocchio's hair and he nods," Me and my boy. We can do it."
The Blue Fairy says out optimistically," 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."
Upon hearing that, Snow White and Prince Charming share a concerned look.
Storybrooke. Present. The Mayor's house.
The tall mansion belonging to the town's mayor stood high and large as Emma and Zatanna escorts Henry towards the door, with Henry begging the two women," Please don't take me back there."
" I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." Emma insists.
" I don't have parents. I just have a mom, and she's...evil." Henry says. Surprised, Zatanna asks," Evil. That's a bit extreme, isn't it?"
" She is." Henry insists," She doesn't love me. She only pretends to."
Emma shakes her head," Kid. I'm sure that's not true."
Emma then knocks on the door, with it swinging open, revealing a much shorter woman with short dark hair, darker skin and a black dress greeting her along with a tall and muscular man with a beard donning a Sheriff uniform.
Her name is Regina Mills.
Recognizing her, Zatanna narrows her eyes as she growls," You!"
Regina stares at her in confusion before looking to the side, her eyes laying onto the small figure of her son, Henry Mills.
Seeing Henry, Regina rushes towards him, crying out," Henry? Uh! Henry! Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?"
" I found my birth mother." Henry answers, shocking Regina as she asks Emma," You're her birth mother?"" Hi." Emma greets.
Regina then turns to look at Zatanna and she asks Emma," And who is that? Your wife?"" Wife?!" Zatanna questions out, shocked by the question.
" I'm sorry, that's Zatanna Zatara, my sister." Emma corrects her. Regina felt a feeling of deja vu as she whispers," Zatara...now that's a name I have not heard for a long time."
Knowing of the situation, Sheriff Graham dismisses himself," I'll.. just.. go check the lad, make sure he's okay." As he leaves, Regina faces both women and she offers," How would the two of you like a glass of the best apple cider you have ever tasted?"
" I'm good, thanks." Zatanna haughtily refuses while Emma asks," Got anything stronger?"
Emma and Zatanna stood in the foyer as Regina enters with a set of glasses, setting them down as Emma questions," How did he find me?"
" 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 answers, prompting Emma to nod," You were told right."
" And the father?" Regina inquires." There was one." Emma answers.
" Do I need to be worried about him?" Regina asks.
Emma shakes her head," Nope. Doesn't even know."
Regina probes," Do I need to be worried about you, Miss Swan?"
" Absolutely not." Emma answers as Regina directs her attention towards Zatanna, interrogating the magician," How about you Miss Zatanna?"" Not a thing." Zatanna answers.
Right at that moment, Sheriff Graham scales down the stairs, reporting to Regina," Madam Mayor, you can relax. Other than being a tired little boy, Henry's fine."
" Thank you, Sheriff." Regina thanks the sheriff, prompting him to leave the building.
With Sheriff Graham gone, Emma and Regina make their way into a sitting room. Regina apologises to Emma.
" I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him."
Zatanna explains," Kid's having a rough time. Happens all the time you know."
Regina then spoke out," You have to understand, ever since I became mayor, balancing things has been tricky. You have a job, I assume?"
The two women nods as Zatanna answers," Yeah. I mean we gotta eat somehow."
Regina explains," Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom. So I push forward. 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?"
Zatanna shakes her head," Hardly."
Emma then theorises," I'm...sure he's just saying that because of the fairytale thing."
Upon hearing that, Regina questions,"What fairytale thing?"
Emma answers," Oh, you know, his book. How he thinks everyone's a cartoon character from it. Like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket. Or my sister here is some magician from a book. Which is what she actually is but no real magic."
Regina denies," I'm sorry, I...really have no idea what you're talking about."
Emma then stood up, saying to the Mayor," You know what, it's none of our business. He's your kid. And we really should be heading back."
Regina nods," Of course."
As Emma turns to leave, she notices Zatanna standing her ground, not even moving.
Zatanna glares at Regina as the mayor asks," Miss Zatanna, is something wrong?"
Zatanna roughly says," Cut the pretense your highness. You may have everyone fooled but I won't be falling for your tricks."
Although shocked at this, Regina stays in her calm demeanor and she questions further," You're not in the Enchanted Forest when I cast the curse, were you?"
" That's right, Madam Mayor." Zatanna nods, venom dripping from her voice as she continues," I know that everything Henry said is real and I will do everything in my place to make sure Emma takes you down."
Regina smirks, sneering at the Magician," Well, I look forward to seeing your futile attempts Miss Zatara."
