Present
In the town hospital, the students from Mary Margaret's class were in a room, hanging decorations. Paige was giggling and chatting with some of her friends, but she noticed that there was one person missing, so she looked around until she found him. There was the mayor's son, Henry, in the ICU next to an unconscious man. Paige heard his name was John Doe, because no one had any idea what his name was since he didn't have any relatives. When Paige went over to him, the sliding doors opened, allowing her to enter, so Henry looked to see who it was.
"What are you doing?" Paige asked.
"Nothing. I'm just checking in on Mr. Doe."
Paige went over to his bedside and stared at him. His eyes stayed shut, and his monitor beeped every second to measure his heart rate. Paige took note of his features like how he had a muscular jawline and his hair color was dirty blonde like hers. He also had a straight line on his chin, which formed a scar.
As soon as the sliding doors opened, the two students looked to see their teacher, Mary Margaret, saying, "Henry. Paige. We could really use your help with the decorations."
"Is Mr. Doe going to be okay, Miss Blanchard." Paige asked.
"His name's not John Doe, honey. That's just what they call people when they don't know who they are."
Henry glanced at him for a moment before he smirked at Mary Margaret and asked, "Do you know who he is?"
She shook her head, replying, "Nope. I just bring him flowers on my rounds."
Paige looked back at him, placing her hand on the metal bed, feeling somewhat sympathetic, and Henry couldn't help but look at her when she asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Miss Blanchard shrugged her shoulders with her arms crossed and responded, "I don't know. He's been like this as long as I've been volunteering."
"Does he have any family or friends? Maybe they're looking him."
"No one's claimed him."
"So he's all alone." Henry asked.
"Yeah...It's quite sad."
When Henry looked back at John Doe, he then turned back to Mary Margaret and asked with a sly smirk, "You sure you don't know him?"
"Course I'm sure." she said with a small smile. "Come on. You kids shouldn't be here."
Paige looked back at the patient over her shoulder, feeling sorry for him, while Miss Blanchard led her and Henry out of the ICU. There had to be someone who recognized John Doe. Paige simply did not believe that he did not have a family in Storybrooke. Perhaps they were much closer than what she realized. If only he would wake up to say or someone would claim him.
As the day went by, Emma, Alison, and Mary Margaret were all having cocoa together by the kitchen counter in Miss Blanchard's apartment, and Alison and Mary Margaret couldn't help but stare at Emma as Mary Margaret asked, "You want me to read to a coma patient?"
Alison shook her head and jumped in, "Why not just let him down easy on the whole fairy tale curse?"
"I can't. He already believed that I thought he was crazy. I can't see him upset like that again. This way, it'll show him proof."
"What does Henry believe about this coma patient?"
"He thinks it will help him remember who he was."
"And who does he think he was?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Prince Charming."
They both looked at Emma strangely before they glanced over at each other as Mary Margaret said, "So if I'm snow White, he thinks...me...and him..."
"He definitely has an active imagination." Alison smirked to herself. "No wonder why Paige listens to him."
"But that's the point." Emma cut in. "I can't talk him out of his beliefs, so we need to show him. Play along, do what he says and then maybe, just maybe-"
"He'll see that fairy tales are just that-hat there's no such thing as love at first sight or first kiss. He'll see reality." Mary Margaret agreed.
"Something like that."
Alison looked between the two and replied, "Well...it is a genius plan. We just need him to get to the truth without hurting him."
"I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's." Emma then pointed to Mary Margaret and continued, "And you will give a full report."
Mary Margaret sighed and replied, "Well, I suppose I'll get ready for my date. I guess I'll have to do all the talking."
Past
Two young children, a boy and a girl, ran across a grassy field, carrying wooden mallets. They laughed when the boy smacked a red ball through one of six hoops in the ground. Their mother sat on a blanket, watching them with glee.
