There is a town in Maine...
I'd like a room.
Welcome to Storybrooke.
...where every storybook character you've ever known
is trapped between two worlds.
An evil queen sent a bunch of fairy tale characters here?
And now they don't remember who they are.
Victims of a powerful curse...
Everything you love,
everything all of you love,
will be taken from you.
...that can only be broken by one person.
It's your destiny.
You're gonna bring back the happy endings.
You enjoy your stay.
The missing pages. Where are they?
It's an old book. Stuff's missing. What do you care?
I care because you think I'm some Evil Queen.
And that hurts me, Henry. I'm your mother.
No, you're not.
Well, then who is?
That woman you brought here?
I don't like what she or this book is doing to you.
Thankfully, both are no longer an issue.
What?
Hey, how about that?
Guess those rusty old innards finally straightened themselves out, huh?
Yes. How about that, indeed.
Did you know the honey crisp tree is the most vigorous
and hardy of all apple trees?
It can survive temperatures as low as 40 below and keep growing.
It can weather any storm.
I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl.
And to this day,
I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers.
Thanks.
I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home.
Actually, I'm gonna stay for a while.
I'm not sure that's such a good idea.
the fact that you have now threatened me twice in the last 12 hours
makes me want to stay more.
Since when were apples a threat?
I can read between the lines.
Sorry. I just want to make sure Henry's okay.
He's fine, dear.
Any problems he has are being taken care of.
What does that mean?
It means I have him in therapy.
It's all under control.
Take my advice, Miss Swan, only one of us knows what's best for Henry.
Yeah. I'm starting to think you're right about that.
It's time for you to go.
Or what?
Don't underestimate me, Miss Swan.
You have no idea what I'm capable of.
I shall destroy your happiness
if it is the last thing I do.
Hey!
Would you like something to drink?
Do I look like I need a drink?
I was only trying to help.
Thank you.
Now that was an awfully big threat.
Destroy everyone's happiness?
How do you plan on accomplishing that?
The Dark Curse.
Are you sure, Your Majesty?
But you said you'd never use it.
You made a deal when you gave away that curse.
You traded it away.
She won't be happy to see you.
Since when do I care about anyone else's happiness but mine?
Prepare the carriage.
We're going to the Forbidden Fortress.
How are you, dear?
I'm doing fine.
Are you?
If it were me, I'd be simply tortured,
watching that flake of Snow so happy.
Weren't you about the same age when you were to be married
before she ruined it all?
Yes, you were.
Yes, it was about the same age you were
when that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you,
my dear Maleficent.
I soldiered on. As you will, too.
Hopefully.
Enough games.
You know why I'm here.
I need my curse back.
It's not yours anymore.
A deal's a deal.
I traded you my sleeping curse.
Which failed. Undone by a simple kiss.
Now please, return what's mine.
The Dark Curse? Really?
You must know that not even its unholy power
can bring your loved one back from the dead.
Have you considered a pet?
They can be quite comforting.
The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering.
Well, it's her wedding night, I doubt she's suffering right now.
I need that curse.
I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff.
Hidden for the good of all, old friend.
Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively
moral.
Who did give it to you?
Where I got it is none of your concern.
Hand it back.
Must we do this?
Alas, we must.
No!
Love is weakness, Maleficent.
I thought you knew that.
If you're going to kill me, kill me.
Why would I do that?
You're my only friend.
Don't do this.
This curse.
There are lines even we shouldn't cross.
All power comes with a price.
Enacting it will take a terrible toll.
It will leave an emptiness inside you.
A void you will never be able to fill.
So be it.
Who among us is tired of losing?
That's why I called you here.
To put an end to our misery.
Today we claim victory.
And move to a new, better realm.
A place where we can finally win.
And we'll be happy?
I guarantee it.
But first, I need something from you.
A lock of hair from those with the darkest souls.
You must trust me.
Because if you don't,
there are other ways.
A wise decision.
All that remains is the final ingredient.
A prized heart.
From my childhood steed.
The glorious beast whose passing will fuel our victory.
Let my wrath be unleashed.
Yeah, you really unleashed something there.
The Mirror strikes again.
You're late.
Sorry. I wanted to bring you the latest edition.
I assure you, it's one of my better hatchet jobs.
That's not what I asked for.
What did you find out about her?
Well, the truth be told, there wasn't much.
She spent a lot of time in foster homes.
She got into some trouble when she was a kid,
but the details are locked up pretty tight.
Since then, she's clean.
Bounced around all over.
The only thing I really learned was that she doesn't like to sit still.
That appears to have changed.
Did you know that she had Henry while she was in Phoenix?
How'd he wind up here in Maine?
So, if I'm understanding you correctly,
you found nothing of value.
Which means you have no value, Sidney.
Do you know what I do with things that hold no value to me?
