In the village, there was a stand with a drawing of a castle—not a great one but a good enough one. A crowd was gathered at the stand, and a puppet appeared, it was a princess in a pink dress with a light pink veil and they started cheering.
"I wish, I wish, but nothing changes!" said a female voice, voicing the female puppet, the audience was laughing. "I wish I was better at wishing!" the audience laughed again. "Alas! Will no one slays this fearsome dragon and win my hand in marriage?" the female continued while a small redheaded boy was pickpocketing the people in the crowd.
"Aha!" the male puppet announced, the crowd cheering when he came out with a suit of armor. "I will slay the fearsome dragon, my lady," he said announcing to the female puppet, the small boy went to the next person and picked his pockets for money or something of value. "Or die trying."
"Then goodbye, dear Prince," said the female puppet. "It was nice knowing you," she sings to him, the crowd laughs when the female leaves and someone mimics the roaring sound of a dragon. The crowd gasped when the dragon came out, the Prince got out his sword.
"Who dares disturb my sleep?" said the dragon.
"He went that way!" said the Prince, pointing away from him.
The redhead boy sneakily walked off with a few items that he stole from the people in the crowd. The crowd laughed again.
"Then I shall go that way," said the dragon.
"Very good idea, you go that way and I'll go...," said the puppet prince. The little boy climbed up the small red and yellow circus wagon.
Later that day, his parents moved away from the circus wagon and away from the village, the little boy dumped out the coins in front of him as he sat on the end of the entrance that pulled out for him and his parents could climb out.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Careful, careful," his father said to the boy.
"Don't let those coins roll away," said the mother to him.
"No. They might disappear," said the father, holding a coin in his hand, and other he made the coin disappear, then he pulled it out of his wife's ear and exclaimed in surprise. "Look at that," he said, laughing as the boy smiled at his father.
The boy opened up the purple bag even wider, taking out a small cage with a cricket inside of it. "Oh, a cricket. I love crickets," he said, happily.
"Crickets are trouble. Noisy bugs," the mother muttered, nastily.
"But they get to do whatever they want. Hopping from place to place. "Their son said to them. "They're free."
"You're free," said his mother.
"To do what we want," said the father as he looked down at the cricket.
"To be who you are," said the mother wistfully.
"And you are who you are," he said, looking at his son.
"Well, maybe I want to be something else," he said sternly. "Maybe I don't want to steal. Maybe I want to be good."
"All that from a cricket?" he questioned while holding up the small cage with the cricket.
"Told you, trouble," muttered the mother in disapproval.
The father wagged his finger at his son. "Good is another word for weak."
"Let us do the thinking for you," said the mother while putting on her glasses.
"That's what parents are for," he agreed with his wife.
"To help you," she said, taking off his glasses as she looked at her son.
"You are who are you and there's no changing it, Jiminy. Right?" said the father, raising an eyebrow at his son.
"Right," Jiminy agreed.
"Right," said the father softly, taking the cricket out of the cage putting it in his hand, and making the little cricket disappear. "Problem solved," he showed Jiminy his empty hand and laughed softly.
Dr. Hopper was in his office, sitting on his chair as he wrote in his booklet for his session with Henry Mills.
Henry looked over at Dr. Hopper, eyeing him for a moment. "You weren't always a cricket," he said to the other.
Dr. Hopper quickly looked up and over at Henry, confused at what he said. "I wasn't always...," he said slowly, confused. "Oh, right. Because I'm...," he paused setting down his booklet on the table in front of him as he leaned against his knees. "Because you think I'm Jiminy Cricket. Why do you think that, Henry?" he asked, curiously as he picked up his mug that was filled with coffee and took a sip.
"It's just because of who you are," he said simply.
"And who am I?" he asked.
"You're a conscience. You help people see right from wrong," he explained.
"So all the crickets in Storybrooke, they were once people, too?" he asked.
Henry got up from the couch and went to the window. "There aren't any crickets here. Listen." He lifted up the blinds unlocked the window locks, and lifted up just a bit for Dr. Hopper to listen. An owl was hooting in the distance but there were no crickets chirping. At all.
"Maybe it isn't late enough," said Dr. Hopper, as Henry sat back down on the couch.
"There's never been crickets here. You've just never noticed," Henry said.
"So you think that's proof that there's a curse?" Dr. Hopper asked.
"Yes, but I know it's not enough. I'm looking for more," Henry admitted.
"Henry, look, I asked you this once before and you said you'd think about it. But, why do you think it's so important that this is real?" he asked, he wanted to know what Henry was thinking on why he thought it was real.
Henry thought about it for a few minutes, making a face scrunched up slightly. He was thinking of the right words for him to understand why he thought the curse was real. "It—it just is," he said simply, not thinking of a better explanation.
"All right, well, keep thinking about that answer, Henry," he said to him. "'Cause I think there's something buried there."
Emma held up a cop uniform to her body, looking down at it. She was never going to wear this, that's for damn sure. She looked back up at Graham, tilting her head to the side, and sighed heavily. "A tie?" she questioned. "You know you don't have to dress a woman as a man to give her authority."
"So you think you can get people to do what you want in that red coat?" he asked, pointing the pen at the red coat that she was wearing.
"I'm getting you to do what I want right now," she shot at him, setting the uniform down on the chair.
He raised an eyebrow at her, sighing. "Well, at least wear the badge," he said, holding up the badge in front of him, trying to give it to her. "Go on. Take it. If you really want to be a part of this community, we have to make it official."
Emma was hesitant about taking the badge, she never had to wear something that wasn't officially official in her life. Until now. She finally took the badge from him and put it on the front of her pants, making sure that it was visible.
All of a sudden, a loud explosion came to life and shook the whole police station, knocking off a lamp on the desks. Emma and Graham held onto the desk for support, in case a bigger explosion came after the first one. She looked at him with a startled look on her face, dogs were barking and car alarms were wailing loudly after the explosion. The phones started ringing off the charts, she looked at the phones quickly. She placed her hand over the badge that she just put on.
By the time, Emma and Graham had arrived where the explosion had happened, a group of men was gathered at an abandoned site, and they were shouting over each other. A man in a yellow raincoat was on a pile of rocks and dirt and underneath it was a mine. A cluster of men was all around it, trying to look at the mine.
"Everyone, step back, please!" Regina called out to everyone once she stepped out of her black car.
"Is that a crater?" Ruby asked Marco as she watched everything unfold.
"No, there were tunnels, old mines. Something collapsed," he told Ruby, gesturing to the tunnels.
