–[Real World]–

(At Mary Margaret’s apartment, August installs a deadbolt on the front door. Emma and Mary Margaret watch.)

August: No one… Is getting through that.

Emma: Wow. When are you installing the torture chamber?

August: You don’t like it? I call it Medieval Chic.

MMB: I don’t care what it looks like, as long as it keeps Regina and her skeleton keys out.

Emma: This is pretty handy for a writer. Where’d you learn how to do all this?

August: Wood shop. Eighth grade.

MMB: Oh, speaking of school, have to get going.

Emma; Um, are you sure you’re ready to go back?

MMB: After a stint behind bars, how tough can a room full of fourth graders be? Besides, aren’t you the one we need to be worried about?

Emma: Me? Why?

August: Well… You did threaten to take Henry away from Regina.

Emma: Oh, that wasn’t a threat. I’m hiring Mr. Gold to help build a case against her. She tried to frame you for murder.

MMB: But, you do know what happens if you win?

Emma: Yeah.

MMB: And you’re ready? To be his mom?

Emma: Yeah.

(Henry’s voice comes through the walkie talkie.)

Henry: Code red. Code red.

(Emma picks it up and responds.)

Emma: Hey, Henry. What’s going on?

Henry: Meet me at Granny’s. It’s an Operation Cobra emergency.

Emma: I’m on my way.

(Emma leaves and starts walking down the main street towards Granny’s Diner. August follows her.)

August: Emma, wait up.

Emma: You heard the kid – Operation Cobra calls.

August: I didn’t think you believed any of that.

Emma: Oh, I don’t. But, sometimes, it’s the only way to get through to Henry.

August: You know, a custody battle against Regina isn’t going to accomplish anything. You need to look at the big picture. That’s the only way you’re going to understand what you’re up against. That’s the only way you’ll know how to beat Regina.

Emma: Okay, new guy. How’s that?

August: Take the day off. Come with me, and I’ll show you.

Emma: And where exactly would we be going on this magical mystery tour?

August: If I told you, you would never come.

(Emma walks on ahead.)

August: Oh, come on. Take a leap of faith. You come with me, and I promise you – you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for.

Emma: My kid needs me. I don’t have time for faith.

———–

(Henry is sitting at a booth in the diner. He has a cup of hot chocolate, a plate of food, and his book on the table. Emma enters and sits next to him.)

Emma: Hey. What’s the emergency?

Henry: Shh! This is sensitive.

Emma: If it’s sensitive, why are we at Granny’s, out in the open?

Henry: I’m hungry. Who else knows that we hide the book at the Sheriff’s station?

Emma: No one. Why?

Henry: Someone changed it. There’s a new story in it.

Emma: Why would someone add a new story?

Henry: To tell something we need to know about the curse.

Emma: And what would that be?

Henry: I don’t know. The story isn’t finished.

Emma: Why would someone go to so much trouble to add a new story, and then not bother finishing it?

Henry: That’s what’s weird. The story’s about Pinocchio. Everyone knows how that ends.

Emma: Well, maybe that’s why it was left out.

Henry: Or, maybe, there’s more to it.

Emma: Henry, you are going to be late for school. Let’s go.

–[Fairy Tale World]–

(Geppetto and Pinocchio are on a makeshift raft/sailboat in the middle of the ocean. They are in the middle of a violent storm and are being chased by a whale. They are struggling to stay aboard.)

Geppetto: Hold on, my boy!

Pinocchio: I’m trying, father! Faster, father! Faster! He’s catching up!

Geppetto: The current! It’s too strong! Don’t let go!

Pinocchio: What is it?

Geppetto: We must abandon ship. Take this. This is the only one.

(Geppetto hands Pinocchio a life preserver.)

Pinocchio: No, father. I’m made of wood. I’ll float. We can both survive.

Geppetto: No. We don’t risk.

Pinocchio: Whoa! No, father! You take it! Save yourself!

(The whale approaches the raft, prepared to swallow them. Pinocchio throws himself off the raft and into the water.)

Geppetto: Pinocchio!

———–

(Geppetto wakes up on the shore, alone, holding onto the life preserver. The raft has been smashed to pieces and is scattered along the shoreline.)