" Hey!" The loud call from Emma immediately interrupts the tense moment between the two black cladded women as Zatana looks, watching Emma says," You coming sis?"
Zatanna looks back, growling at Regina," This isn't over your majesty."
Zatanna then turns around, following Emma back to her car.
Regina could only stand back, watching the couple leave with intense hatred in her eyes.
Before getting into the car, Emma turns around briefly to find Henry watching her from an upstairs window.
Road
Driving out of town, Emma notices her adoptive sister is unusually quiet and she asks," You wanna talk about it?"
Zatanna flatly answers ," No."" You sure?" Emma proves further.
Still staring out of the window, Zatanna explains," I don't know sis, I don't feel like it's safe leaving Henry back with that woman."
Upon hearing that, Emma exclaims out," Whoa whoa. Gotta stop you right there. You're sounding like you're actually believing the boy."
" That's because I do." Zatanna states." Regina cannot he trusted Emma."
" Oh yeah? And why is that?"" Because she is indeed the Evil Queen." Zatanna answers, pulling out Henry's book from the inside of her jacket.
Emma stares at the book and she grumbles,"Sneaky bastard. Looks like he's got my sister brainwashed too."" What was that?" Zatanna asks, clearly offended by what Emma said.
" Hey look Zatanna I..." Emma's sentence was cut short as she looks up, seeing a wolf standing in the road.
Gasping out in shock, Emma turns the steering wheel, steering the car to the side as Zatanna screams out," Hey watch out!"
The car spins around, out of control before crashing head first into the "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign.
The impact of the blow sends both Emma and Zatanna unconscious as the two women lay motionless. With Zatanna releasing her grip over the storybook.
The storybook, fallen to the floor, flips pages with the breeze and comes to rest upon a picture of Geppetto carving the enchanted tree trunk.
The Enchanted Forest. Past. The Castle.
While Geppetto and Pinocchio are busy at work with the trunk, Snow White stares out of a window.
She turns back and approaches Prince Charming, clutching her stomach as she says to her husband solemnly," I don't wanna do this."
Prince Charming grasps at her shoulder, saying to her," It has to be you."
Snow White shakes her head," I'm not leaving you."
"It's the only way." Charming reluctantly states," You'll go in there, and you'll be safe from the curse."
Feeling hopeless, Snow laments to Charming," He said it would be on her twenty-eighth birthday."
Charming asks her optimistically," twenty-eight years when you have eternal love? I have faith. You will save me, as I did you."
The couple leans forward, planting their lips into each other's for a kiss.
However, right at that moment, Snow White breaks away with a look of pain
Charming asks her in concern," What is it?"
Snow White looks up, her face filled with pain and fear," The baby. She's coming!"
Parapet
Meanwhile, at the parapets, Grumpy stands guard with Sleepy and two other dwarfs, guarding the castle from any potential threats.
As the dwarf takes a drink from a canteen, he suddenly notices something before kicking Sleepy awake.
" Wake up. Wake up! Look!" Grumpy screams out.
A winged reptilian creature flew toward the castle at breakneck speed, trying to outrace a cloud of purple and green smoke.
The dragon flies past and Grumpy rings a nearby bell, screaming out in terror," The curse! It's HEEEEEERE!"
Storybrooke, Present. Storybrooke Sheriff Department.
Emma opens her eyes, finding herself inside a cell. As she sat up, all of a sudden, Emma jumped upon hearing a voice shouting beside her," NO!!! PLEASE DON'T PUT THOSE BRACES ON ME!!!"
" Zatanna?" Emma turns, finding Zatanna panting in relief," Whew. What a dream that was."
Just then, the two women heard the sound of whistling beside them, prompting them to look.
Seated in the cell next to them is Grumpy, known as Leroy, glaring at them and he growls at Zatanna," What are you looking at, sister?"
" Grumpy?" Zatanna asks only for Leroy to sneer at her," Oh yeah, I am Grumpy. Grumpy at you for calling me that!"
" Hey, Leroy...manners!" Gepetto, known as Marco in this world, scolds him,"We have a guest!"
As Marco is busy fixing the cabinet in the office, he spoke to Emma," So you are eh, Henry's mother. How lovely for him to have you back in his life."
Emma denies," Actually, I was just dropping him off."
Leroy scoffs," Tkh. Don't blame ya. They're all brats, who needs 'em."