David smiled at the memory of him and his sister playing croquet. He still couldn't believe how much his sister was growing up. She used to cling to him like a puppy seeking attention. No matter what she did, he always smiled at her antics and her behavior. When he led the sheep inside the fence, he went inside the barn to put his cane away, letting it hang on one of the hooks to finish his day as the sun slowly set.
Something red caught his eye in the corner of the room, so he went over to it and shook his head with a grin as he held the ball from his memories, twirling it in his hand. There were also the two mallets, but they were much smaller now since they were built for children. Perhaps someday he would teach his children how to play croquet or maybe even teach Alice's children. No. He shook his head, not wanting to think about Alice having a family so early in life, especially if she'll have a family before him. He can't even imagine the man who'll be good enough for his sister.
He brushed the thought away and put the tools back. When he headed back to his home, his grin soon faded into a frown when she was gazing out into the woods. David rushed over to her and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's Alice. She-She's not back yet."
David held her arms to calm her down as he replied, "Maybe she's heading back right now."
"No no no no. She knows not to stay there too long. I'm really worried." Whenever Alice went with her mother to sell some sweets, they would always take the same path and arrive just before the sun set. "We have to go find her."
"No." David said in a hurry, stopping her. "I'll go look for her. You stay here, in case she comes back. Alright?"
As soon as his mother nodded, he set off into the woods to find his sister. He was only hoping that she was safe and heading back home for losing track of time. She would get scolded, but it would be better than getting hurt.
When there was no sign of her, David cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Ali!"
His eyes nearly widened when he saw a tipped over basket and sugar coated pastries on the ground, so he ran over to it and knelt down to inspect it. He stood back up with the basket, thinking the worst had happened.
Present
Emma, Paige, Henry, and Alison all sat a table together in Granny's diner.
"Thanks for the shirt. Hey, is this your mother's?" Emma addressed her son.
"She'll never notice."
Alison and Paige smirked at each other at Henry's antic until Emma asked, "Where does she think you are, anyway?"
"Playing Whac-A-Mole."
Paige chuckled to herself, asking, "She really bought that?"
Henry simply shrugged, replying, "She wants to believe it, so she does."
"Imagine that." Emma said.
Mary Margaret entered in a hurry, so Emma and Alison looked at each other knowingly as Henry had a big grin on his face. Alison didn't have to question if Grace knew what was going on. By the look on her daughter's face, it was clear that Henry told her everything. She was the only person who truly believed him after all.
"Don't get your hopes up." Emma warned Henry. "We're just started, okay?"
As soon as Miss Blanchard reached their booth, she said, "He woke up."
Emma and Alison's eyes widened as they replied, "What?"
"You were right, Henry." Paige nudged her friend.
"Told you." he replied.
Mary Margaret looked at both Emma and Alison. "He didn't 'wake up' wake up, but he grabbed my hand."
"What did the doctor say?" Alison asked.
"That I imagined it, but I'm not crazy. I know it happened."
"So then you have to read to him again." Paige said with an awfully big grin, but it wavered when her mother gave her a warning look.
"Let's go then."
Henry, Paige, and Mary Margaret rushed out of the diner, but Emma stopped them all. "Wait, wait, what?"
Mary Margaret turned to them explaining, "If I got through to him, if we made a connection..."
"You don't really think..." Alison began.
"That he's Prince Charming?" Mary Margaret cut off Alison. "Of course not. Somehow, some way, I touched him."
They all rushed to the hospital in town, heading to the ICU, where John Doe was. Paige's eyes widened to see the sheriff, but it soon turned into a bright smile as she turned to her best friend and commented, "You're right—he's waking up."
Alison slowed her daughter down by putting her arm in front of her daughter's body, "Paige, you should stay back."
Mary Margaret addressed Sheriff Graham, "What's going on? Is it John Doe? Is he okay?"
"He's missing."
The group noticed that no one was in the ICU, except for Mayor Mills and Dr. Whale. Her eyes narrowed when she saw them, so she approached them. Alison couldn't help but notice how Henry looked away from his stepmother.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina glared daggers at Emma before she turned to Henry. "And you – I thought you were at the arcade. Now you're lying to me?"
