Aubree's POV:
Henry and I walked outside our house to see the same man from the night before. He was fiddling with his motorcycle. Henry and I walked up to him.
"What are you doing here?" Henry asked.
"Fixing my bike," the man replied.
I shook my head. "No, I think he means in Storybrooke."
"Just visiting."
"What's that?" Henry wondered.
"A box."
I tilted my head. "What's inside it?"
"Just something I need to do what I came here for."
Henry frowned. "Well, we thought you were just visiting?"
"Doesn't mean I don't have something to do."
The man started his motorcycle. I heard Mom's heels clicking and her voice.
"Henry! Aubree!" Mom yelled.
"Better get to school," the man said. "Looks like a storm's coming."
He drove off just as Mom reached us.
"Henry. Aubree. Who was that?" Mom asked.
Henry and I exchanged a look and shrugged.
Looks like we've got some investigating to do.
Third Person POV:
Emma was eating breakfast as Mary Margaret scrambled to get ready. A television was on, airing the weather.
"I can't believe I overslept," Mary Margaret said.
"It's only 7:10," Emma told her. "You've got plenty of time to get to school."
"No, I have to be there at 7:15 -- science fair. I'm helping the kids with their project before school."
"I'm sure if you're five minutes late, they'll live."
"We're making a volcano." She left.
"Okay."
Mary Margaret arrived at Granny's Diner and sat at one of the tables, took out a book, and fixed her hair in a spoon's reflection. At 7:15, David entered the diner and walked up to the counter.
Ruby served him two coffees. "One cream and sugar, one black."
"Thank you," David replied, taking the coffees and noticing Mary Margaret behind him. "Good morning."
"Morning!" Mary Margaret chirped.
"I-I... I should go. I'm going to be late for work."
"Oh, the animal shelter, right? How's that going?"
"Well, the apes haven't taken over."
"Yet."
"Not on my watch."
David left. Mary Margaret saw him meet Kathryn at their car where he gave her the coffee and a kiss on the cheek.
Emma appeared from the back room. "This is making a volcano?"
Mary's Margaret's eyes widened. "I was-"
"I get it."
"He comes here every morning at 7:15 A.M. to get coffee."
"For him and his wife."
"I know, I know, I know. I just like to... come here and see him."
"So you're a stalker?"
"No, not really... Maybe a little bit. I mean, it's not like I'm following him. I just know that he spends his mornings with Kathryn, gets coffee, then drives to the animal shelter to start work around 7:30 and then he's home around 5."
"Oh, is that all?"
"Thursdays they pick up Chinese for dinner. I can't get him out of my head."
"I know. Maybe the first step is not showing up her tomorrow."
"Love's the worst. I wish there was a magic cure."
Mary Margaret went shopping and bumped into Kathryn. Regina was in the same aisle.
"I'm so sorry!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.
Kathryn smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."
"I wasn't looking."
"Clearly," Regina said.
"Oh, is this yours?" Kathryn handed Mary Margaret a chocolate bar.
"Um, yes, thank you. Um, this must..." Mary Margaret picked up a pregnancy test and handed it to Kathryn. "Good luck."
"Thank you." She walked away, leaving Regina and Mary Margaret alone.
"I trust you'll be discrete?" Regina questioned. "Their lives are their business -- not yours."
Mary Margaret purchased her items and walked along a gravel road through the forest. She heard a cooing noise coming from the slope on the edge of the road. She slid down the incline and found a dove trapped in some plastic netting.
"Oh, hey," Mary Margaret greeted softly. "How did you manage to get yourself... Come on -- It's going to be okay." She freed the dove and took it with her.
Mary Margaret took the dove to the pet shelter and spoke with the vet. David was standing off to the side.
The vet studied the dove. "Well, the good news is, no broken bones. She was just a little dehydrated, but I got her some fluids and she should be just fine."
"And the bad news?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Well, this is a north Atlantic dove. It's a migratory species. Very unique among American doves. They tend to form strong, monogamous bonds, meaning-"
"If I don't get back to her flock, she'll be alone forever."
"Well, it's a long shot, but the alternative..." he put the dove into a cage. "She'll heal, but she won't be happy here."
"I'll take my chances. Thank you, Doctor."
"You're welcome. Good luck."
The vet left and Mary Margaret took the dove's cage and went to leave.
"Mary Margaret, there's a storm coming," David warned. "You really shouldn't go out there."
"Well, the storm's coming tomorrow," Mary Margaret replied. "If I wait, she could be lost forever. Completely alone. No one deserves that."