Marco however, shrugs," Well, I'd give anything for one. My wife and I, we tried for many years, but, uh... it was not meant to be."
" Well cry me a river." Leroy groans.
Zatanna stayed silent, not wanting to tell Marco about his son when at that moment, Sheriff Graham enters the office, pulling out a key before twisting the lock, unlocking the door to Leroy's cell.
" Leroy! I'm going to let you out, you need to behave. Put on a smile, and stay out of trouble." Leroy smiles falsely at Graham before leaving.
Emma looks at him," Seriously?"
Sheriff Graham stares at the two, not making a move to unlock their cell as he spoke,"Regina's drinks, a little stronger than we thought."
Emma objects," I wasn't drunk; there was a wolf, standing in the middle of the road."
Sheriff Graham nods, not believing a word she says,"A wolf. Right."
" It's true." Zatanna protests, only for Sheriff Graham to shrug her off," Shared hallucinations huh? That's a first."
Before Zatanna could explain what she and Emma saw, just then, they heard a familiar voice calling from the hallway," Graham? Henry's run away again, we have to..."
Regina steps into the room, her eyes widens upon noticing Emma and Zatanna in the cell. She asks Graham," What are they doing here?"
She then turns to Emma, asking," Do you know where he is?"
Emma answers," Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house, and..." she indicates the prison bars before finishing her sentence,"pretty good alibi.
Regina spoke,"Yeah, well, he wasn't in his room this morning."
Emma asks,"Did you try his friends?"
Regina answers,"He doesn't really have any. Kind of a loner."
Upon hearing that, Zatanna grins at Emma," Sounds familiar?"
Emma ignores her and she asks Regina further," Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he was close to someone he'd be emailing them."
Regina raises an eyebrow," And you know this how?"
Emma answers," Finding people's what I do. "
"Okay," Zatanna then says to the pair,"Here's an idea. How 'bout you guys let us out, and we'll help you find him."
Mayor's House, Upstairs Bedroom.
Inside Henry's room, both Emma and Sheriff Graham pore over a computer screen as Regina watches on with Zatanna flipping through an old vintage Marvel comic, remarking out," Scarlet Witch? Huh. Her kind of power sure is similar to mine."
Emma scans through the boy's email, complimenting him," Smart kid. Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too, a little hard disk recovery utility I like to use."
Sheriff Graham adds," I'm a bit more old-fashioned, in my techniques. Pounding the pavement, knocking on doors, that sort of thing."
Emma then says to Graham," You're on salary; I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavement is not a luxury that I get. "
Right at that moment, Emma notices something," Ah, there's a receipt for a website, whosyourmomma.org...it's expensive. He has a credit card?"
Regina says," He's ten."
Emma directs her towards the screen," Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record. "
As she looks at it, she reads out," Mary Margaret Blanchard, who's Mary Margaret Blanchard?"
Regina answers," Henry's teacher."
Storybrooke Elementary School.
Snow White, also known as Mary Margaret, holding a bird in her hand, is speaking to a class full of students," As we build our birdhouses, remember, what you're making is a home. Not a cage. A bird is free, and will do what it will. This is for them, not us. They're loyal creatures..."
She then releases the bird out the window, letting it fly up to a birdhouse.
" If you love them and they love you, they will always find you."
At that moment, the school bell rang, signalling the end of the class as Mary says to the students," We'll pick this up after recess. No running!"
As the students streams out of the classroom, a student rushes towards her, handing her a pear to which she accepts, "Oh thank you!"
Right then, Regina enters the room, surprising the teacher," Miss Mills, what are you doing here?"
Regina questioned," Where's my son?"
Mary Margaret replies," Henry.. I assumed he was home with you."
Regina questions again, this time in a more hostile tone," You think I'd be here if he was? Did you give him your credit card so he can find them?"
She gestures toward Emma and Zatanna, standing just inside the doorway
Upon laying eyes on her, Zatanna widens her eyes in shock and she exclaims out," Snow!"
" Snow?" Mary looks at her in confusion as Zatanna rushes forward, giving her a hug," Oh I'm so glad to see you're okay. And did you do something about your hair? It's gorgeous."
Mary Margaret moves away from Zatanna, apologising to her," I'm sorry, who are you miss?"
Before either Zatanna or Emma could answer, Regina interrupts," The woman who gave him up for adoption and her Super weird sister."
Ignoring Regina's insult, Emma questions Mary," You don't know anything about this, do you?"
Mary shakes her head," No, unfortunately not."