"What happened to John Doe? Did someone take him?" Mary Margaret asked the sheriff.
"We don't know yet. His IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there's a struggle."
When the sheriff finished explaining, Henry turned to his stepmother. "What did you do?"
"You think I had something to do with this?"
"It curious that the mayor is here." Emma cut in.
"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact."
Alison's eyebrow raised at the mayor as she asked, "You know him then?"
Regina narrowed her eyes at Alison and answered, "Not that it's any of your business, Miss Shepherd, but I found him. On the side of the road years ago with no ID. I brought him here."
"Mayor Mills saved his life." Dr. Whale walked over to the group, hearing every word they said.
"Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret looked at Dr. Whale.
"Okay? The man's been on feeding tubes for years on constant supervision. He needs to get back here right away or, quite honestly, 'okay' might be a pipe dream."
"Well then, let's quit yapping and start looking." Emma chimed in.
"That's what we're doing?" Regina's voice was laced with venom as she spoke, "Just stay out of this, dear. And since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you." She then looked down at Emma's blouse, saying, "Enjoy my shirt, because that's all you're getting. Sheriff, fine John Doe. You heard Dr. Whale. Time is precious."
As soon as Mayor Mills left with her stepson, Sheriff Graham cleared his throat and looked at Dr. Whale to ask, "Doctor, how long between your rounds since you last saw him?"
"Twelve hours or so."
"Then that's what we need to account for."
With the exception of Dr. Whale, everyone headed down to the security room, where Walter, the hospital security guard, and Leroy, the hospital janitor were there to answer any questions that the group had. Before they went in the room, Alison took her daughter's shoulders and said, "Paige, sweetie. I need you to go back home, okay?"
"What? Why?"
"Because it's not your place to be here. Now," Alison paused for a second to take her keys out of her pocket. "I need you to head on home, lock the door, and don't open for anyone unless if you know it's me."
"But-"
"Paige." Alison stopped her daughter's whining by being stern with her. "Don't argue, and just do it."
When Paige took the keys, she left the area, while Alison stared at her, shaking her head. She knew Paige just wanted to help, but she was only a child. She shouldn't be involved in anything so dangerous.
"You okay?" Emma asked.
"Yeah." Alison nodded her head. "Sometimes I forget how adventurous she is."
They both smirked at each other and went inside the security room, hearing Graham, "You two were the only employees on the floor last night. And you saw nothing."
"Not a thing." Walter said.
"Did anyone walk by?" Alison asked.
"I didn't see nothin'." Leroy answered.
The sheriff then turned to Mary Margaret. "Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your trip with your class?"
"I don't think so."
Emma's eyes widened at the realization on the screen. "We're looking at the wrong tape. This is the ward where Henry's class put up decorations. If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung."
"Tch." They all looked at Leroy when he said, "You fell asleep again."
"You selling me out?" Walter asked.
"I ain't getting fired for this."
"At least I don't drink on the job."
Alison couldn't help but roll her eyes at their childish behavior, but she was thankful when the sheriff stepped in, "Gentlemen, enough. Where's the real tape?"
When they switched the tape, everyone watched the screen as John Doe got up and walked out the door, relieving everyone, especially Mary Margaret as she said, "He walked out alone. He's okay."
"Four hours ago. Where does this door lead?" Emma asked.
Leroy looked at her and replied, "The woods."
Past
David ran back home with the basket clutched in his hand. He panted when he finally reached his house, entering inside. His eyes roamed around the room until they caught his mother in her chair weaving yarn. As soon as their eyes met, she stood with a worried expression, and she covered her mouth when she saw him with the basket.
She took his arms and said with concern, "David." He looked down in disappointment, so tears welled up in her eyes as she muttered, "Oh no."
His eyes were filled with determination when he looked back at his mother and promised, "Don't worry. We'll find her. I promise we'll find her."
Present
The group traveled deeper into the woods to search for John Doe, and Graham stopped for a moment. "What is it?" Emma asked.