Emma and Graham got out of the car and walked to where the tunnels were, just when Regina came over to them. "Sheriff set up a police perimeter," she demanded. "Marco, why don't you help the fire department," she instructed him, pointing to where the firefighters were. "Miss Swan, this is now official town business. You're free to go." She said to the other woman, sighing heavily.
"Well, actually, I work for the town now," she told Regina.
Regina looked at Emma in disbelief, like she couldn't understand the words that she had just spoken. Slowly, she looked over at Graham in anger.
"She's my new deputy," Graham said calmly to Regina, Emma smiled at Graham and then back at Regina.
"They say the Mayor's always last to know," Regina said bitterly.
"It's in my budget," he said quickly.
"Indeed," Regina said rather calmly, they both stared at each other. "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help the crowd control," she said to Emma and the Sheriff nodded at her while Regina stared at the male then turned her back toward her after Emma left and tried to calm the crowd down. "People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed," she announced in a loud voice. "We've always known this area was honeycombed withhold mining tunnels. But fear not, I'm going to undertake a project to make this area safe, to rehabilitate it into city use. We will bulldoze it—collapse it, pave it."
Henry sat in the back of his mother's car, watching everyone and everything. He looked over and watched Regina, she was by the huge red firetruck that was near her car. He wanted to get out and wondered what caused the mining to collapse. He opened the car door and got out as he closed the door, hiding behind the car. "Hey, Archie, over here," Henry said softly, trying to get Archie's attention, Emma turned around to hear his voice but continued taping off the area. Archie started walking toward Henry, now Henry was behind the cop's car, and he bent down to Henry's level. "This requires all of Operation Cobra. Both of you," He said softly when Emma walked over to the both of them.
"I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra," Archie said, confused, looking at Emma and then back at Henry.
"Of course you are. You know everything," Henry said to Archie, that he should know that he was in it since Henry told him everything. "We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?"
"They're just some old tunnels," Emma said gently, trying not to get the kid's hopes up.
"That just happened to collapse right after you got here?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Emma looked at Archie for a moment then back down at Henry. "You're changing things. You're weakening the curse."
"That's not what's happening," Emma said softly, looking at him.
"Yes, it is," Henry said sternly. "Did you do anything different today? Because something made this happen," he asked, Emma's hand went down to feel the police badge on her hip.
"Henry, I told you to wait in the car," Regina said when she saw Henry talking to Emma and Archie, she pushed him toward the car once again. "Deputy, do your job." She demanded while Archie and Emma walked away in different directions. "Dr. Hopper, a word, please," she said, turning to face him. He turned around and walked back to her with a polite smile on his face. "Okay. We're done with this."
Archie looked confused, clearing his throat. "Excuse me?" he asked.
"My son. We need a new treatment plan. Everything I do he thinks is part of some horrible plot. I can't cover up a safety hazard without him thinking I'm hiding something. How am I hiding something terrible in an old mine? How is any of this logical to him?" She asked angrily at Dr. Hopper.
"He's got an amazing imagination," he commented.
"Yes, that you let run rampant," she raised her voice slightly.
"Well, I think it would be wrong to rip away the world he's constructed. I'd rather use it to try and get...," he started saying before he got interrupted.
"Sometimes I think you've forgotten," she paused, closing her eyes for a moment and then looking at him. "You work for me. You're an employee. And I can fire you." She threatened him, he didn't dare say a word because he knew that she would do it in a second. "This is my town. You will lose your office, lose your house. I can cut you down to size until you're a tiny shrunken little creature. And this will be the only roof over your damn head." She took his umbrella and shook it in front of him while she said that last sentence.
He shook his head ever so slightly, he knew that he had to follow her orders and do what she had to do. "What would you have me do?" he asked.
He took a set closer to him, looking into his eyes. "You take that delusion out of my son's head and you crush it." She pushed the umbrella into his chest, hard. She walked away from him and back to the car where Henry was while Archie just stood there in place.
There were people in an area, tents built up, and horses strapped to the carriage while the people did little things like cleaning vegetables, washing clothes, making dinner, and other things that they needed to do before nightfall.
Jiminy's mother came out of the wooden carriage. "Come on, Jiminy," she said as she walked off. This Jiminy was older, he's now an adult. He jumped out of the carriage and looked around the place, he was in awe as he followed his mother. "Oh, I remember this place. Looks like it's been a good year," she commented as she looked at all of the people.
"Yeah, you can tell by all the fat, people," Jiminy's father commented—which made his wife chuckle.
"Maybe we can run the Elf tonic scam here," she mumbled to her husband.
"Can't er just put on the show?" Jiminy asked his parents. "We make enough from the ticket sales. Do we have to steal, too?"
"We don't need to—but it's nice," the father said, shrugging his shoulders at his son. "We steal from them and they steal from someone else," he said while making the coin disappear and reappear in his hands.
"It's called an economy," she said.
"We're a vital part of it," he said.
"I want to change. I want to quit," Jiminy said to his parents.
"Oh, this again?" she scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"You can't leave now," he said, trying to get his son to stay.
"We're getting old," said the mother, pointing at them with her thumb.
"It's my hip," he said.
"My liver," she said.
"I got lumps in strange places," he said.
"I've got burning sensations," she said.
"You better stay with us," he said, pulling his wife close to his side.
"Just until we die," she said, shrugging her shoulders.
"Now be a good boy and set up," he said to his son, they both left and walked off while they looked around the place. Jiminy walked off and did what he was told.
Later into the day, it was raining heavily and thunder was rumbling, everyone was gathering up their things so they wouldn't get soaked as bad. Jiminy was out picking a wooden two-by-four and laying it against their wooden carriage.
A little boy with an umbrella came up to Jiminy. "Puppets! Wow! What a great job you have," he said to Jiminy but Jiminy looked at him for a second and went back to work. "You don't like it?" the little boy asked.
"No. No, I don't," he answered him while lugging around a part of the stage for the puppets. "Same show, same fairs every year."
"Well, then why don't you do something else?" he asked.
Jiminy sighed softly, looking down at the little boy in the pouring rain. "This is just who I am," he said to him. "What? Did you just come out here to watch us set up?" he asked, bending down slightly.
"No. I came out here to listen to the crickets," the small boy said.
"Oh, crickets. I haven't listened to the crickets in a while," Jiminy admitted, looking straight ahead as he squinted a bit from the rain. As soon as he said that, the crickets started chirping loudly. "Hey, you better get home or you're gonna catch a cold."
"So are you," said the boy. "Here, have my umbrella. I don't live far," he said, giving the umbrella to Jiminy. They looked at each other for the longest moment before Jiminy took the umbrella from the little boy then he started walking away from him. "I can't wait to see the show," yelled the little boy, running to his house as he held onto his hat.