Geppetto: Pinocchio? Pinocchio? You saved me… Oh, where are you? Oh, where are you?

(He sees Pinocchio a few feet away. However, he is not moving and appears to have turned back into a puppet. Geppetto rushes over and gathers Pinocchio in his arms.)

Geppetto: Oh, no. No….

Geppetto: I wish I could’ve saved you, my boy.

(The Blue Fairy appears.)

Blue Fairy: We still can.

Geppetto: Please. Save him.

(Pinocchio is consumed by a blue light, then is magically transformed into a human boy by the Blue Fairy.)

Pinocchio: Father?

Geppetto: Pinocchio. Look.

Pinocchio: I’m a… A real boy. I’m a real boy!

Geppetto: Thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you. Th… This is all I… I ever wanted.

Blue Fairy: You and Pinocchio have found each other. Now, go. Live your life together as a family.

Geppetto: Come, my son.

Blue Fairy: Remember, Pinocchio. Be brave, truthful, and unselfish. So long as you do that, you will always remain a real boy.

–[Real World]–

(At his room at the inn, August sits at his desk and stares at a small hat resembling the one Pinocchio was wearing. He picks up the phone and dials a number.)

August: Mr. Gold? We need to meet. It’s about Emma. There’s a…problem. Mmhmm.

(He hangs up. August goes to leave, but grimaces in pain as he reaches the door. He falls back onto the bed and pulls his pant leg up, revealing a wooden leg.)

———–

(Mary Margaret is outside the school, watching the kids play. Regina arrives with a lunchbox.)

Regina: Miss Blanchard. I see you’re back.

MMB: Yes. Isn’t it wonderful? Everything worked out.

Regina: Henry forgot his lunch. Have you seen him?

MMB: He’s with his mother.

Regina: Miss Blanchard, is there a problem?

MMB: Not any more. Though, someone did go to a lot of trouble to make it look like I had done something horrible. But they failed.

Regina: Yes, Sidney Glass. Who’s safely incarcerated.

MMB: If, it was Sidney.

Regina: Well, ask your roommate. He confessed.

MMB: Of course he did.

Regina: Are you insinuating something?

MMB: Yes, I am. But I forgive you. Even if you can’t admit what you did, I forgive you anyway. Your life must be filled with such incredible loneliness, if your only joy comes from destroying everyone else’s happiness. It’s so sad, Mayor Mills, because, despite what you think, it won’t make you happy. It’s only going to leave a giant hole in your heart. There’s Henry now.

(Mary Margaret leaves as Henry approaches them.)

Henry: What are you doing here?

Regina: You forgot your lunchbox.

Henry: Thanks?

Regina: Henry, it’s time for a change. I think it’s time to transfer you to a new class with a new teacher.

Henry: Why do you want me out of Miss Blanchard’s class? Is it because you framed her?

Regina: Henry! Do you really think I’m capable of doing something so horrible?

Henry: Of course. You’re the Evil Queen.

Regina: Enough. Those fairy tales are not real. Miss Blanchard should never have given you that book. She should be grateful I’m not trying to get her fired.

Henry: Go ahead and try. It won’t work. No matter what you do, Snow White will have her happy ending. She and Prince Charming will be together. The curse will end. Good will win. And I’m not transferring classes.

———–

(August enters Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop. Marco is there discussing a clock with Mr. Gold.)

Mr. Gold: Ah, Mr. Booth. I’ll be with you in a moment. On second thought, tell me – as one admirer of antiquities to another – do you think it’s worth my while having this clock repaired?

(August says nothing as he stares at Marco.)

Mr. Gold: I’ll take your silence as a yes, then.

Marco: You know, I’m very busy right now. And, uh, I’m just a one-man shop. But, uh, I’ll get to the clock as fast as I can.

Mr. Gold: I wouldn’t ask for anything more.

(Marco picks up the clock and goes to leave.)

Marco: Good day.

August: H-how are you?

(Marco exits the shop.)

Mr. Gold: First time seeing dear old dad since you arrived at Storybrooke?