She then turns around, digging through her purse for her credit card, to no avail," Clever boy." She mutters," I should never have given him that book."
Annoyed, Regina demands," What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?"
Mary explains," 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."
Regina scornfully snarls," What he needs is dose of reality. This is a waste of time. Have a nice trip back to Boston."
She walks out in a huff, roughly knocking over a stack of books on the way leaving Zatanna and Emma alone with Mary.
Emma bends down to help Mary pick up the books, apologising to the teacher," Sorry to bother you."
Mary dismisses her," No, it's...it's okay, I fear this is partially my fault."
Emma asks,"How's a book supposed to help?"
Mary explains," What do you think stories are for? These stories? The 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."
As the trio leaves the classroom, walking down the hall, Emma remarks," Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass."
Mary shakes her head," 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?
Zatanna leans in next to Mary, pointing at Emma as she whispers," Psst. Ik nay on the parent give away."
Realizing what she's said, Mary purposely apologises to Emma," I am so sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean in any way to judge you...
Emma assures her," It's okay."
Mary Margaret explains further," 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."
Zatanna then asks," You know where he is, don't you?"
Mary Margaret answers," You might want to check his castle."
Zatanna then takes the book, nodding," Alright. I'll go find him, Emma, you wanna go tell Regina where he is?"" Fine by me," Emma shrugs as Zatanna leaves the classroom.
However, she stuck her head back, asking," Uh...where's his castle?"
The Enchanted Forest. Past. The Castle.
Snow White pants in exhaustion and agony, gripping Charming's hand tightly as she has reached the final stages of labor.
Prince Charming holds her while Doc waits by the bedside.
Concurrently, the Queen's forces ride through a forest to the castle, storming through the gates as they prepare for their attack.
Screaming out in agony, Snow shouts to the two in distress," Ahhh! Help! I can't have this baby now!"
Prince Charming turns to Doc, begging him," Doc, Do something."
He turns to Snow White, assuring her,"It's gonna be okay. The wardrobe's almost finished, just...just hold on."
" Nooooo! Ahhh!" Snow continues to scream in agony just as Geppetto enters the room saying," It's ready."
Prince Charming then whispers to his wife softly,"It's ready." He starts to pick up Snow White only for Doc to stop him," It's too late. We can't move her."
Lacking any other options, Charming urges her," Push. Push."
As Snow continues to push, outside the Queen's riders rode through the forest, followed closely by the Dark Curse.
" AAAAHHHH!!!" Snow lets out a loud scream as the sound of crying follow suit.
Snow White has successfully given birth, to an infant covered in a blanket with "Emma" embroidered on it.
Prince Charming kisses Snow White's forehead, happy to see his wife succeeding in giving birth to a rather beautiful baby.
Although groggy from the birth, Snow mutters our," The wardrobe. It only takes one."
She and Prince Charming share a look until a blast and a whinny outside the door cause them to look that way.
Knowing the reality of their situation, Charming said," Then our plan has failed. At least we're together."
Snow White shakes her head, ordering him," No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe."
Shocked, Charming questions her in disbelief," Are you out of your mind?"
Snow White begs," No. It's the only way, you have to send her through."
Refusing to resort to that, Charming says," No no n-n-n-n-no. You don't know what you're saying."
Snow White however, is serious," No, I do. We have to believe that she'll come back for us. We have to giver her her best chance."
Lacking any other options,Prince Charming leans down, kissing Emma on the forehead as he whispers to his newborn daughter," Goodbye, Emma."
He takes the baby, and his sword, swinging his sword to dispatch two of the Queen's guard, only to feel a sharp pain in his shoulder.
Luckily, Emma Lay's in his arms, unharmed.
Thrusting his leg out, Charming kicks open the door to Geppetto's workshop rushing towards the tree to place Emma inside the wardrobe
As he sat her down, he plants her one last kiss to her forehead, whispering to her," Find us."
He closes the wardrobe and he turns around, raising his sword as he clashes against two soldiers.
After swinging his sword, dispatching one, Charming turns only for the second guard to plunge his blade into his abdomen, wounding him.
Wounded, Charming collapses onto the floor, helplessly watching as the soldier pulls the wardrobe open, only to find it empty.
Prince Charming watches, knowing he has succeeded before losing consciousness, everything going black around him.
Storybrooke. Present. Henry's Castle.
Henry sits on his wooden playground castle, alone while Zatanna walks up behind him with his storybook.