After the little boy, Jiminy smiled to himself as he listened to the crickets chirping. He sighed, he wished he could be whoever he wanted but he couldn't because his parents wouldn't let him be himself, even though he is a grown man. He felt trapped. He didn't want to be trapped anymore.
Dr. Hopper was in his office, sitting on the brown leather chair as he stared off into space without his glasses on. Once the door opened, he quickly put his glasses back on and stood up, facing Marco.
"Hey, Archie...," Marco started saying, slowly walking into the office.
"Marco, what are you doing here?" Archie asked, surprised. "Oh, lunch. I'm sorry, I forgot. I've got another patient. Another time?" he asked.
"Sure. Of course," Marco nodded, smiling at him and then glancing at Henry when he went under his arm to get into the office. "Hey, have a good session, Henry," he said while messing up his hair with his fingers, he nodded toward Archie then walked out and closed the door behind him.
"Hey," Dr. Hopper said to Henry.
"Are you recruiting Geppetto for Operation Cobra?" Henry asked him, taking off his book bag and setting it on the ground next to his feet as he sat down on the brown leather couch.
"You think Marco is Geppetto?" Dr. Hopper asked.
"Sure. He's Jiminy Cricket's best friend and Marco is yours," he told him.
He looked away from Henry as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets, sighing heavily. "Henry, Henry, look, we really need to talk about this, okay?" he said, walking toward the window.
"I know you're not convinced but I know where I can get proof," Henry pleaded with Dr. Hopper, he turned around when Henry got up off the couch and walked toward him, opening up his book bag.
"What is this?" Dr. Hopper asked, walking toward him as he closed the gap between them, taking things out of his book bag. "Flashlight? Candy bars? Oh, wait, Henry. Henry, you do not want to go down there." He said, bending down to look Henry in the eyes.
"Emma's here and stuff's happening. I have to look at it," he said, he was determined to investigate.
"Henry, stop. Stop. There is no proof." Dr. Hopper said, placing his hands on Henry's arms and moving him toward the leather couch. He wanted to shatter his dream of everyone being a character from the book. "Look, all of this, all of this is a delusion," he said, being harsh about this. "Do you know what a delusion is?" he asked.
"I think so," Henry answered, unsure.
"It's something that's not real and not healthy," he explained. "And I thought that you'd outgrow this, but, Henry, you know, now it's turned into a psychosis. Do you know what a psychosis is? That's when you can no longer tell what's real. And if this continues then they have to lock you away. Henry, look, this has to stop. For your own good, you gotta wake up. This nonsense must end."
Henry was getting mad, he thought Dr. Hopper would be on his side about all of this but he knew that he wasn't at all. He thought he could trust him with all of this. He got up off the couch, grabbed his stuff, and walked out, slamming the door shut.
Dr. Hopper opened his mouth but closed it, he felt bad for hurting Henry like this. He didn't like upsetting people, especially kids. He sighed and looked down, he felt ashamed for it.
Mary Margaret and David Nolan sat at a small table in the hospital, they had a small notepad and they were playing hangman. Mary Margaret held the notepad in her hand, trying to focus on the three lines that were mostly blank. So far she has only two letters that she got right, which are an A and R. "I don't know. M?" she guessed.
"Mmm-hmm," David said, taking the notepad from her and putting an M in the places he knew. "Two of them." Mary Margaret chuckled as she placed her hands over her face, realizing what he was trying to spell out. "Get it yet?" he asked, teasing the other.
"Yes, and I'm completely mortified," he said then moving her hands to her cheeks, looking down then at David. "I almost hanged on my own name."
"Don't worry, I would never have let you hang," he said, moving the pen to write down Mary Margaret's full name. "I would've added toes. A hat. Maybe a horse." He smiled, leaning back into the chair, and looking at her.
"Was this a game you played a lot before?" she asked.
He looked at the notepad, thinking. He couldn't really remember much of anything these days. "I don't know," he muttered.
Mary Margaret looked at him with soft eyes. "It'll come back," she said with hope in her voice. "They're sending you home in a week. They have to think you're progressing, don't they?"
"Physically," he simply stated.
"Well, you're making new memories just fine," Mary Margaret said simply.
"Maybe I'll like these better," he said as Mary Margaret smiled and blushed, looking down and away from the other.
"Okay, play again?" she asked while she laughed it off.
"Can I guess, too?" Kathryn asked Mary Margaret, who turned to see her.
"Mrs. Nolan," she said sweetly, she turned to look at David. "It's noon already? I didn't realize," she stuttered as she and David got up from the chairs. "I should go," she said, leaving the room.
"Good day, Miss Blanchard," Kathryn said with a smile, she smiled back at her. "Honey, I brought more pictures. Maybe they'll jog something," she said with a little hope in her voice. "It's our old dog, Ajax." She held up a picture of a golden retriever with a smile on her lips. "Remember?" he took the picture from her hands.
"Yeah, yeah. Ajax." He snickered and smiled at his wife.
Mary Blanchard watched them interact, she was sad and heartbroken. She was secretly sad because Henry gave her the idea that David Nolan could be her one. She was back at her apartment and she was making sushi for her and Emma.
"I'm the worst person in the world," Mary Margaret said, feeling guilty.
"Really? In the whole world?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Kathryn was horrible, it would be easier," she said, taking a bite of the sushi. "But she's so nice."
"And what exactly would be easier?" she asked.
"Nothing," she shook her head while closing her eyes.
"Nothing's a good idea," she agreed, nodding her head. "You're smart, you know not to get involved with a married guy. It's not worth the heartache. Trust me."
They both heard knocking on the door and looked toward the door, Emma got up from the stool from the island. "I'll get it," she said, walking to the door and opening it up, seeing a crying Henry. "Kid, what happened?" she asked her face full of concern. "Come on," she gestured for him to come inside the apartment.
Archie was on the leather couch with a glass cup of brown liquor in his hand, Pongo was next to him on the couch. Emma pounded on the door, she was angry. "Archie," she called out through the door, hearing the anger in her voice. "Archie!" She yelled this time through the door, she opened the door and closed the door behind her. "What did you do?" she asked, walking closer to Archie. "You told me not to take the fantasy away. You told me it would devastate him."
"When a course of therapy stops working, you just adjust it," he said calmly.
"Is it her? Did she threaten you?" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes. "What could be strong enough to drown out your own conscience?"
"I do not need to defend my professional decisions to you, okay?" he said, standing up. Then, Emma's phone started ringing as she took it out of her back pocket, answering it. "Hello, Madam Mayor. Nice work."
"You with him?" Regina demanded.
"Yes, I'm with Dr. Hopper, and guess what, you left your fingerprints all over him when you...," Emma started ranging before Regina cut her off.
