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CHAPTER THIRTY
BEST LAID PLANS
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HENRY WAS WORRIED ABOUT TERESA. Ever since he learned about his grandfather having her heart, he's been on edge. He hasn't stopped shaking his leg when he was sitting down, or biting his lip when he was searching through the storybook.

Henry sat inside his grandparents apartment, listening to his mothers talk as they stared at the page, which August now revealed to them, had the author trapped inside it, while he watched August, who was beginning to not look so good.

"How the hell is The Author trapped inside the book?" Regina stressed

"Don't ask me," Emma replied. "You're the magic expert."

Henry shot up from his seat as August began to breath strange as he laid asleep on the couch. "Mom," he said with urgency.

"Well, this is insane. What are we supposed to do, draw a key?"

"What we need to do is figure it out before Gold does."

"Mom!" he said, only louder this time.

"What is it?" Regina asked, turning to face her son.

"There's something wrong with August."

Emma and Regina walked over, panic in their eyes. Emma knelt down next to him and gently shook him. "August? August?"

When he didn't respond or even open an eye they knew something had to be wrong. "We need to get him help."

➳

"He's been through a lot," Emma said as Mother Superior examined August. "What's happening? He was awake, and then he passed out, and..."

"Well, he's been changed by magic many times. For him to survive this, he will have to be very strong," Mother Superior replied.

Regina shifted in her feet. She understood Emma's worry for her friend, but there were far more bigger problems than August had the moment. Like the villians in town, that now have Teresa's heart. They could use the archer for anything they wished.

"We have a bigger problem," Regina said.

Emma looked up from August and met her gaze. She released a sigh before nodding her head and standing up. "Will you please -- "

"Call you if anything changes with August?" Mother Superior finished, a light smile on her lips. Emma nodded. "Of course. Do what you must, August is in good hands with us."

"Thank you, Blue."

Regina then moved out of the room with Emma, Henry right behind them. "Gold and these other witches are expecting me. They sent me on a mission to get that page from the book. And if I return empty-handed, whatever suspicions they have of me will be confirmed."

"Then give them this," Emma said with a smile. She held up her palm and conjured up a duplicate oof the page with the door on it.

Henry smiled, an impressed look on his face. "Wow. You're getting good."

"I've been practicing."

Regina took the duplicate page with a sigh. "A forgery? This is Gold we're talking about."

"Then pull out, and we will protect you."

"And let them crush Teresa's heart? No thank you. I'd rather not have anymore blood on my hands unless I have to." Regina sighed. "We still don't know what they're up to. It's a bigger risk not to know."

Regina's phone then began to ring. She placed the duplicate into Henry's hand before digging into her jacket for it. "That's them. Probably wondering where I am," she muttered with an eye roll.

Henry opened up the storybook to where he placed the original door page and place the duplicate next to it. He them nodded as he looked between them. "Mom, the forgery's good."

"Not good enough," Regina replied. She then search through her phone for her camera. "But maybe what we need is a different kind of copy." She held up her phone and took a quick picture.

"Because Gold and those witches don't know that the page contains the actual door. All they care about is what the door looks like."

"Hopefully, this photo will keep them on their wild goose chase around town. I've got to get going." Regina turned to Henry and gave him a small smile. "Bye, Henry."

She pulled him into a hug, and he returned it with his free arm. After a few minutes Henry smirked. "Okay, mom."

"Sorry. Sorry," Regina apologized as she pulled back. "Just not sure if...when I'll be back to see you."

Henry frowned and looked at her with sad brown eyes, which only  made Regina's heart clench.

"But don't worry, I'll be fine," she assured him, as she then cupped his face and placed a gentle kiss to his forehead before leaving.

➳

"Why do you think they're keeping Teresa?" Henry asked as Emma pulled open the door to the apartment building.

Emma motioned for him to step inside as she replied. "I'm not sure. But don't worry about Teresa, she's a strong kid."