I throw them away.
I'll keep looking.
Here you go.
Thank you, but I did not order that.
Yeah, I know. You have an admirer.
Ah, so you decided to stay?
Observant. Important for a cop.
It's good news for our tourist business.
It's bad for our local signage.
It's a joke.
Because you ran over our sign.
Look. The cocoa was a nice gesture.
And I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon on my chocolate
'cause most people don't,
but I'm not here to flirt.
So thank you but no thank you.
I didn't send it.
I did.
I like cinnamon, too.
Don't you have school?
Duh, I'm ten.
Walk me.
So what's the deal with you and your mom?
It's not about us, it's about her curse.
We have to break it.
Luckily, I have a plan.
Step one, identification.
I call it Operation Cobra.
Cobra?
That has nothing to do with fairy tales.
Exactly. It's a codename.
To throw the Queen off the trail.
So everyone here is a fairy tale character, they just don't know it?
That's the curse.
Time's been frozen. Until you got here.
Hey!
Where'd you get that?
Your mom.
Don't eat that.
Okay.
Uh, all right. What about their pasts?
They don't know. It's a haze to them.
Ask anyone anything and you'll see.
So, for decades people have been walking around in a haze
not aging, with screwed-up memories,
stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious?
I knew you'd get it.
That's why we need you.
You're the only one who can stop her curse.
Because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?
Yes. And right now we have the advantage.
My mom doesn't know that.
I took out the end.
The part with you in it.
See? Your mom is Snow White.
Oh, kid.
I know the hero never believes at first.
If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story.
If you need proof, take them. Read them.
But whatever you do, don't let her see these pages.
They're dangerous. If she finds out who you are...
It would be bad.
I gotta go.
But I'll find you later and we can get started.
I knew you'd believe me.
I never said I did.
Why else would you be here?
It's good to see his smile back.
I didn't do anything.
You stayed.
So, does the Mayor know you're still here?
Oh, she knows.
What is her deal?
She is not a great people person. How did she get elected?
She's been Mayor as long as I can remember.
No one's ever been brave enough to run against her.
She inspires quite a bit of,
well, fear.
I'm afraid I only made that worse by giving Henry that book.
Now he thinks she's the Evil Queen.
Who does he think you are?
It's silly.
I just got five minutes of silly. Lay it on me.
Snow White.
Who does he think you are?
I'm not in the book.
Can I ask you a favor?
Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy.
Do you know where I could find the doctor?
Hey.
Emma Swan. I was just reading about you.
Let me guess. You're here for help with a little post-traumatic stress?
- That diagnosis was free, by the way.
No, I'm here about Henry.
- I'm sorry, I really shouldn't... - I know. I'm sorry, I just...
Just tell me something.
This fairy tale obsession.
What is causing it?
I mean, he thinks everyone is a character in his book. That's
crazy.
I hope you don't talk that way in front of him.
The word "crazy" is quite damaging.
These stories.
They're his language.
He has no idea how to express complex emotions
so he's translating as best he can.
This is how he communicates.
He's using this book to help deal with his problems.
But he got the book a month ago.
Has he been seeing you longer than that?
Um, yes, he has.
So it's Regina, isn't it?
His mother is a very complicated woman.
Over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry closer have only backfired.
Why don't you take a look at the file.
Um, you'll see what I mean.
Why are you doing this?
He talks about you a lot.
You're very important to him.
Thank you.
Just see that I get it back. Okay?
Miss Swan?
For the sake of the boy,
be careful how you handle his belief system.
Destroying his imagination would be
devastating.
You were right. She was just here.
Did she take the file?
Yes.
How did you know she was gonna come here?
Because I'm the one who gave her the idea.
Hey there.
If you're concerned about the "do not disturb" signs,
don't worry, I've left them alone.
Actually, I'm here about Dr. Archibald Hopper.
He mentioned you got into a bit of a row with him earlier.
No.
I was shocked, too.
Given your shy, delicate sensibilities.
He says you demanded to see Henry's files
and when he refused you came back and stole them.
He gave them to me.
Alas, he's telling a different tale.
May I check your room or must I get a search warrant?
Is this what you're looking for?
Well, you're very accommodating.
I'm afraid, Miss Swan, you're under arrest.
Again.
You know I'm being set up, don't you?
And who, may I ask, is setting you up?
...carbon dioxide and water synthesize.
May I speak with my son?
We're in the middle of a lesson. Is it important?
Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?
Henry. Sweetie, I have some bad news.
The woman who you brought here,
she's been arrested.
She broke into Dr. Hopper's office and stole his files.
She's a con woman.
She's trying to learn about us in order to take advantage of us.
That's why she's sticking around.
I'm sorry.
No, you're not.
I know you think otherwise,
but all I'm doing is trying to protect you.