"Not him. Henry. Is he with you?"
"I dropped Henry at your office an hour ago."
"Well, he's not here."
"I don't know where he is."
Archie closed his eyes as he shook his head in disbelief, sighing deeply as he opened his eyes and looked at Emma, and Emma stared at him in return. "Oh!" he breathed out, knowing where Henry was. "I do."
Henry was standing in front of the old mining that gave the whole town a shake, he was mad that Archie didn't believe him and he was going to find proof to show that this wasn't a delusion or a fantasy. He would prove to Dr. Hopper and his mother that he wasn't wrong about this. He walked straight through the tunnel with his book bag and a flashlight in his hand. He turned on the flashlight, looking around in the tunnel.
Rumplestiltskin was in a large wooden building with a spinning wheel in the center of the large room, he spun the wheel as it was creaking making it echo off the walls. He was making straws of gold, it was one of the many things he was good at, and it also helped him think.
Jiminy was there, he stood a few feet away from him. He was nervous. Rumplestiltskin looked up but he was still spinning while he was chuckling with a smile on his face. "Thank you very much," he said to Jiminy while he set the brown sack on the table near Rumplestiltskin. "And the names?" he asked. "To whom did these treasures belong?" he asked while Jiminy was fumbling to get him the names, Rumpelstiltskin got up from the spinning wheelchair got a knife, and cut off a piece of the gold string that he spun. "Gold thread, for your thievery," he said, presenting the gold thread to the other as he threw it and caught it quickly. "Thank you. You can go." He said as he looked at all of the items on the table. Jiminy putting the gold thread into his little bag that he brought with him as soon as he took a one-step, Rumplestiltskin read his mind. "But you want something else. Don't you?" he asked, putting another gold thread into a little tin bowl. "Something with," he started saying as Jiminy turned to face him, Rumplestiltskin lifted a small glass bottle that was filled with red liquid it and poured it into the small metal bowl. "Magic?" Jiminy went closer as he looked at the small metal bowl.
"Every year I'm stuck in that damn wagon," he said slowly. "I wanna be free. I wanna be someone else. But something keeps holding me back."
"Something or someone?" he asked, he put his hands over the reddish-orangish glow that was now in the metal bowl, it was like lava in a way.
Jiminy took a deep breath before he answered. "It's my parents," he admitted.
The lava-looking liquid was now in a small tin bottle, it was now Rumplestiltskin's hand. "Then I have exactly what you need," he said, presenting the small bottle in front of the other male. "This will set you free. Pour it, sprinkle it, and put it in their curds and whey. Anything will work," he smiled at him, Jiminy was reaching out to get it when he pulled it back. "Ah! But you have nothing more to give to me," he stated chuckling, thinking of a way to pay him back. "Tell you what, after the potion has done its work, leave them where they are and I'll come to collect them. It'll be my fee."
"What will become of them?" he asked, curiously.
"Worry you not," Rumplestiltskin tilted his head slightly, looking at Jiminy, "they'll be in safe hands," he said, holding up the small bottle again. "And you'll be free."
Jiminy looked at Rumplestiltskin for a long time before taking the small bottle with the liquid inside. He was nervous about what will happen and what they will become of them but he desperately wanted to be free and not be under their control anymore. He slowly left Rumplestiltskin's place as he looked at the small potion in his hands. He was finally going to be free from his cruel parents.
"Henry!" Emma yelled, she was by the yellow tape.
"Henry," Archie yelled by the tracks, looking inside the mine.
Pongo was barking as Emma and Archie kept yelling Henry's name out loud, hoping that he didn't go into the tunnel. They didn't want him to get hurt, they cared about him. Pongo went near the tunnel, sniffing the inside as Archie followed him. "What you got there, Pongo?" he asked.
"I don't think he's here," Emma said, walking toward them.
"I think he is," Archie said when he was bent over, he picked up something off the ground. "Candy bar. He had these with him," he showed her the candy bar in his hand and then looked into the tunnel.
Henry was further into the tunnel with the flashlight in his hand, walking down the tracks and shining the flashlight down the tunnel, while the water was trickling down from the tunnel's ceilings. He stopped and took a look around for a minute before heading down the tunnel further. When he went further down, he spotted something between the rocks and stopped a few yards from it. He took a few steps reached between the rocks and took it out.
It was a piece of thick crystal glass with some metal linings on top of it, he turned it over in his hand while shining the flashlight. He was curious about what it was and what it belonged to, but before he could have time with it, the gravel started rustling then it started rumbling hard. Henry looked up at the ceiling as he watched the gravel and dirt fall from the ceiling of the tunnel. He slowly started backing up when small rocks started sliding down a small opening on the rocks, he started full-on running down the tracks.
Emma and Archie were still outside of the tunnel and they felt the same rumbling as Henry, they both were wobbling and trying to stay standing up. Emma fell down on the dirt pile while Archie started going into the tunnel. "Henry!" he yelled down into the tunnel.
"Archie!" Emma yelled while trying to stand up and walk down the small dirt hill.
"Henry, it's not safe!" he yelled again to Henry.
"Henry!" Emma yelled as she finally reached down to the flat surface.
"Henry!" Archie yelled once more before the tunnel collapsed in the front.
"Archie!" she yelled as it was too late. "Archie! Henry!"
Archie lit a match in the tunnel, so he could see in the now dark tunnel. He looked down at it as he slowly stood up with his umbrella in his hand. "Henry," he called out, walking down the tracks. "Henry," he called out once again.
Henry ran down the tracks with his flashlight in his hand. "Archie, you're here to help me," he said happily.
"Henry!" Archie exhaled in relief. "No, Henry, listen, we gotta get out of here, okay?" he said softly.
"So you're still against me?" he asked.
"Henry, there's no time for that. Come on, Henry, come on," Archie urged Henry.
"You don't believe me? You'll see." Henry started backing away slowly. "You'll see!" He ran off down the tracks.
"Henry!" Archie called out after him, taking a step toward Henry then he looked back at the entrance. "Henry, Henry, come back!" He looked forward to where Henry ran. "Henry!" He ran down the tracks.
It was night now, Jiminy and his parents had gone into a small village. Jiminy was leading his parents to a small house, it was where the boy lived. Jiminy turned around before he knocked on the door, looking at his parents. "Look. Can't we skip this tonight? We don't need the money," he said, trying to convince his parents that they didn't need to do this.
"Everything isn't about money, Jiminy. It's about the principal," his mother said.
"A commitment to excellence," his father said with a smile on his lips.
"Excellence at stealing money," she said under her breath but loud enough for both of them to hear.