August: I’m so-sor…

Mr. Gold: You know, what surprises me is, why a man who claims to be at death’s door can’t even bring himself to say hello to his father. What are you afraid of?

August: That’s, uh… That’s my business.

Mr. Gold: Oh. Fair enough. Let’s talk about ours. You claim to be the only person who can make Miss Swan believe. That you could get her to do exactly what she was brought here to do. And yet, for a man who’s running out of time, you don’t seem to be in much of a hurry.

August: It’s not me slowing us down. It’s her. All she can think about right now is getting custody of her kid.

Mr. Gold: Sounds like Sheriff Swan needs a course correction.

August: She’s coming to you for legal advice.

Mr. Gold: And you want me to steer her toward you?

August: I can get her there. To believing. Trust me.

Mr. Gold: Ah. I’m sorry. It’s just that, knowing who you are and your nature, trust is a big ask. Fear not. A gentle nudge I shall provide.

–[Fairy Tale World]–

(Geppetto and Pinocchio are fixing a clock in Marco’s wood shop.)

Geppetto: Align the gear on the spindle. Now, press the spring. Oh! Good work! You fixed it, eh? Bravo!

(Jiminy Cricket pops out of the clock, tied to where the cuckoo bird usually sits.)

Jiminy: Aah!

Geppetto: Did you do this, Pinocchio? Remember what the Blue Fairy told you about being a good boy?

Jiminy: Thanks. Oh, it’s okay. He meant no harm. I’d be laughing, too, if… I wasn’t so dizzy.

(The Blue Fairy appears.)

Pinocchio: I’m sorry. I meant to be good.

Blue Fairy: I’m not here because of you, Pinocchio. I’m afraid I bring bad news.

Geppetto: Wait in your room, my boy. Go on.

Jiminy: H-hang on, Pinocchio. I’ll come with you.

(Geppetto and the Blue Fairy are left alone to talk.)

Geppetto: What is it?

Blue Fairy: The Evil Queen… She’s threatened the entire kingdom with a curse. A curse that will rip away all that we love.

Geppetto: Then, we must stop her.

Blue Fairy: It is too late for that.

Geppetto: So, all is lost?

Blue Fairy: No. There is hope… If you will help us.

Geppetto: Me?

Blue Fairy: Snow White is about to give birth to a child. A child who will save us all when she reaches her twenty-eighth year. But only if she can be protected from the powerful effects of the dark curse.

Geppetto: But how can I protect this child?

Blue Fairy: There is an enchanted tree, much like the one you carved Pinocchio from. If fashioned into a vessel, it can protect the child from the Queen’s magic. Will you do this?

Geppetto: I cannot lose my boy. I have lost… So much. I cannot lose him, too.

Blue Fairy: Then build the wardrobe. That’s how you will save us all.

–[Real World]–

(Emma is talking to Mr. Gold in his shop.)

Emma: I have to save him. I have to get Henry away from Regina.

Mr. Gold: I must admit, your intentions are admirable. However, I won’t be taking your case.

Emma: What? You know what Regina did.

Mr. Gold: Yes, but we can’t prove it. And, given the Mayor’s sway in this town, any proceedings against her would be long and drawn out and futile. The only certainty is, Henry would suffer. You can’t do that to your boy.

Emma: So, we leave him in the same house with that sociopath?

Mr. Gold: I’m sorry, Sheriff. My mind’s made up.

Emma: Well, then change it. The only person I’ve ever seen go head-to-head with Regina and win is you.

Mr. Gold: That’s because I know how to pick my battles.

Emma: Then, pick this one.

Mr. Gold: I’m sorry. I’m afraid I’m just simply not the man to help you beat Mayor Mills.

Emma: No. You’re not.

(Emma storms out of the shop.)

———–

(Emma knocks on the door to August’s room. August answers.)

August: Emma.

Emma: Hey.

(She pushes past him and goes into his room.)

August: Take it easy. Is everything okay?

Emma: No. I am just about out options.

August: Just about?

Emma: You told me to beat Regina, I need to see the big picture. Show it to me.

———–

(David is leaving work, when he sees Regina looking under the hood of her car.)

Regina: Oh! Ow!

David: Car trouble?