This is gonna be good for us. You'll see.
Things will be better.
I gotta get back to class.
You know the shrink is lying, right?
To the right, please. Why would he lie?
The Mayor put him up to this.
She's got to have something on him.
He's terrified of her. Like everyone else in this town.
To the left.
Regina may be a touch intimidating,
but I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job.
How far would she go? What does she have her hands in?
She's the Mayor. She has her hands in everything.
Including the police force?
Hey!
Henry?
Henry, what are you doing here?
His mother told him what happened.
Of course she did.
Henry, I don't know what she said...
You're a genius.
What?
I know what you were up to.
You were gathering intel.
For Operation Cobra.
I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost.
It's need to know, Sheriff.
And all you need to know is that Miss Blanchard is gonna bail her out.
You are?
Why?
I trust you.
Well, if you could uncuff me, I have something to do.
What the hell are you doing?
Picking apples.
You're out of your mind.
No. You are, if you think a shoddy frame job is enough to scare me off.
You're gonna have to do better than that.
You come after me one more time, I'm coming back for the rest of this tree.
Because, sister, you have no idea what I am capable of.
Your move.
Maybe it's for the best.
The forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive.
Oh, now you're trying to protect me?
It's what I do.
I know.
You're the only one who does.
Helping you is my life.
Then help me understand why this curse isn't working.
If you want to know that,
then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place.
Revenge is a dark and Ionely road.
Once you go down it,
there's no heading back.
What is there for me to head back to?
It's just us, dearie,
you can show yourself.
Ah!
That curse you gave me.
It's not working.
Oh, so worried.
So, so worried.
Like Snow and her lovely new husband.
What?
They paid me a visit as well.
They were very anxious
about you and the curse.
What did you tell them?
The truth.
That nothing can stop the Darkness.
Except, of course, their unborn child.
You see, no matter how powerful,
all curses can be broken.
Their child is the key.
Of course the curse has to be enacted first.
Tell me what I did wrong.
For that, there's a price.
What do you want?
Simple.
In this new land,
I want comfort.
I want a good life.
Fine. You'll have an estate. Be rich.
I wasn't finished. There's more.
There always is with you.
In this new land,
should I ever come to you for any reason,
you must heed my every request.
You must do whatever I say.
So long as I say
please.
You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?
Oh, well, then,
what's the harm?
Deal.
What must I do to enact this curse?
You need to sacrifice a heart.
I sacrificed my prized steed.
- A horse?
This is the curse to end all curses.
You think a horse is gonna do?
Great power requires great sacrifice.
The heart you need must come from something
far more precious.
Tell me what will suffice.
The heart of the thing you love most.
What I loved most died because of Snow White.
Is there no one else you truly love?
This curse isn't gonna be easy.
Vengeance never is, dearie.
You have to ask yourself a simple question.
How far are you willing to go?
As far as it takes.
Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it.
You know what you love.
Now go kill it.
Miss Swan?
Oh, my, this is terribly awkward.
I need to ask you to leave.
I'm afraid we have a "no felons" rule.
It turns out it's a city ordinance.
Let me guess. The Mayor's office just called to remind you.
You can gather your things, but I need to have your room key back.
She destroyed city property.
I want her arrested.
Again?
What are you waiting for?
I'm just not convinced arresting her is the right plan.
And I'm not talking about your tree.
We both know she didn't steal those files.
Oh, do we?
She looked pretty shocked when I leveled the charges against her.
It's because she doesn't like being caught.
Or because she was set up.
And if she was, that means Dr. Hopper was lying.
And if he's lying that means someone asked him to.
Are we really confident that the man's conscience
won't eventually get the best of him?
I think your schoolboy crush is clouding your judgment.
Remember, I made you sheriff
and I can take it away just as easily.
You want me to arrest her again? I will.
Good.
But she's gonna keep coming at you.
And I know you, you're going to keep coming at her.
And you will do whatever it takes to get her out of here, and you may succeed.
No. I will succeed.
He's my son. It's what's best for him.
I know that's what you believe,
but if this escalates,
it seems to me the only one who will get hurt is Henry.
Yeah?
Miss Swan, I'd be happy to continue demonstrating my power,
but am I right in guessing your resolve to stay is only growing?
You have no idea.
Well, then, I think it's time we made peace.
Why don't you drive over to my office?
Or walk. Whatever suits you.
I'd like to start by apologizing,
Miss Swan.
What?
I just have to accept the reality that you want to be here.
That's right, I do.
And that you're here to take my son from me.
Okay. Let's be clear.
I have no intention of taking him from anyone.
Well, then, what are you doing here?
I know I'm not a mother. I think that's pretty self-evident.
But I did have him.
And I can't help it, he got in my head, and I want to make sure he's okay.