"Now go ahead and take the Elf tonic, Jiminy," his father said then the parents laughed and looked at each other.
The mother knocked on the door gently, waiting for someone to open the door for the three of them. Two young married couples opened the door, looking confused for a moment as they stared at the older couple with their son.
"Ooh! Such beautiful young people," the wife cooed once they opened the door.
"Pardon me," Jiminy said to the couple, and a tight smile came to his lips. "Do you have a place at your hearth for an honest man," he looked back at his parents then back at the young couple, "and his elderly parents?"
"Of course. Come in," said the man, Jiminy's parents looked so pleased and happy.
"I'll heat up some broth," said the lady with a sweet smile.
"Oh, we love broth," said Jiminy's mother, walking ahead of them and into the house.
"Oh, what a beautiful home," commented the father as he walked in after his wife.
"Your cobbles are so even," exclaimed the mother to the young couple, Jiminy finally walked in last to walk in.
"And that's real thatch," commented the father.
"Honey, that's a big ham," commented the mother.
Jiminy's family sat down in chairs while the young blond woman walked over to Jiminy as he stood up halfway to get the cup of broth from her. "Thank you for your kindness," Jiminy smiled at her.
The mother looked at him with a hard look on her face, looking at them. "I just can't get it out of my mind. That family." She muttered to her husband as he leaned in while she was talking.
"Terrible way to go," he said to her.
"What?" asked the young blond woman, sitting down with the other three people sitting at the table. "What happened?"
"Plague," Jiminy's parents said in unison, looking at the couple.
The young woman gasped and looked at her husband as the husband looked at his wife.
"The next town over. We just passed through," lied the older woman to the young married couple.
"The plague?" the woman asked in shock.
"Well, a plague certainly," she said matter-of-factly.
"Is it coming here?" asked the young man. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, us? No, we're immune," said the father.
"We have Elf tonic," said the mother.
"Made by elves, from elves," said the father.
"Four out of five court physicians recommend it," said the mother.
"Fifth one died before he could try it," said the father, laughing.
"Well, you have it, right? Smart folks like you?" she questioned, looking at the couple.
"We've never heard of it," said the young woman, shaking her head slightly.
"Oh, no!" said the mother, placing her hand over her heart, shocked.
"Oh, dear God!" said the father, just as shocked.
"Oh, no. You're going to die. You need Elf tonic," said Jiminy just loud enough for them to hear.
"Oh, I wish we had extra," Jiminy's mom said in the saddest voice she could muster.
"We don't have extra," Jiminy's father said to the couple.
"There is no extra," Jiminy said, agreeing with his parents.
"We could pay you," said the young woman.
"We have a tiny bottle," said the father.
"But we need that for ourselves," said the mother, looking at her husband.
"What can we give you?" said the young man to the older couple.
"Surely there must be something here you would want," said the young woman, pleading with the couple.
The older couple looked at each other for a few seconds, having a conversation with their eyes before looking at the young couple. "I'm sure we could come up with something," said the mother.
Jiminy's father took out some gold coins and set them on the table then covered a dirty sheet over the pot kettle and put it into his arms.
"Well, I guess we should start loading up," said the mother while standing away from the table and smiling at the young couple. The father grunted with the stuff that was in the bag as she the mother Jiminy a look and opened the door up for her as she walked out of the couple's house the father followed behind her and he chuckled.
"Here you go," said Jiminy, giving them the fake Elf Tonic.
"Thank you," said the man as he and his wife smiled at Jiminy, they both sighed with relief.
Jiminy looked away and down as his smile faded from his lips, he walked out of their home and closed the door behind him while his parents shoved the things into their carriage.
"Those are good people. They would never have hurt us like that," said Jiminy to his parents.
"And that's where they went wrong," said the mother, tilting her head back to look at her son.
"It's better to be the kind of people that take..." said the father.
"Instead of those that get taken from," said the mother.
Jiminy looked down slightly then he took of tiny out of his pocket and looked at it as he held it tightly in his hand. He looked to the side, away from his parents, and into the forest. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at the tiny vile in his hand again and then looking at his parents. His mother looked at Jiminy with sad eyes. "You've given me no other choice," he whispered and splashed them with the liquid inside of the vile and they both gasped in shock.
They all looked at each other, Jiminy looked surprised that the potion didn't work on his parents. Then his mother smirked at her son, "How frail do you think we are, Son?" she asked.
"Rain water won't hurt us," said the father, looking down at the vile in Jiminy's hand and then back up to look at his son.
Jiminy looked down at the vile and then back up at his parents, surprised that they had figured out that he was trying to hurt them.
"I'm pretty good at sleight of hand, Jiminy," said the father as he laughed while his mother smirked at him.
"You switched them?" Jiminy asked his father, his voice pained. He looked back at the house where the young couple house. "If this was the Elf tonic..." he whispered to himself.
"Oh, my, we must've given whatever you had to that family," his father said cruelly.
"I hope it wasn't dangerous," said the mother.
Jiminy took off toward the house as his parents laughed, he ran toward the house and opened the door, walked in and it was silent. He looked down at the floor and he saw the vile near his feet, he picked it up and looked at it then he looked behind the door and saw the young couple on the bed. But they weren't human—they were puppets. Their faces were in mid-screaming when they finally turned into puppets.
Jiminy was gasping loudly as he backed away in shock. He fell down onto the chair of the table as he stared at the puppets of the young couple in shock. He couldn't believe that his parents would do this to him. Or to the couple. His parents walked into the house and they looked at the puppets with smirks on their faces.
"Oh, look at that," said the father.
"New puppets for the act," said the mother, they both laughed at the idea of putting the two new victims.
"Mama? Papa?" called out a little boy, he ran into the house with a bucket full of water. Jiminy and his parents looked at the little boy. "Who are you?" he asked the two strangers in his house. The boy turned around and saw his parents, he dropped the bucket from his hand. He was shocked and heartbroken at what his parents had become. "Mama? Papa?" he turned around and walked up to Jiminy, angry. "What did you do to them?" he asked, his voice shaking. "What did you do to them?" he yelled at him this time.
Jiminy was heartbroken when he saw the little boy, he couldn't believe he did this. If only he didn't gotten that potion from Rumpelstiltskin, if he didn't think horrible thoughts about getting rid of his parents and maybe, just maybe, the little boy's parents wouldn't have turned into puppets. He blames himself for all of this happening.
Dr. Hopper was in the tunnel and going through a door. "Henry? Ah!" He called out for him, tripping over a piece of rock. "Henry? Henry?" he said softly. "Henry?" he called out a bit louder as he continued walking down the tunnel. "Henry? Henry?" he called out once more before finally catching up to him. "You gotta slow down," he said, out of breath.