As they walked up the steps toward the apartment, Emma began thinking about the worried look that's been on Henry's face since Teresa's been gone. He missed her, that was quite obvious, but Emma couldn't help but wonder if Hook I was right. Perhaps they did like each other as more than just friends. Or at least she knew Henry seemed to.

When they got to the apartment, Emma opened the door to find Hook with her parents. They stopped whatever they had been previously talking about as soon as her and Henry stepped into the apartment.

Emma could sense something was wrong as she looked between them. "Hey. Killian, what's wrong?"

"Before Ursula left, she told me what the villains have planned. To get their happy endings, they intend to darken your heart, love, to turn you into a villain so you'll no longer be the savior."

Henry's mouth went dry. "What? You can't just un-savior the savior."

"Ursula said Gold has a way. He can use The Author to do it."

Emma laughed in disbelief. "That's insane. If that's what their plan is, stop worrying. It's ridiculous. Author or no author, I am not going dark."

"But darkness is a funny thing. It creeps up in you."

"Hey." Emma stepped forward as she stared into his sad, worried and fear-filled eyes. "No one...not Rumplestiltskin or some author...gets to decide who I am."

As they embraced, Henry's gaze dropped to the ground as he thought about his mother, the savior, actually becoming dark. He couldn't find it to be possible, but if they found the author, it could be.

Suddenly, Snow stormed out the door with a troubled look on her face. Henry looked up with furrowed eyebrows.

"She'll be fine," David reassured them as he then left to follow after his wife.

➳

Teresa had finally managed to sleep. The girl was exhausted, and if they were going to keep her heart for a while, she decided enough was enough; she could stay up all day and night to listen to everything. She was exhausted. She didn't even remember the last time she slept was.

Her sleep was then interrupted and she bolted up from her chair as Regina slammed the door shut behind her.

"Oh, at last. I feel I've aged a decade waiting for you."

"Well, you certainly look like it," Teresa muttered in a tired voice.

"Oh goody, you've woken the archer," Cruela said with a fake smile.

"Where's the page, Regina?" Maleficent questioned.

"Don't tell me you failed."

"The page was under a protection spell...something cooked up by the savior. She almost caught me trying to break it. I had to flee."

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Gold asked.

Regina gave him a look. "Of course I am."

"It's just that you've been gone an awfully long time...and yet you come back empty-handed."

"I'm not empty-handed." Regina smirked as she held up her phone. "I got this."

"A photograph."

"Oh, and an incompetent one, too. That glare ruins any clear view of the door," Cruela commented.

Gold snatched the phone from her hands to get a closer look at the glare. "No, that's not a glare," he said after one look. "That's magic. This door has been sealed by it. This is the door we've been looking for.

Perfect, Regina thought in irritation. There goes my plan for a wild goose chase...

"You think The Author is trapped in an illustration?" Maleficent asked. "But that would mean..."

"The Sorcerer imprisoned him in the book." Gold nodded. "We need to get it. Bring us the page."

"That won't be easy. The Savior isn't about to let it out of her sight."

"Don't worry about her. I've got just the thing."

With a wave of Maleficent's hand, they were all teleported to a hill overlooking Storybrooke.

Teresa rolled her eyes as she was yet again teleported without warning, and began to kick at the dirt with the toe of her shoe.

Maleficent then stomped her staff into the ground, causing purple waves of magic to begin moving toward the town.

"What exactly will your magic do?" Teresa asked.

"Everyone's gonna take a little nap," Maleficent replied with a smirk. "This should give your the opportunity to steal the page, Regina."

After a few more stomps of her staff, Maleficent stopped. "It's done. Now let's get to work."

➳

The group now stood within the apartment searching for the page, all except Teresa, who was staring at the sleeping Emma and Hook.

"The savior looks a lot less threatening in this state, doesn't she?" Maleficent smirked.

From beside her, Cruela also smirked. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to wring her scrawny neck right now."

"Don't even think about it," Regina said in a warning tone, causing all eyes to go on her. She momentarily tensed up, afraid she let her cover slip some. "I think we can all agree that killing the savior at this point would be ill-advised.