"Then let me drive you."
"I don't need your help, David. I'll be fine."
Emma was loading storm supplies into the trunk of her squad car. Regina walked up to her.
"If you're looking to blame me for the storm, I think you're taking things a bit far now," Emma said.
"I need you to look into something, Sheriff," Regina replied. "Someone's in town -- someone knew."
"Yeah, I know. I gave him directions to Granny's the other night."
"You talked to him? What'd he say?"
"He asked for directions. What's the big deal? Who is he?"
"I don't know. I asked around, but no one seems to know anything. There's something about him. Something familiar."
"He must be one of the untold millions you cursed."
"What?"
"Oh, you know. The curse. Henry and Aubree's whole thing."
"Sheriff, I need you to find out who he is, and what he wants and what he's doing here."
"You know, as hard as you tried to find one in my case, there is no law against visiting Storybrooke."
"This isn't about the law, Miss Swan. You're going to do this because I asked you to. And because you'll see it's the right thing to do."
"And why is that?"
"Because he was in front of my house. Taking a particular interest in the two things we both care about -- Henry and Aubree."
"I'll look into him."
Mary Margaret drove along the same gravel road she'd found the dove. She had the dove in its cage on the seat next to her. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
She came to a 'Road Closed' sign. "Well, the flock can't be much farther. We just have to beat the storm. They're waiting for you." She took the dove's cage and got out of the car.
Mary Margaret went on foot, the storm in the distance. "Do you hear that? Your flock!"
She looked over the edge of the road and put down the dove's cage before going closer to the slope. Thunder clapped and she ended up falling down the incline and over the side of a cliff. She grabbed a branch and dangled over the river below. She tried to crawl up, but fell further down.
David appeared and extended his hand to Mary Margaret. "Here!"
"David!" Mary Margaret cried.
"Grab my hand!"
Mary Margaret grabbed his hand and David said, "Hold tight! Come on." He pulled her to safety. "You'd really think I'd let you come out here alone? You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine, thanks," Mary Margaret replied.
She walked up the incline and back towards where she'd left the dove.
"Where are you going?" David asked as he followed her.
"I came to find the flock."
"And I came here to get you before you got hurt. We have to go."
Rain began falling as they found the dove's cage.
"No," Mary Margaret said.
"Doing this on foot is not the best plan."
"The gate was closed."
"I know. I saw. It's too late -- we have to go."
"But the fl-"
"Mary Margaret, it's not safe. We need to get out of here. Come on!"
Mary Margaret agreed and they ran to find shelter.
"There!" David yelled, pointing to a cabin in the woods. "Come on!"
They ran to the front door and looked in the window.
"Hello?" Mary Margaret called. "Hello, is anyone in there?" She looked inside. "It's empty."
David kicked in the door and they rushed into the cabin. David got a fire going in the fireplace. "Okay, let's get you dry."
"Whose cabin is this? Are you sure it's okay for us to be in here?"
"Well, you're roommates with the Sheriff, so I doubt she'll arrest us for breaking and entering. Here." He put a blanket over Mary Margaret's shoulders, but she shrugged it off.
"Hey, I'm just... I'm just trying to help. What's going on with you today?"
"What's going on? 'What's going on' is I still have feelings for you."
"What?"
"Why do you think I go to Granny's every morning at 7:15? It's to see you. I don't even know why, because it just makes me miserable. Because every time I see you, it just reminds me that you chose Kathryn instead of me. And that's why I didn't want you to come to the woods with me. Because being around you is too... It's too painful."
David laughed and Mary Margaret frowned. "You think this is funny."
David shook his head. "No. No, it's just... The reason I go to Granny's every morning at 7:15 is to see you."
They slowly leaned in for a kiss, but Mary Margaret pulled back and asked, "How can you do this?"
"What are you talking about?"
"David, I know."
"You know what?"
"About Kathryn."
"What about Kathryn?"
"That she thinks she's pregnant."
"What?"
Emma walked into Granny's Diner to get out of the storm. She saw the Stranger sitting at a booth by himself, with the box from the back of his motorcycle sitting under the table.
"We need to talk," Emma said.
"Why?" August asked.
"Because you're suspicious."
"Sitting here, out in the open, drinking coffee. I wonder what kind of hell I would've raised had I ordered a donut."
"You were talking to Henry and Aubree."
"You mean the little kids who came up to me asking me questions? Is that unusual for them? Being curious and precocious?"
"What were you doing outside their house?"
"My bike broke down. It happens."