"There's something shiny down there," Henry said to Archie while he kneeled down and shone the flashlight down a small hole.
"Henry, this is seriously dangerous. We gotta get out of here," Archie told Henry with a bit of urgency in his voice.
"It could be something," said Henry as he continued peering in the hole.
"Henry, look at me!" Archie walked even closer to the other. "Look at me!" He was trying to get Henry to get out of the tunnel before it officially fell on the both of them. Henry looked at him but he didn't move an inch. "I'm frightened for you and me."
He pulled the flashlight away from the hole and looked at Archie full-on. "Because you think I'm crazy?" he said the last word with venom.
"No!" Archie yelled. "No," he whispered. Henry's face softened when the older male shook his head lightly. "Because we are trapped underground in an abandoned mine, Henry, " he breathed out, "and there is no way out."
Henry looked at Archie like he realized what he said, he couldn't believe that they were stuck in there with no way out. How stupid could he be? He wished that thought of an escape plane but he was so angry at what Archie had told him in the office earlier today.
Pongo was next to Ruby as he barked, as Regina and a few guys were working on the old mine. Regina looked over at the dog and rolled her eyes in annoyance as Ruby pulled on his collar slightly. Marco, Sheriff Graham, and Emma were standing near the only entrance to the old mine.
"Archie's smart," said Marco as Sheriff Graham looked back at Pongo and then back at the entrance. "He will keep the boy safe until we get to them." He pointed to the mine while other workers tossed rocks at each other and tossed them into a pile away from the entrance. Another rumble came from the ground, while everyone tried to not fall to their knees. "Watch out!" yelled Marco.
"Stop! Stop!" yelled Regina as she ran down the small hill.
"Clear the area!" yelled one male.
"Move! Move! Move!" yelled another male.
"You're making it worse," Regina yelled at the workers and Emma.
"I am trying to save him," Emma yelled as she walked up to the mayor. "You know why he went in there in the first place, don't you?" she asked her. "Because you made him feel like he had something to prove."
"And why does he think he has something to prove?" she fired back. "Who's encouraging him?"
"Do not put this on me," Emma said angrily.
"Oh, please, lecture me until his oxygen runs out," Regina said, she was about to cry but stopped herself as she walked away from Emma.
Pongo kept barking, it was like Pongo knew that Archie and Henry were close somehow and wanted to hear them.
"Henry, do you hear that?" Archie asked, hearing Pongo's barks. They both paused, straining to listen to those barks again. A few seconds later, they heard the barks again but louder this time.
"It's Pongo!" Henry said excitedly, he ran ahead of Archie with the flashlight in his hand.
"Follow the noise," Archie said as he followed Henry.
Emma was a few feet away from Regina, she slowly walked up to her and sighed heavily. "We have to stop this. Arguing won't accomplish anything."
Regina slowly turned around with tear-stained cheeks, sniffling as she looked at Emma with sad eyes. "No, it won't," she agreed.
Emma looked at her, surprised that she agreed with her. "What do you want me to do?" she asked her.
She was hesitant to say two words. "Help me," she said softly. She never thought she would say those two words to a woman who was trying to get close to her son. Emma nodded, placing her hands on her hips.
"It's loudest over here," Archie said as they found another opening with an elevator, they heard Pongo barking again.
"What's this?" Henry asked Archie, pointing the flashlight at it.
Archie pushed open a sheet that was blocking the elevator, looking at it. "Looks like an old elevator," he answered.
"We need to find some way to punch through the ground," Regina said to Emma. "We need something big."
"Like what?" Emma asked.
"Explosives," Marco answered, looking over at the pair.
"It's to get the mineworkers in and out," Archie explained. "It goes all the way to the top. That's why we could hear Pongo." He looked up, trying to see if he could see anything.
"Can we make it work?" he asked.
Archie pulled Henry out of the way from the elevator. "Let's give it a shot," he said.
Ruby, Regina, Emma, and the others all stood a distance away from the entrance while one of the workers held a bright red wire that was connected to an explosive.
"Okay, we're all clear," Emma said, looking over at the workers.
Archie and Henry were now standing on the old elevator of the mine, Archie pulled on the rope of the elevator twice. "Come on!" Archie grunted at Henry. Henry set the flashlight inside the elevator as he got in it and helped his friend pull on the rope.
"Blow it," Regina said, her voice hard as everyone got down behind a vehicle. Pongo was in the firetruck and his head out, whimpering softly.
Henry and Archie were still tugging on the rope, lifting them up just an inch.
The worker had the button to press the bomb, he stood up and pressed the button, hard. The bomb exploded at the entrance of the mine. Rocks and dirt flew in every direction, shaking the ground.
Archie and Henry felt the vibrations when they were in the elevator, they were a few yards into the air. Archie held onto Henry to make sure that he didn't get hurt. They dropped back to where they had started as they both groaned.
After it was settled, dust was floating in the air, everyone slowly got up from behind the cars. Emma ran down the hill into the mini dust storm to see if anything had happened. Regina was standing on the sidelines, waiting to see if it was okay to go in and help. Emma came back and went up the hill.
"Did it work?" asked Regina.
"It didn't open," said Emma.
"Then what did it do?" Graham asked, looking over at the mine entrance and then at Regina while she looked at the mine entrance. Her face was disappointed that it didn't work.
Mary Margaret Blanchard was in the hospital, piling her papers into a file and picking up her bag and over her shoulder as she looked at a male patient, smiling at him. "Have a good day," she said as the guy waved goodbye to her.
"Hey," said a male voice. David Nolan came into view, smiling at Mary Margaret. "Where are you going?" he asked, standing in front of her.
"Home," she simply said. "I'm done for the day." They stood there for what seemed forever. "Shouldn't you be resting?"
"Actually, Dr. Whale wants me to start physical therapy," he answered. "I'm supposed to walk thirty minutes a day on a treadmill or outside with an escort. But they're kind of short on personnel because of that thing that happened at the mine."
"Oh!" she said, remembering that she heard something about the mine.
"So, maybe if there was a volunteer willing to help...," he said, trying to get her to spend time with him. Mary Margaret smiled at him as he sighed softly.
They were outside now, they were sitting on a bench and watching the ocean. "I'm trying to remember this place," he said. They turned back as they slowly walked down the trail to the hospital. "It's like I woke up in some strange land."
"Is anything coming back?" she asked, curiously. He was silent for a good minute. She couldn't believe that nothing was coming back to him. "What about when you're with her? You remembered your dog."
He took a deep breath. "Yeah, I lied," he admitted.
"You did?" she asked, shocked, looking at him.