"The trail runs out here."
"You sure? Because I thought tracking was one of your skills."
"Just give me a second. This is my world. I got it."
"Right. Sorry."
Mary Margaret and Alison looked at each other before they trotted behind Emma as Mary Margaret asked, "What does he mean, 'His world'? Isn't finding people your thing too?"
Alison glanced over at Emma, wondering what she meant until Emma explained, "Sure. Just, people I find usually run places like Vegas. Not a lot hit the woods."
"That's an interesting job – finding people." Alison commented. "How'd you fall into it?"
"Looking for people is just what I've done. As long as I can remember."
"What made you start? Your parents?" Mary Margaret asked. "Henry told me that your...Th-That you were from a similar situation to his own. Did you ever find them?"
"Depends who you ask."
They heard a crack behind them, so they froze and turned around, hoping it was John Doe, but their eyes widened when they found Henry running down a hill.
"Did you find him yet?" he asked.
"No, not yet." Emma replied. "You shouldn't be here."
"I can help. I know where he's going."
"And where's that?" Mary Margaret asked.
Henry turned to her and said, "He's looking for you." They all stared at him in shock as Henry explained, "You're the one who woke him up. You're the last one he saw. He wants to find you!"
"Henry, it's not about me. I just...I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."
"But he loves you!" Henry exclaimed. "You need to stop chasing him, and let him find you."
"Kid." Emma said in a stern voice. "You need to go home. Where's your mom? She's going to kill me and then you...and then me again."
"She dropped me at the house. Then, went right out."
Alison shook her head as she said, "Henry, it's great that you want to help, but we need to get you back right now."
"No!" Henry protested. "I told you I can help. Don't you want to find your brother?"
Emma raised her brow at Alison, while Mary Margaret looked between Henry and Alison, understanding what the boy meant. "Henry," Alison sighed. "I told you that I don't have a-"
"Guys!"
They all turned around to see the sheriff pointing with his flashlight at the bloody hospital bracelet on the ground.
Mary Margaret was horrified as she began, "Is that..."
"Blood." Emma finished for her.
They all then rushed to track him down until they came across the Toll Bridge. Emma and the sheriff were running quickly, while Mary Margaret, Alison, and Henry were trying to catch up to them.
"Where is he? Can you see him?" Mary Margaret asked.
"The trail dies at the water line." the sheriff replied.
Alison saw a figure lying in the water, so she squinted her eyes to get a better glimpse, but they slowly widened as she exclaimed, "Oh my god! Oh my god!"
They all finally noticed the body as Alison, Graham, and Mary Margaret rushed to the water, not caring that their clothes were getting soaked as they dragged the coma patient to shore. The sheriff called for an ambulance to meet them at the bridge, and Emma was assuring Henry that John Doe was going to be okay.
As soon as they reached him to shore, Mary Margaret cradled his head, muttering, "No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!" Alison watched Mary Margaret when she said, "Come back to us. Come back to me."
She then performed CPR, while Alison and the sheriff watched her. Alison couldn't help but smile to herself when he coughed up water, breathing again. He panted and looked up at his rescuer, saying, "You saved me."
"She did it. She did it!" Henry exclaimed. "She woke him up."
"Yeah, kid. She did." Emma agreed with a smile.
Past
A disgruntled David went around the village, holding posters that read, "HAVE YOU SEEN MY SISTER, ALICE?" in big bold letters. There was a rough sketch of a woman with long flowing hair which was not colored in to show that she had fair hair. She also wore a cape without a hood. David asked anyone nearby if they have seen his younger sister, but there was no luck. However, he refused to give up until he found her.
When he reached a booth that was selling flowers, he asked the clerk he found his sister on the poster, but he shook his head, which concerned David even more. He then was shoved, so he looked to see a man in a black trench coat with an ascot tie and a purple top hat. David narrowed his eyes and went up to him by taking his shoulder, causing him to spin around.
"Excuse me. Have you seen her?" David showed the poster. "She's my sister, and she's been missing since yesterday."