"Your mysterious box -- what's in it?"
August smiled. "It's awfully frustrating not knowing, isn't it?"
"Just tell me."
"Why? Is it illegal to carry around a box in these parts?"
"No, of course it's not."
"You really want to know what's inside it, don't you?"
"No. Well, maybe."
"I'm going to make you wait. You're going to have to wait a long time and watch me carry it around. Hauling it to strange and mysterious places. And with each passing moment, the mystery will become more tantalizing. Your imagination will inflame, but so will your frustration. Never knowing -- only guessing -- what could possibly be inside that box? Or, you could let me buy you a drink sometime and I'll tell you right now."
"You want to buy me a drink?"
"Yes."
"Okay. A drink it is." He took the box from underneath the booth and put it on the table. He unlocked it and opened it, revealing a typewriter.
"Really?"
"I'm a writer."
"That's why you're here?"
"I find this place provides... inspiration. Don't you?" August closed the box and locked it back up before getting up from the booth.
"Wait. Have you been here before?"
"I didn't say that." He went to leave.
"What about that drink?" Emma asked.
August smiled lightly. "I said sometime."
CABIN
"You didn't know," Mary Margaret said as realization dawned on her.
David shook his head. "No."
"And you two aren't trying?"
"Not as far as I know. Mary Margaret, you have to believe me. I-"
Birds chirped outside.
"Shh," Mary Margaret said. "The rain stopped. We need to get her out."
"No, Mary Margaret-"
She picked up the dove's cage and went out the door.
David followed. "Mary Margaret, please. Can we at least talk-"
"Shh. Listen."
They heard a cooing noise in the forest and looked up to see several doves flying above them.
"The flock -- it didn't leave!" Mary Margaret cried.
"They must've been waiting for the storm to clear," David realized.
Mary Margaret set the dove's cage on the ground and lifted the dove out. "Okay. Okay, girl. Time to join your friends. You can do it."
She released the dove and it flew off to join its flock. David reached for Mary Margaret's hand and she pulled away. "No, David. It's too painful."
"It doesn't have to be," David told her. "We don't know if Kathryn's pregnant."
"It doesn't matter. You chose her."
"I know, but I still have feelings for you."
"You can't have both."
"But I do have both. I know... I know it doesn't make sense, but it's like I have these two conflicting lives. Memories of feelings for her and real feelings for you."
"Who's to say which is real?"
"I can't get you out of my head."
"I know, me too. But we're going to have to. We're just going to have to forget each other."
David made his way back to his house and was getting dressed in his bedroom. Kathryn walked in and sat on the bed.
"Anything you want to tell me?" David asked.
Kathryn frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Something's up, isn't it? What?"
"I feel like ever since you've come home, you're here, but you're not 'here'. I know you say you're trying and I know you've been through a lot, but-"
"No, no. Kathryn, look-"
"No, David. Please -- just let me finish. I know it's been hard on you, but it's also been hard on me. I want a family with you someday. I want children. I'll be honest -- I thought I was pregnant. And when the test came back negative, at first I was upset. But then, I was relieved. We're not ready. If I was pregnant now, it would be a disaster."
"Yeah."
"But I want to fix this. I want to fix us."
"Me too."
"Do you? Well then, let's go see Dr. Hopper. Let's get some help. Will you do that? Will you give us our best shot?"
"Yeah. Look, you and I... I know we're sup- I know we should be in love. And I want to make that work."
Kathryn smiled. "It's 7:10. We should get going if you want your coffee before work."
"No. Why don't we go downstairs and have some breakfast instead? Hm?"
"Okay."
"All right." He kissed her on the cheek.
Emma and Mary Margaret were sitting at the kitchen table at Mary Margaret's apartment. Emma was eating breakfast and Mary Margaret was staring at the clock. It was 7:15. Emma reached over and squeezed Mary Margaret's hand.
Mary Margaret made her way to Granny's Diner, where Ruby served her a coffee at the counter. "Thanks, Ruby."
David entered the diner. He was stunned for a moment, due to seeing Mary Margaret, and quickly left.
Mary Margaret followed him outside. "What are you doing here?"
"It's 7:45," David said.
"I know!"
"Well, I'm trying not to see you."
"Well, I am trying not to see you."
"Well, how do we stop seeing each other?"
"Apparently, we can't."
"This is a problem."
"Yes."
"She's not pregnant."
They kissed. Regina, who was parked across the street, saw them.
[While I like Snow and Charming, I don't like this storyline they have. Cheating is never okay, no matter if two people love each other or not.]