Zatanna calls out to Henry," Hey kid. Can we talk?"" Sure." Henry welcomes her up as she asks him," How are you holding up?"
Henry answers," I was hoping that when I brought her back, things would change here. That the final battle will begin."
Zatanna nods," I know kid but you yourself said that Emma is not ready yet. Do not forget that."
Henry however, refuses to believe it," Yes she is. It's her destiny. She is going to bring back the happy endings."
Zatanna rubs the back of her head," Yeah well kid, it might be hard. This is the real world where happy endings don't exist. I mean my dad came into this world to get a weapon to defeat The Evil Queen, but not even factoring the fact that magic does not exist in this world so we were pretty much stuck here, working as performers to earn some money."
Curious, Henry asks," What kind of weapon? Is it a gun?"" Nope." Zatanna shakes her head before pulling out a bottle, handing it to him.
Henry looks at the bottle and his face was filled with disappointment and confusion," Seriously? Laxatives?"
Zatanna explains," Well, my dad isn't a fan of killing. He was gonna pour this whole bottle into the Queen's food so that he could give her food poisoning long enough for us to destroy her curse. I mean we're not murderers, we have no intentions of killing her despite all she had done."
Henry nods as Zatanna continues," Look Henry, I understood everything Emma had been through. We didn't know she was the saviour until my dad adopted her when she was sixteen so that's sixteen years of no support from anyone."
Henry spoke up," I know Zatanna. I know she like me, I can tell. She's probably pushing me away because she feels guilty."
Zatanna then says," Maybe she just wants to give you a better chance in life."
Henry continues," Anyway, I think you guys have missed out a lot while you're in this world."
Zatanna asks," What do you mean?"
Henry replies," You know why Emma is here? Well, that's because Snow White gave her away."
Upon hearing that, Zatanna jumps back," What?! Snow White is Emma's mother?!"
Henry nods and Zatanna slaps her forehead in disbelief," Wow. That's a lot to process. No wonder why your teacher looks so much like..."
Before Zatanna could finish, she lowers her head, saying," And Emma was with her mother this whole time..."
Henry and Zatanna sat silently with each other before the Magician broke the silence," You know Henry, we should head back now."
Henry pulls at her jacket, pleading to her," Please don't take me back there! Just get her to stay with me for one week, that's all I ask!"
Zatanna mutters," Well too bad, I have to get you back to your mom or else she and my sister are gonna grill me alive."
Henry pouts," You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!"
Zatanna places her hands on his shoulders, saying," Kid. You're lucky you have a mom. As much as I hate her. I have to admit at least she is giving you everything you need. Emma didn't have any of that. Emma was raised in a foster system and she told me she was rejected by three foster families before we adopted her. She has no one to look out for her throughout her childhood. Heck, my own mom died when I was born, leaving my dad to raise me on his own. You have no idea how many would want to have something like that."
" I thought you're on my side..." Henry pouts only for Zatanna to assure him," I am. How about this kid. Since you got your real mom back into your life, wanna help me give her the love she needs?"
Henry nods as Zatanna smiles," Great! Let's go."
As the two began making their way back, Zatanna then asks him," Oh by the way, how did Emma come to this world?"
Henry answers," The wardrobe. When she went through the wardrobe she appeared on the side of the street. Her parents were trying to save her from the curse."
" Huh." Zatanna remarks," If only my dad had used that instead."
The Enchanted Forest. Past. The Castle.
Snow White makes her way to Geppetto's Workshop, where a fallen Prince Charming lies.
Horrified, Snow White rushes towards him, crying out," No. No. No!"
She sat up, cradling the unconscious Prince Charming's head in her lap as she begs," Please. Please come back to me."
She plants her lips into his, kissing him, only for nothing to happen.
Desperate, Snow tries again to no avail.
At that moment, The Evil Queen enters the room, assuring her maliciously," Oh, don't worry, dear. In a few moments you won't remember you knew him, let alone loved him."
Snow White questions," Why did you do this?"
Evil Queen answers," Because this is my happy ending.
Just then, two soldiers enter the room and the Queen turns her head, addressing them," The child?"
" Gone." One of the guards answers," It was in the wardrobe and then it was gone. It's nowhere to be found."
The Evil Queen looks down at Snow White, demanding out," Where is she?"
Snow White answers, her voice filled with determination," She got away. You're going to lose. I know that now. Good will always win."
The Evil Queen cackles our," We'll see about that."