And the more you try to push me out, the more I want to be here,
especially after seeing how troubled he is.
You think he's troubled?
Well, he's in therapy.
And I only got through a couple of pages of his shrink's notes
before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside,
he thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character.
And you don't?
How can I?
That poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality
and it's only getting worse.
It's crazy.
You think I'm crazy?
Henry...
How long was he there?
Long enough.
You knew he would be here.
Did I know that my son comes to my office
every Thursday at precisely 5:00 p.m.
So I can take him for dinner before his therapy session?
Of course I did.
I'm his mother.
Your move.
You have no soul.
How in the hell did you get like this?
What happened?
Did you get your answer?
What's going on?
Your Majesty. Your Majesty!
Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?
Yes.
And?
I'm not sure I should say.
I'm conflicted.
How bad is it?
Maybe I can help.
I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most.
Me.
Daddy, I don't know what to do.
My dear.
Please.
You don't have to do this.
I have to do something.
Then move past this.
I know this may sound self-serving,
but you don't need to enact the curse.
But I can't keep living like this.
What Snow did to me, what she took from me...
It's eating me alive, Daddy.
Her very existence mocks me.
She must be punished.
If the price is a hole that will never be filled,
why do it?
Stop worrying about Snow White and start over.
We can have a new life.
But what kind of life?
All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone.
My power will disappear.
They already think I'm nothing.
Power is seductive.
But so is love.
You can have that again.
I just want to be happy.
You can be.
Of this I'm sure.
I believe if given the chance, we can find happiness
together.
But the choice is yours.
I think you're right.
I can be happy.
Just not here.
I'm sorry.
Hey.
I just wanted to say thank you
and pay you back the bail money.
You look like you need to talk.
Cinnamon?
Oh, I'm sorry, I should've asked.
It's a little quirk of mine. Do you mind?
Not at all. No, thanks.
When you bailed me out, you said that you trusted me.
Why?
It's strange. Ever since you arrived here,
I've had the oddest feeling like we met before.
And I know it's crazy.
I'm starting to reevaluate my definition of crazy.
For what it's worth, I think you're innocent.
Of breaking and entering or just in general?
- Whichever makes you feel better.
It doesn't really matter what anyone thinks I did or didn't do.
I'm leaving.
Thank you for everything, but I think it's for the best.
If I stay, Henry's only gonna keep getting hurt.
What happens if you go?
I think the very fact that you want to leave is why you have to stay.
You care about him.
Who will protect Henry if you won't?
Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?
You know, that umbrella is kind of my good luck charm.
Is that why you think I'm Jiminy Cricket?
I don't think you're anyone.
Miss Swan, I can explain. The Mayor forced me to...
I know. Don't worry about it. I get it.
Henry, I'm sorry.
I don't want to talk to you.
Miss Swan, if she knew you were here...
To hell with her.
Henry, there is one simple reason I stayed here.
You.
I wanted to get to know you.
You think I'm crazy.
No, I think the curse is crazy.
And it is.
But that doesn't mean that it isn't true.
It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in.
But there are a lot of crazy things in this world.
So what do I know? Maybe it is true.
But you told my mom...
What she needed to hear.
What I do know
is that if the curse is real,
the only way to break it
is by tricking the Evil Queen
into thinking that we are nonbelievers.
'Cause that way, she's not on to us.
Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about?
Throwing her off the trail?
Brilliant!
I read the pages.
And Henry, you were right. They are dangerous.
And there's only one way to make sure that she never sees them.
Now we have the advantage.
I knew you were here to help me.
That's right, kid. I am.
And nothing, not even a curse,
is gonna stop that.
I love you, Daddy.
What a mess.
Not for long.
What can I do for you, Mr. Gold?
I was just in the neighborhood, thought I'd pop by.
- Lovely to see you in such high spirits.
It's been a good day.
I just rid the town of an unwanted nuisance.
Emma Swan?
Really?
Yes.
I imagine she's halfway to Boston by now.
I wouldn't bet on that.
I've just seen her strolling down the main street with your boy.
Thick as thieves they looked.
What?
Perhaps you should've come to me.
If Miss Swan is a problem you can't fix,
I'm only too happy to help.
For a price, of course.
I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore.
To which deal are you referring?
You know what deal.
Oh, right, yeah.
The boy I procured for you.
Henry.
Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was?
However did you pick it?
Did you want her to come to town?
You wanted all this to happen, didn't you?
Your finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?
Whatever do you mean?
Where did you get him?
Do you know something?
I have no idea what you're implying.
I think you do.
Who is this woman? His mother. This Emma Swan.
I would say you think you know exactly who she is.
Now, I really must be going.
Tell me what you know about her.
I'm not gonna answer you, dear.
So I suggest you excuse me.
Please.
Synced by juhca, HI Removed By OfekRay