Regina: It won’t start. Got a car full of groceries, and, well, it hasn’t exactly been a banner day.

David: Well, now, let’s see.

(He tries the ignition, but the car doesn’t start.)

David: The battery’s dead.

Regina: What?

David: I don’t have any jumper cables, but I can give you a ride home in my truck.

Regina: Oh, no, no. Thank you, but I couldn’t impose.

David: I insist. Unless you want to have a car full of melted rocky road.

Regina: Sure.

———–

(The two of them walk up the walkway of Regina’s house.)

Regina: Thank you for being my knight in shining armor.

David: Well, it’s more like flannel. But, you’re welcome.

Regina: Hey. Why don’t you stay for dinner? I bought more than enough for me and Henry, and… Well, I’m making lasagna.

David: Oh, I-I shouldn’t. It’s getting late, and I’ve got to get up early tomorrow for work.

Regina: Of course.

(Regina unlocks the door and the two of them enter.)

Regina: Oh, you can just set the bags over there.

(Regina spies a folded piece of paper on the table. ‘Mom’ is written on the front of it. She picks it up.)

David: What is it?

(Regina pretends to read the note, but really, it’s a blank piece of paper.)

Regina: Henry. He’s having dinner with Archie after his session instead of coming home.

David: I’m sorry.

Regina: Lately, it seems like he’ll do anything to avoid spending time with me. But I-I shouldn’t be burdening you with my problems. You’ve already helped me more than enough for one day. Thank you.

David: You know what? I do love lasagna.

–[Fairy Tale World]–

(In the woods, the Blue Fairy leads Geppetto and Pinocchio to the enchanted tree.)

Blue Fairy: The Evil Queen will stop at nothing to destroy Snow White and Prince Charming’s happiness. We must stop at nothing to undo her curse.

(They arrive at the tree.)

Geppetto: It’s beautiful.

Blue Fairy: This is the last enchanted tree in the entire realm.

Geppetto: It can be done. I can make a beautiful wardrobe out of this.

Blue Fairy: The tree contains enough magic to protect two from the Queen’s curse. Before the curse strikes – before Snow gives birth to her child – she and the Prince will enter the wardrobe and travel to a distant land. A land without magic, where Snow will give birth to her child. Then, when she reaches her twenty-eighth year, she can begin the battle that will defeat the Evil Queen. You see why it is vital that you complete the task at hand?

Geppetto: Pinocchio wasn’t always a real boy. When the curse strikes, when the things we love are ripped away, he will be turned back into wood again, won’t he?

Blue Fairy: I’m afraid it’s impossible to say.

Jiminy: Uh, um… You’re frightening the boy.

Geppetto: Oh, no. Shh. I will build your wardrobe, on one condition… If Pinocchio can take the second spot in it.

Jiminy: You can’t bargain like this. Not when the entire realm is in danger.

Geppetto: If I don’t, I will lose my boy. Maybe forever. I-I can’t risk that. Snow can raise the child without her husband.

Jiminy: Geppetto, think about the example you’re setting for Pinocchio.

Geppetto: Oh! Oh! You may be a conscience, but you have not earned the right to tell me what to do.

Jiminy: Please. I’m only trying to help.

Geppetto: Help? Help, like you ‘helped’ my parents? Your debt to me can never be fulfilled. But a start would be staying out of this. Understand?

Jiminy: Yes.

Geppetto: Good. Hey. Hey. Here. Here, boy. Pinocchio goes through… Or no one does.

Blue Fairy: And what will we tell the Prince and Snow White?

Geppetto: You will tell them that the tree contains enough magic to protect only one. Do we have a deal… Or no?

———–

(Everyone is gathered around a table at the castle. Prince Charming is leading the discussion. Guards enter, dragging behind them a piece of the tree.)

Blue Fairy: The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse. Geppetto, can you build such a thing?

Geppetto: Me and my boy, we can do it.

Blue Fairy: This will work. We all must have faith. There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is, indeed, powerful, but all power has its limits. And this tree can protect only one. A choice must be made.

–[Real World]–

(Emma and August are on August’s motorcycle. They approach the boundary of Storybrooke.)