"You're right about that, yet wrong about the location of the page. It's not here."

"We just have to keep looking. The page was here two hours ago. It didn't just grow legs and walk out of here on its own."

"Unless someone walked out of here with it," Gold said.

"I put the whole town to sleep."

"Except those who have been under a sleeping curse and are immune. I may know a resourceful young man who's wide awake."

Regina's eyes widened and she whipped around to face Gold. Teresa knew immediately who they were talking about.

"One who's very protective of the storybook and all its contents.. one who's gonna test his mother's commitment, towards helping me. Or should I say...Teresa."

Teresa scoffed. "I'm not helping you steal anything from Henry."

"Oh, I believe you will. Don't forget, dearie, I still have your heart."

"Hold up," Regina snapepd. "No one goes near Henry but me. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with one of my fireballs."

"Wrong," Gold said. "As you have seemed to fail at getting the page in the first place, Teresa will do it. And she will do it correctly."

Gold reached into his pocket and handed Teresa's heart to Maleficent. "Do what's necessary to convince the boy that Teresa is Teresa. That page is the key. Let's not lose it when we're this close." Gold then made his way toward the door.

"Where are you off to?" Maleficent asked.

"I have other business to attend to."

➳

Inside the Sorcer's Mansion, Henry bolted into the library and slammed the door shut behind him. He then walked over to one of the tables and placed the storybook down as he caught his breath, having run from the apartment all the way to mansion as soon as everyone fell asleep.

After quickly figuring out why he hadn't been affected, Henry reached into his pocket for his cell phone and quickly dialed his grandmother's phone number, knowing she and his grandpa wouldn't be affected either.

Snow gasped. "Oh, Henry! Henry, are you okay? Where...where are you?"

"At The Sorcerer's mansion. When everyone fell asleep, I figured the bad guys were up to something and I'd better get the page somewhere safe."

"Henry, don't do anything. We are on our way. As long as you have that page, you're in danger."

"Just sit tight, okay? We're heading your way now."

➳

"Henry's really been under a sleeping curse?" Teresa asked Regina as they walked into the Sorcerer'a Mansion.

Regina nodded. "It was a long time ago."

"Alright, go," Maleficent ordered, Teresa's heart in her hand.

Teresa threw a glare toward the blonde before making her way inside. She pulled open the door and began making her way toward the secret room that Henry showed her.

When she got to the end of the hallway, she pulled down the lamp and the wall opened to the secret library.

Before she could walk in, she felt as if she had no control over her body.

"Grandma, grandpa, you won't believe what I just..." Henry's face lit up as his gaze landed on her.

Teresa was walking, yet she wasn't the one doing it. Maleficent was controlling her with her heart.

A grin formed on her face. "Henry! I've been looking everywhere for you -- the whole town is asleep! What's going on?"

Teresa clenched her fist as she tried her best to fight Maleficent's hold on her.

Henry took a step back with furrowed eyebrows. "How'd you escape?" he asked, looking at her questioningly

"I was able to snatch my heart from Gold's pocket. And let me tell ya, putting your heart back into your body really hurts," Teresa said.

Henry glanced down at her clenched first and his eyebrows furrowed more. Something was off about her, he could sense it.

Teresa then frowned. "Henry, there was a reason I was able to escape so easily. They have your mom. They're going to kill Regina. If you don't give me the page, they'll kill her."

Henry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Okay enough!" A voice said from the hallway. Regina stormed in, closely followed by Maleficent, who was clutching Teresa's heart, and Cruela.

"Henry, I'm fine," Regina reassured her son. "Maleficent was making her say all those things."

Henry's shoulders sagged in relief, yet he took another step back away from Maleficent and Cruela.

"I'd say you shouldn't be alarmed, darling, but I'd be lying."

"Lay a hand on my son, and I'll end you."

"You won't have to do anything as long as he cooperates," Maleficent said.

"Henry," Regina said, drawing her frightened sons gaze to her. "Give me the page."

Henry looked at her in disbelief. "Mom, no."