"She's just so loving, I didn't want to disappoint her." He sighed heavily, looking forward. "But none of it feels right. A dog named Ajax. Who would name a dog that?" Mary Margaret breathed out a laugh. "None of it makes sense. None of it... None of it feels real." They slowed their pace in walking.
"That sounds lonely," she said softly.
"Actually, one thing does feel real." He looked at Mary Margaret as she looked at him. "You."
She looked taken aback at what he said. "What?" she asked.
"I know it's crazy, but I swear, you're the only thing in this whole place that feels right." They both looked into each other's eyes and smiled. "Kathryn," he said, looking over Mary Margaret's shoulder.
"Right," she nodded, not understanding why he said his wife's name.
"Kathryn," he said again, walking around Mary Margaret she looked confused for half a second then she turned her head to see Kathryn walking toward them. "You're here," he said.
"I know it's outside of visiting hours but I needed to see you," she said, smiling. "I made some cranberry muffins." She handed the basket full of muffins. "They used to be your favorite."
All three of them stood there awkwardly, smiling at each other and looking at one another. Mary Margaret smiled at the both of them, clearing her throat. "I should leave you two," she said, walking away from them both.
David handed the basket to Kathryn. "Wait, Mary Margaret," He called out, running to catch up to her. She slowly turned back to look at him. "See you tomorrow?" She just smiled at him and walked away from him.
"What was that?" Regina asked angrily, walking away from the sight and up to the workers. "What the hell was that?" she yelled. "You said you could do this."
"Madam Mayor," Emma said, standing behind her, placing a hand on her arm.
Regina turned around and yanked her arm away from Emma. "They could've killed my son!"
"I know. But this isn't helping," Emma said, trying to calm her down.
"If we knew exactly where they were, we could drill down to them," suggested Marco to the Mayor, Pongo kept barking and whining, and Emma started racing toward Pongo. "Maybe rig something to bring them back up."
"But drill where?" asked Sheriff Graham.
Emma opened the firefighter's truck door. "Come on, buddy," Emma cooed to the dog. "What are you thinking?" Pongo ran toward something on the ground, Regina, Sheriff Graham, and Marco looked where Pongo was. "It's Archie's dog." Pongo was sniffing around the area as he was digging his nose into the ground. "He's found something." Pongo started whining as the four of them gathered around the dog. "Look, this is where they must be. What is it? Good boy."
Sheriff Graham and Marco got down on their knees and started pushing the dirt and the leaves around the concrete and both of them lifted it up and moved it aside.
"What is it?" asked Emma.
"It's an air shaft," answered Sheriff Graham.
Henry was looking up with the flashlight pointing up while Archie was sitting in the corner, looking up as well. "I'm really, really," he sighed as he sat down, "really sorry."
Archie nodded slightly, frowning. "It's all right," he spoke softly.
"I just wanted to find proof," Henry was determined.
"It's really all right, Henry. I'm sorry, too." Archie sighed, looking down as he shook his head. "Look, I don't think you're crazy. I just think that you have a very strong mother who's got a clear idea of a path that she wants you to be on and when you step off she gets scared. And that's natural." He paused. "But it's also natural for you to be able to be free to think the things that you want to think." He sighed. "Anyway, I didn't mean those things I said and I never should have said them."
Henry stayed silent, taking in all those words Archie said to him. "Then why did you?" he asked.
Archie took a long moment to answer the question, he looked to the side. "I guess I'm just not a very good person. I'm not the man I want to be." He answered.
A loud thudding noise came from above them, they both jerked forward and looked up. They were both scared that they weren't going to make it out of the mine.
Marco got a hook and placed it between the square metal bars, the hook was attached to a truck. "All right. Gun it!" Emma said to Ruby, Sheriff Graham, Billy, and a worker all helped pull off the metal air shaft. "All right, stop. We got it." Emma said once the guys got it off. "All right." Emma bent down, peering inside the air shaft.
"So, what's next?" asked Regina, peering down the air shaft as well.
Henry was still sitting down as he looked at Archie. "I think you can be him," he said to the other. "I think you can be a good person. I mean, you're Jiminy Cricket."
Archie scooted closer to Henry. "Henry, Jiminy Cricket was a cricket, okay? And he was a conscience. And I hardly think that's me."
"But before he was that, he was a guy who took a long time to figure out the right thing to do." They both smiled at each other, grateful that they had each other in this situation.
"That kind of sounds like me," Archie agreed, nodding.
"Now it's harder for you because of the curse." He paused, thinking that Archie would say something about the curse. "To hear the voice inside of you. To be who you want to be." Another loud thudding noise came above them, they held onto whatever they could hold on to, and the dirt came down on their heads.
Marco was messing with the crane that was attached to the truck. "You need to lower someone straight down, or the line will collapse the sides of the shaft."
"I've got the harness," answered Graham.
"Lower me down," said Regina.
"Oh, no way. I'm going." Emma interjected.
"He's my son."
"He's my son, too," Emma said gently. "You've been sitting behind a desk for ten years. I can do this."
Regina took a step forward toward Emma, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Just bring him to me."
Emma gave her a sweet smile as she took a step back and looked down at the shaft. Graham has the harness in his hands. Regina turned her back to them, trying not to think of possible scenarios about her son.
Dirt was falling onto Henry and Archie, Henry was dusting off the dirt that fell on him. "Hey, can I ask you again?" Archie asked.
"Ask what?" Henry asked, looking through his bookbag.
"Why do you think it's so important that your fairy tale theory is true?" he asked softly.
He shrugged, looking at Archie. "I don't know."
"Give it a shot."
Henry took out a candy bar and handed it to Archie. "'Cause this can't be all there is."
He scoffed, nodding. "I understand."
"I thought if I found proof...," he started saying, trying to think of the right words. "But I didn't find anything."
"That's not true," he said quickly. "I was lost and you found me, right?"
"You mean, you remember?" he asked, hopeful.
"No, I don't remember. But I do remember the kind of person I want to be." Archie smiled at Henry, and he smiled back. "I just gotta listen harder." Gravel started clattering on their heads, and they both looked up.
Henry saw a flashlight above them, eyes squinting slightly. "What's that?" he asked.
"I think it's a rescue," Archie answered, sounding hopeful. They both stood up as Emma came closer down to the air shaft.
"Are you guys okay?" she called out to them with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, we're okay," Archie answered.
"Hang on, Henry," she called out to him. "Okay, that's good. Stop." She called into her walkie-talkie that was on her shoulder. Emma pulled up an opening on the air shaft, she moved it off to the side while Archie was coughing.
Archie lifted Henry onto his shoulders, and Emma grabbed Henry through the hole. "Here you go, up." He muttered, grunting as he lifted him up.