Emma: August, you going to tell me where we’re going, and how it’s going to help me beat Regina?

August: We’re going on a trip, Emma, so I can tell you somebody’s story.

Emma: Whose story?

August: Mine.

(They drive past the Storybrooke sign, leaving the town.)

———–

(Regina and David are finishing dinner.)

Regina: How did you like it?

David: Best lasagna I ever had. You really know how to work some magic. Here. Let me get the dishes.

Regina: Oh, no, David.

David: No, no, no, no. It’s the least I can do.

Regina: You saved me from having to call the tow truck today, and now, you’re doing my dishes. It doesn’t seem right.

David: Please. The last couple of weeks haven’t exactly been easy for me, and you’ve been there the whole time.

Regina: Well, I can’t help it. I feel responsible for you. Ever since I… Found you.

David: You know, after all this time, no one’s ever told me the story.

Regina: What story?

David: About how you found me.

Regina: That’s probably because I’m the only one who knows it. I was working late. It… It was a cold night. Must’ve been ten below. And on my drive home, I realized I left my phone at the office. I remember thinking just to forget about it and I didn’t really need it. But… Something inside me told me to turn around and go back.

David: And, that’s when you saw me?

Regina: You were on the side of the road, unconscious. So cold you felt like ice. The doctor said if I found you ten minutes later, it would’ve been too late. It’s amazing, isn’t it? If I hadn’t forgotten my phone, I wouldn’t have been on the road at that time.

David: Yeah, it’s almost… Almost like the universe wanted you to find me.

(Regina leans in for a kiss, but David stops her.)

David: Uh… I-I’m sorry. I-I hope you didn’t get the wrong idea.

Regina: No, I’m sorry. I just got caught up in the moment.

David: You don’t have to apologize. I just… We… This is great like it is. Thanks again for dinner.

(David leaves. Regina stares at herself in the mirror for a moment, then smashes it with a wine glass. It shatters.)

–[Fairy Tale World]–

(The Evil Queen and her cohorts and seen traveling through the forest towards the castle. The purple smoke of the curse is behind them. Snow White, who is in labour, is screaming as Prince Charming tries to comfort her.)

Prince Charming: Doc, do something. It’s going to be okay. The wardrobe’s almost finished. Just… Just hold on.

———–

(Geppetto, Pinocchio, and Jiminy are working on the wardrobe. The Blue Fairy appears.)

Blue Fairy: Circumstances have changed.

Geppetto: What do you mean, changed?

Blue Fairy: Snow White is going to give birth early. The saviour will be born at any moment. Pinocchio can’t go. Snow White must accompany her daughter, or all will be lost. She must be protected. This is a land with no magic. She will need someone to guide her. Someone to make her believe in her destiny. Who better than her mother?

Geppetto: But we had a deal.

Blue Fairy: There is no time to argue. The curse is almost upon us, and I must return to the fairies to make final preparations. It is vital that you tell Snow White what I just told you. Her child is our only hope. She is the only one who can save us.

Geppetto: And my boy… What will happen to him?

Blue Fairy: All we can do is have faith that, one day, the saviour will restore all that we have lost.

(The Blue Fairy exits.)

Pinocchio: Shall we tell Snow White?

Geppetto: No. Get in the wardrobe, my boy.

Jiminy: Geppetto, you can’t. Things have changed. The saviour needs her mother.

Geppetto: No, she needs someone to protect her – to make her believe in her destiny. My boy… He can do that.

Pinocchio: I don’t understand, father. She said-

Geppetto: I don’t care what she said. All that matters, is you are safe.

Pinocchio: But you told me to be honest, father. You told me not to lie.

Geppetto: Sometimes… We have to lie to protect the people we love, eh? You must look out for the child in this new land. You must protect her.

Pinocchio: I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you.

Geppetto: Pinocchio, you must remember what the Blue Fairy said. In twenty-eight years, you must make sure the saviour believes. Promise me you’ll do that. That is the only way we’ll… We’ll see each other again.

Pinocchio: I promise.

Geppetto: Oh, good. Here.

Jiminy: There will be many temptations in this new world, Pinocchio. But, as long as you remain brave, truthful, and unselfish, you will not fail.