"Henry Daniel Mills!" He shrunk back a little at the usage of his full name.  "You will do as I say." It was silent as Henry stared at his mother.

Maleficent took this silence as an opportunity. She gave Teresa's heart a tight squeeze, causing the blonde archer to drop to her knees with a cry of pain. "Be a good boy and listen to mommy, or I'll crush her heart."

Henry sighed, eyes widened as he stared at Teresa, who clutched painfully at her chest. "Okay! Okay, I'll give it to you."

Henry reached into the storybook and handed over the duplicate page. After seeing the look in his mother's eyes, he knew that's what she wanted him to do.

Regina took it and handed it over to Maleficent. "As promised. Now, let's find Gold and set this author free."

"On your feet, young one, let's go," Maleficent ordered.

Teresa looked up from the ground and got up, a pained expression on her face. She glanced at Henry, giving him a tiny sad smile before leaving.

➳

"Henry? Henry?!"

"Henry!"

He rounded the corner and watched as his grandparents ran inside the mansion's secret library with panicked looks.

"Come on," Snow said. "The villains have to be on their way."

"Already been here," Henry sighed.

David's eyes widened. "What? Did they take the page?"

Henry smirked. "They think they did, except my mom, of course. She just gave me a look, and I knew exactly what she meant."

"You gave them the forged page Emma made," David said in realization.

Snow gave him a proud smile. "Smart kid. Where's the real one?"

Henry walked over to the book shelf and retrieved the book that which he hid the page in. He opened it, revealing the page.

"Oh, great job." David sighed in relief upon seeing it. "Mary Margaret and I are gonna take this and keep it safe."

"There's something else. I've found the key." Henry held up a small key for them to see, causing shocked expressions to pull onto their faces. "We can free The Author."

Henry went to put the key against the page, which began to flow a yellow color after the doors keyhole, when his grandfather suddenly slammed the book shut.

"Henry, hold on."

Henry gave his grandfather a confused look. "W-What are you doing?"

"Uh, we don't know what's gonna happen. Just let us handle things."

"But I found the key."

"Henry, it's too dangerous! Go!"

Henry jumped, a little startled by his grandfather's sudden loud and stern tone. Never had his grandparents yelled at him.

Henry looked between them before letting out a sigh and placing the key in his grandfather's extended palm. He then left without another word.

➳

Cruela pulled her car up to Gold's Shop, and after shutting off her car, they all stepped out.

"What were you doing in there?" Cruela asked as Gold walked out from his shop.

"Mind your own business. Did you find the boy?"

Maleficent nodded. "We found the boy."

"And Teresa complete her task?" Gold asked.

"If Regina hadn't barged in," Cruela muttered.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You made Teresa tell my son I was going to die. I was not about to have my son worry about me like that."

Maleficent then handed over the page. As soon as Gold looked at it, he knew it was a fake. "This is rubbish."

Regina scoffed. "What?"

"It's a fake. You've spent enough time with the book. You should know the difference."

"They tricked me," Regina said.

"What, you think I didn't suspect you? I've been waiting for this moment. I knew it would come." Gold paused for a short moment. "I was hoping when Teresa told us you were undercover that you would soon truly side with us to get your happy ending."

Regina glanced at Teresa with a shocked expression. "They have my heart, I was forced to tell the truth!"

"I do want my happy," Regina said.

Gold motioned toward the blonde. "Maleficent."

"Wait, I can expl..." Before she could say anything, Maleficent waved her hand, causing Regina to fall asleep.

Regina hit the ground at Teresa's feet, causing the blonde archer's eyes to widen.

"Bring her to her vault."

➳

It was night when they arrived at Regina's vault with her unconcious body.

"Well, I say we just slit her throat right now, get it over with."

"No," Gold said, giving Cruela a look.

"Well, if it's too messy for you, darling, Mal can incinerate her."

"We're doing nothing of the sort."

"She'll never help us," Maleficent said.

"Of course she will. She just doesn't know it yet. I'll have something that the moment she sees it will make Regina do my bidding...forever.