"Come on," she grunted through her teeth, pulling Henry up. "I got you. Okay. I got him." She said to Archie, once she fully got him up on the air shaft.
"You got him? Is he safe?" Archie asked. The air shaft started rattling hard, it would collapse at any moment.
"Archie?" she called while Emma and Henry looked down at him.
"It's gonna fall!" he yelled out.
"I'm sorry!" she yelled at him.
The air shaft was shaking harder and harder with every second that they were down there. "It's okay!" he yelled to her.
"Archie!" Emma and Henry said in unison as the air shaft fell down at fast speed, till it hit the bottom ground, a loud clanking sound echoed.
Archie looked up at the both of them while the two looked down at him. Archie used his umbrella and hooked his handle on a zinc-plated steel carabiner snap hook, they both smiled and sighed in relief that he was okay and safe. Henry gave him a thumbs-up as Archie smiled at him in return.
Marco and Sheriff Graham pulled them up with ropes, a worker helped out Henry first to get out of the air Shafter. Everyone in town was clapping and cheering for their safety. Regina was smiling, her heart was bursting with happiness that her son wasn't hurt. They all eventually got out of the air shaft safely. Regina pulled Henry into a tight hug and pulled him away from everyone.
Emma stumbled slightly and Sheriff Graham caught her to steady her as she looked at Henry and Regina. Marco and Archie hugged each other tightly.
Emma ran over to Henry with a smile on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked him.
Regina pushed Emma's hands and nudged her away from her and Henry. "Deputy, you can clear the crowd away."
Emma looked at her in disbelief. Regina looked at Henry as she pushed his hair out of his eyes. She was happy to finally see her son again, she was happy that he didn't get hurt while he was there. Emma continued to stand there in disbelief.
"Thank you, Dr. Hopper," Regina said walking over to him with a smile.
"I, uh, I have something to say," he said as he looked away, he walked to the side as she followed him. "I'm gonna continue to treat Henry. And I'm gonna do it my own way."
Regina was taken aback by his words. "My relief at his safety hasn't changed a thing, Dr. Hopper. You will do as I say or..."
"Or what?" he interrupted her. "You'll ruin my life? You'll do your worst? Because I will always do my best."
"Don't test me," Regina threatened.
"I don't need to. Because you're gonna leave me alone and let me do my work in peace."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Because someday, Madam Mayor, you may find yourself in a custody battle. And do you know how the court determines who is a fit parent? They consult an expert. Particularly one who has treated the child." He paused, letting the words sink in before continuing on. "So I suggest that you think about that and you allow me to do my work. And let me do it the way my conscience tells me to." Archie walked away after standing up to Regina, he felt proud of himself. Regina stood there stunned by what Dr. Hopper told her.
Jiminy and his parents were at their carriage, they were miles away from the house now. They were in the middle of nowhere, cows near their carriage, eating grass. Jiminy was walking near the fence as he looked up at the moon. It was bright. He saw a bright shining star. Or so he thought it was a star. He looked amazed by it. "I wish...," he said out loud, he closed his eyes as he made his wish, and he turned around slowly. "I wish...," he started out again, he looked down at the ground.
The 'star' started shining brighter and brighter, it was coming forward to Jiminy. He looked up and to the side. It was the Blue Fairy! He jumped back in shock.
"I hear your wish," said the Blue Fairy. "You don't need to wish it so loudly." Jiminy smiled as big as he could. He couldn't believe that his wish was about to come true. "But it is not possible. I cannot bring back the boy's parents."
He was disappointed that he couldn't bring back the boy's parents. It was his fault that they got turned into puppets. "It's my fault. I have to make it right. I... I would trade my life to make it happen."
"What's done is done. But there may be another way." She reassured him.
"Tell me. Please." He begged.
"The little boy, he will grow up to face many challenges. Do you want to help him?" she asked.
"Uh...," he looked back at his parents' carriage. "I can't get away from these people. They're my parents. They're who I am."
"But if you didn't want to be that, what would you like to be?" she asked gently.
Crickets started chirping loudly, he slightly turned his head to listen to them. He looked over to the Blue Fairy and knew what he wanted to make his wish be.
"I hear your wish," she said with a smile, she flicked her wand lightly toward Jiminy. A blue flash of light turned him into a cricket the Blue Fairy chuckled, seeing how happy Jiminy was. "How do you feel?"
Free, he chirped to her.
"Find the boy, Jiminy. You will love as many years as you need to help him. Just find him," she encouraged him.
How will I? I don't even know his name, he chirped.
"His name is Geppetto."
"It's just—who knows where it was from—" Marco told Archie, Archie was laughing at what Marco said.
"Is that Archie's father?" Emma asked Henry. They were sitting a distance away as they watched the two—along with Pongo.
"No. They're just old friends," Henry answered.
Emma looked over at Henry and placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it gently. "You really scared me," she said.
"I'm sorry," he said, sighing.
"Gentlemen," Emma cleared her throat as she looked over at Marco, Archie, and Pongo. "Come on. Your mom wants to take you home."
"Hey! Listen!" said Henry, everyone could hear the crickets chirping—no crickets had ever chirped in Storybrooke in years.
"Crickets," Archie said out loud.
"They're back. Things are changing," Henry said with a smile.
Emma looked at Archie and raised her eyebrow at the words. They were thinking the same thing but weren't going to say it out loud.
Mr. Gold was in his shop, checking everything to make sure that they were all there. He walked past two puppets that were sitting next to a lamp on a glass counter. They were the same ones Jiminy's parents had switched the potions.
Mary Margaret was in the hospital, she was in a slight daze. She went to the front desk with a letter in her hand that read:
Storybrooke General Hospital
Attn Administration;
Re: Letter of resignation.
Please accept this letter as my official notice of resignation. I have enjoyed my experience here at Storybrooke General Hospital. I want to inform you that I will never be coming back. I wish I could stay here and help out more. I wish I could explain more about why I am resigning but I can't.
Mary Margaret Blanchard
Mary Margaret folded up the letter and put it into the envelope, setting it in one of the cubby holes.
Emma, Marco, Sheriff Graham, Archie, and Pongo were all standing around the firetruck, they were all talking and having a good time. Marco handed a flask to Sheriff Graham and shook his head. "Oh no," said Graham, and Marco took a drink while Emma laughed and petted Pongo.
Most of the town was drinking and eating at the mine site. Regina stood near the air shaft and looked down at it then she looked over at all of the people that were having a good time. She took out the piece that she found earlier that day from her pocket and dropped it down the air shaft. It was shining bright. The glass piece did a little clink when it reached the ground.