Geppetto: Here. Get in. Get in. Get in.

(Geppetto guides Pinocchio into the wardrobe.)

Geppetto: You’ll find me again. And, on that day, I will look at you with pride. You will be a great man, my son.

(Geppetto shuts the door and the wardrobe begins to rumble. When the noise stops, he checks the wardrobe and Pinocchio is gone.)

–[Real World]–

(Emma and August arrive at their destination, which turns out to be a diner at the side of the road.)

Emma: What the hell is this?

August: Last I checked, it was a diner.

Emma: No more screwing around. I am not a character in one of your books. What the hell are we doing here?

August: I think you know. You’ve been here before.

(August takes out a newspaper article and shows it to Emma.)

August: This is the diner you were brought to when you were found as a baby.

Emma: So, you found an article about me. So what? I thought this trip was supposed to be about you.

August: It is. This is my story, and it’s your story.

Emma: And how is that?

August: That seven year old boy who found you… That was me.

–[Real World (Past)]–

(In the middle of the woods, a tree begins shaking and then breaks apart. Pinocchio, who has been transported to the Real World, climbs out. He looks around, and then hears a plane flying overhead. Scared, he tries to climb back into the tree, but is thrown back by a force. Pinocchio has a series of flashbacks about his time in Fairy Tale World and what Geppetto told him to do. When he comes to, the tree begins shaking again. Baby Emma, wrapped in a blanket, appears inside the tree. Pinocchio picks her up as she starts crying.)

–[Real World]–

(August and Emma are walking through the forest.)

Emma: Why are we in the woods?

August: All the answers you’ve been searching for are right where I found you.

Emma: See? You’re not that seven year old boy. I wasn’t found in the woods. I was found on the side of a highway.

August: Why do you think that? Because you read it in the newspaper? Did it ever occur to you that, maybe, that seven year old boy lied about where he found you?

Emma: No. But it occurs to me that you’ve been lying to me about everything. And I’m done listening.

August: When I found you, you were wrapped in a blanket. And the name ‘Emma’ was embroidered along the bottom of it. That wasn’t in the article, was it? How would I know that unless I was there?

Emma: Okay. Let’s say you were that kid. Why lie about where you found me?

August: I lied to protect you.

Emma: From what?

August: That.

(August points to a tree.)

Emma: A tree?

August: You’ve read Henry’s book, right? You know about the curse, don’t you? Your role in it? It’s true, Emma. We both came into this world… Through this tree.

Emma: You’re asking me to believe that you are a fairy tale character?

August: Pinocchio.

Emma: Right, of course. Pinocchio. Explains all the lying. You’re the one who added the story to Henry’s book.

August: I needed you to know the truth.

Emma: The truth is, you are out of your mind, and you’re not even a very good liar. Why not write the end of that story?

August: Because this is the ending, and we’re writing it right now.

Emma: And how does this story end?

August: With you believing.

Emma: Not going to happen.

(Emma starts to leave.)

August: Emma? Emma, wait.

(August attempts to chase after her, but the pain in his leg causes him to fall down.)

Emma: What. Is wrong. With your leg?

August: I failed.

Emma: What are you talking about?

August: It doesn’t matter. You don’t believe.

Emma: If you think that by making me feel sorry for you that something’s going to change, you are wrong.

August: I am not screwing around here. Whatever you believe, or don’t, this is real, Emma. I am sick.

Emma: That’s an understatement.

August: You ever been to Phuket? It’s beautiful. Amazing island, full of pleasures. The perfect place to lose oneself. That’s where I was when you decided to stay in Storybrooke.

Emma: How do you know when I decided to stay in Storybrooke?

August: Because at eight fifteen in the morning, I woke up with a shooting pain in my leg. That’s eight fifteen at night in Storybrooke. Sound familiar? That’s when time there started to move forward again. I was supposed to be there for you. And I wasn’t. Because I was halfway around the world, I got a painful reminder of just how far I’d strayed. If that tree won’t make you believe, maybe this will.

(August pulls up his pant leg, revealing his wooden leg. However, from Emma’s perspective, his leg is normal.)

Emma: How does that prove anything?

August: Look.