The man sighed and took the poster out of his hand before stared at him with a sly smirk on his face. "Nope. Haven't seen her?"
He was about to turn around and walk away until David stopped him by saying, "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
When the man walked away again, David looked back at the poster and muttered to himself, "Where are you, Ali?"
Meanwhile, the man smirked to himself when he looked back at David and then at the poster in his hand. He folded the poster and tucked it in his pocket. He knew exactly who David was talking about. After all, he met her in Wonderland not too long ago. She was rather annoying to him to say the least, but she was not his problem. It looks like she'll just have to find another way or perhaps a guide to lead her out of Wonderland.
Present
The group was in the hospital, where John Doe was brought in for recovery. They watched Dr. Whale and the nurse treat him through the glass door. The door rooms bursted behind them, so they turned to see a blonde woman rushing to John Doe's side.
"David! David, is that you?"
Dr. Whale came out and stopped the woman. "Excuse me, ma'am?"
She brought her hand over her mouth and exclaimed, "Oh my god..."
"Ma'am, you can't be in here. Please you can't be here right now."
"David..."
"You can't be here, ma'am." He then gestured to an area. "Can you wait over here for a second, okay?"
"Who is that?" Mary Margaret asked.
"His wife." They all turned to see Mayor Mills walking up behind them as she explained, "His name is David Nolan. And that's his wife, Kathyrn. And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood." She glanced over at Henry and her smile disappeared as she said, "We'll talk about your insubordination later. Do you know what insubordination means?" She waited for him to shake his head for her to say, "It means your grounded."
As soon as Kathyrn came out, she looked over at the group and made her way over to them with a small smile on her face. "Thank you. Thank you for finding my David."
Alison just realized something, so she dared to ask, "If you're his wife, you didn't...you didn't know that he was here in a coma?"
"A few years ago, David and I were not getting along. It was my fault. I know that now. I was difficult and unsupportive. I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave. And he did. And I didn't stop him. It was the worst mistake I ever made."
"You didn't go look for him?" Emma asked.
"I assumed he'd left town all this time. And now I know why I never heard from him. Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever – say I'm sorry. Now we get a second chance."
Mary Margaret's smile wavered, but it did not fall as she told Kathyrn, "That's wonderful."
Dr. Whale entered the room again, approaching the group. "Well, it's something of a miracle."
"He's okay?" Kathyrn asked with somewhat concern.
"Ah, physically, he's on the mend, um, his memory is another issue. It may take time, if at all."
"What brought him back?" Mary Margaret asked.
"That's the thing. There's no explanation. Something just clicked in him."
"He just got up and decided to go for a stroll?" Emma asked.
"He woke up and he was delirious and his first instinct was to go find something, I guess."
Henry smirked to himself, looking over at Emma, muttering, "Someone."
"Can I see him?" Kathyrn turned to Dr. Whale.
"Yeah, of course."
When Kathyrn and Dr. Whale were out of sight, Regina told her stepson to follow her out. They turned to walk out the door until he stopped her by saying that he needed his backpack. He then whispered to Mary Maragret, which was loud enough for both Alison and Emma to overhear, "Don't believe them. You're the one he was looking for."
"Henry..."
Henry cut Miss Blanchard off by saying, "He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story when you met him."
"Henry, he was going there, because it's the last thing I read to him."
"No, it's because you belong together."
"Henry." Regina warned.
When Henry turned to leave, he followed Regina out, so Emma decided to follow them to the entrance, while Alison looked over at Mary Margaret, taking note of her gazing at Kathyrn and David. She then turned to David in the ICU and crossed her arms, watching them. It had been a strange day for everyone, but Alison still never understood why it would take Kathyrn so long to find him. In her mind, it didn't matter whether they were fighting, there was something completely off about this whole situation. She even thought it was strange having this weird connection with him, yet for some reason, it was her first time meeting David Nolan. It was almost as if she had known him all her life. Brushing the thoughts aside, she headed back home to get some sleep and start a new day.