The ceiling cracks, and the air begins to darken and swirl. Soon the four find themselves in the middle of a vortex of dark magic.
Snow White looks around, questioning out in fear," Where are we going?"
The Evil Queen sneers at her as the dark smoke flows through the windows, engulfing everything as she answers," Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible. A place where the only happy ending will be mine. "
Storybrooke. Present. The Mayor's house.
Regina opens the front door, finding Zatanna and Henry walking up towards them.
As Henry runs inside, Regina smiles at Zatanna in appreciation," Thank you."
Zatanna tips her hat at her as Regina turns to Emma, thanking her," Thank you too Ms. Swan."
Emma nods," No problem."
Regina looks at the two, saying" He seems to have taken quite a shine to you."
Emma laughs as she tells her story," You know it seems kind of crazy. Yesterday was my birthday. And when I blew out the candle on the cake Zatanna bought for me, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then Henry showed up..."
However, her story was cut short from an interruption from Regina," I hope there's no misunderstanding here."
" I'm sorry?" Emma asks, not understanding what Regina means.
Regina explains," Don't mistake all of this as invitation back into his life."
" Oh.." Emma sighs as Zatanna comments," Rude much?"
Ignoring Zatanna, Regina harshly criticises Emma," Miss Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been...well, who knows that 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."
Emma tried to speak up," I was not..." Only to be harshly dismissed by Regina," No. You don't get to speak...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 gonna be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car, and you and that weird sister of yours leave this town. Because if you don't, I will destroy the both of you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye, Miss Swan and Miss Zatara."
As Regina turns to leave, Zatanna narrows her eyes as she questions Regina," Do you love him?""Excuse me?" Zatanna repeats her question," Henry. Do you love him?"
Regina retorts," Of course I love him."
As Regina leaves, Zatanna places a hand on Emma's shoulder and she assures her," Don't take it to heart sis. Now let's go find a place to stay for the night."
Henry's Room
As Henry lies on his bed, sound asleep,
Regina sneaks into his room, quietly taking his book from him without him noticing, and she stood, watching herself hold it in a mirror.
Storybrooke General Hospital.
Mary Margaret places flower by an anonymous patient's bedside, holding his hand.
She then does the same for a man in the ICU with a wristband naming him "John Doe".
Granny's Diner
Emma walks into Granny's Bed and Breakfast as Zatanna remarks," Hey why does that voice sound familiar?"
Emma looks at her," Another stranger you seem to know sis?"
Zatanna rushes in to where Granny and Ruby are arguing with Granny scolding," You're out all night, and now you're going out again."
Ruby shouts," I should've moved to Boston!"
Granny then retorts," I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard!"
Zatanna enters the inn as she exclaims," Red? Granny?"" Huh?" Ruby raises an eyebrow as Granny asks her in confusion," I'm sorry, but who are you my dear?"
Zatanna tried to rephrase her question," Don't you guys remember? I'm..."
Before she could go on, Emma steps in and she interrupts," S'cuse my really weird sister but I'd like a room for the both of us."
Granny raises an eyebrow," Really?"
Emma nods as Granny turns around, fetching a ledger as she asks," Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as the rent is due, I'll wave it."
Emma answers," Square is fine."
Granny asks the two," Now. I need a name?"
Emma the offers her," Swan. Emma Swan."
Suddenly, a frail elderly man peers up from behind the pair, muttering a compliment," Emma.. What a lovely name."
Emma thanks him," Thanks."
Zatanna glares at him, quietly watching him as Granny pulls a roll of cash from a drawer, handing it to the man as she says," It's all here."
The man takes the money from the elderly woman, not bothering to count the money as he thanks her," Yes, yes, of course it is, dear. Thank you." He turns to Emma and Zatanna, bidding them farewell," You enjoy your stay."
As the man leaves, Emma asks," Who's that?"
" Mr. Gold." Ruby answers as she peers out of the window, watching him leave as she finishes her sentence," He owns this place."
Zatanna asks," The inn?"
Granny shakes her head," No. The town. So!"
Granny sets the books on her table as she questions the two further," How long will you be with us?"
Both Emma and Zatanna looks at each other before Zatanna answers," A week. Just a week."
" Great." Granny then Emma an old-fashioned key as she says," Welcome to Storybrooke."
Mayor' House, Henry's bedroom
Henry stares out his window at the clock tower. He grins as he watches the hand of the clock turns.
8:16.
For once in his life, Henry is filled with hope.