Emma: August, I’m looking.

August: You don’t see it, do you?

Emma: See what?

August: Your denial is more powerful than I thought. It’s preventing you from seeing truth.

Emma: Okay, one of us is losing it here, and it’s not me.

August: You don’t want to believe. After everything you’ve seen, why can’t you just do it?

Emma: Why is it so important to you that I do?

August: Because I, the town… Everyone needs you.

Emma: I don’t want them to need me.

August: Well, that’s too bad, because we all do.

Emma: You’re saying that I am responsible for everyone’s happiness? That is crap! I didn’t ask for that. I don’t want it.

August: Right now. A little while ago, you didn’t want Henry, either. But then, he came to you, and now, you are fighting like hell for him.

Emma: For him! Because that is all I can handle right now. And I’m not even doing a good job at that! Now, you’re telling me I have to save everyone? That is beyond ridiculous. I don’t want any of it.

August: Well, that’s too bad, Emma, because that doesn’t change the truth. You are our only hope.

Emma: Then you’re all screwed.

–[Real World (Past)]–

(At an orphanage, Emma is crying in her crib while Pinocchio tries to settle her.)

Pinocchio: Shh. Shh. Don’t cry, Emma. Look at me. Watch this.

(He makes funny faces at Emma.)

Pinocchio: There. That’s better, right?

(He goes to fix one of the legs of the crib, when a man enters.)

Mr. Raskind: Do those tools belong to you?

Pinocchio: I was just trying to fix the crib. I didn’t want Emma to fall out and get hurt.

Mr. Raskind: Don’t ever touch anything in this house again. Nothing belongs to you.

Pinocchio: Yes, Mr. Raskind.

(The man takes the toolbox from Pinocchio and leaves the room. Another boy enters.)

Boy: Hey. You okay? Uh, can you keep a secret?

(Pinocchio nods. The other boy pulls out a wad of bills.)

Pinocchio: Wow. Where’d you get that?

Boy: I stole it from the sock drawer. It’s enough to buy us all bus tickets out of here.

Pinocchio: You’re leaving? When?

Boy: Right now. You want to come?

Pinocchio: I told my father I’d take care of Emma. Can she come? Please?

Boy: We can’t take care of baby. You want to stay here for the rest of your life, be my guest.

Pinocchio: Wait! I’m sorry, Emma.

(Pinocchio kisses his hand and presses it to Emma’s forehead. He then leaves with the other kids.)

–[Real World]–

(Marco is in his garage, attempting to repair the clock from Mr. Gold. August walks by, then stops to help him fix it.)

Marco: Faster and faster. Come on. Work, work, work…

August: Align the gear on the spindle, then press the spring.

(Marco does as he says, and the cuckoo works.)

Marco: Who taught you that?

August: My father.

Marco: He taught you well. He must be very proud.

August: I don’t know about that. Don’t think I became the man he wanted me to be.

Marco: Well, have you tried to make it up to him?

August: I made him a promise… A long time ago. By the time I got around to making good on it, I think it was too late.

Marco: But you kept your promise. You realized your mistake, and you tried to fix it. That’s important. If I had a son, that would be enough for me.

August: You look like you might be shorthanded.

Marco: I get by.

August: How would you feel about… Taking on an assistant?

Marco: I can’t pay you.

August: That’s okay. I just feel like fixing things.

Marco: Come in. Vieni, vieni.

———–

(Henry is sleeping, when Emma’s voice comes through the walkie talkie.)

Emma: Code red. Code red. Henry?

(He wakes up and responds.)

Henry: Emma, what’s wrong?

Emma: I need to talk to you.

Henry: About Operation Cobra?

Emma: No. About us. Meet me downstairs.

(Henry meets Emma in her bug parked outside of the house.)

Henry: If my mom sees me out here talking to you, she’ll get really mad.

Emma: Henry, I need to ask you something very important. Do you want to get away from Regina? Do you want to come and live with me?

Henry: More than anything.

Emma: Okay. Then, buckle up. You ready?

Henry: Why? Where we going?

Emma: We’re leaving Storybrooke.

(Emma starts the car and the two of them drive off.)

–[End]–