(Slight spoilers if you haven't finished the first half of season 6)

There was something to be said about reading. It could take you to a thousand different places without you ever having to leave home. And you could meet hundreds upon thousands of different characters. You could learn with them, love with them, feel with them. That was what you did. You would spend hours in your home or in the library reading, getting lost in those other worlds. Your current favorite: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Never did you think you'd actually get to meet the subjects of the story.

It was a nice day in Storybrooke, so you decided to take your book out by the lake and read. While you read, you swore you could feel someone's eyes on you. But every time you looked up, no one was there. You shrugged and went back to your reading. You were in the middle of the story when you felt someone sit down beside you. They didn't say anything at first, so you kept on reading. When you finished the page you were on, you finally looked up and froze.

On the bench next to you was Hyde. He had come to Storybrooke weeks before and had been hiding out to avoid capture. He sat there staring at you as if he were waiting for you to scream or run or something. You couldn't seem to move. His eyes were holding you in place. There was something about them that seemed...sad.

"That book you're reading is entirely wrong," he finally said. The melancholy you saw in his eyes was present in his voice as well. You wondered why no one else seemed to hear it. You glanced down at your book, licking your lips. "Is it?" Hyde nodded. You wanted to leave right then, ignore whatever he had to say, but you couldn't it.

Everyone in town had told you he that he was trouble. He was evil that no one could tame. The book you were reading agreed with them. But still, you couldn't pull yourself away. You were drawn to him. No one who had such sadness in them could be as evil as they said. Could they?

Licking your lips again, you glanced back up and saw that Hyde had vanished. Your brows furrowed. Where had he gone? When you looked around, you saw that the area had become full of people. You frowned and couldn't help but hope you'd see Hyde again, if only to ask what he meant.

It would be weeks before you saw Hyde again, but your mind was never far from him. You weren't even able to finish reading the book because you kept thinking about what he said. Entirely wrong? It was meant to be a work of fiction, but knowing that it wasn't, you could see how the author could have gotten the story wrong.

After all, Jekyll and Hyde had come from The Land of Untold Stories. That meant that something had been left out or changed in their story. Jekyll hadn't been too keen on answering your questions about the story when you asked. He changed the subject or insisted that the past was too painful to talk about. He was hiding something and you were determined to find out what. That meant talking to Hyde.

You were mumbling to yourself on your way home when he finally reappeared. "Do you live alone?" You jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. He was standing in the shadows just outside your home. Even though you could barely seem them, you could tell that his dark eyes were riveted on you. You nodded. "Go around back and I'll let you in where no one can see you." He nodded and did as you asked. You felt like a teenager trying to sneak their boyfriend into the house with their parents noticing.

As quickly as you could, you got inside and let Hyde in. The days of hiding had not been good to him really. He looked tired and the sadness in his demeanor had grown. "Can I get you a cup of tea? Maybe something stronger?" you asked, gesturing for him to sit down. He shook his head, but sat down anyway.

After a few moments of silence, you turned to him. "What are you doing here?" He looked up at you. He looked as if he were debating on what to tell you. Should he tell you the truth or come up with some sinister reason in order to keep up his reputation as a villain? You made yourself a cup of tea and sat across from him.

"Hyde, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you want." He frowned. "What makes you think I want your help?" You let your lips upturn into what you hoped was a friendly smile. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't," you told him as you reached over and set a hand on his, "I know there's more to the story than what everyone is saying. I want to hear your side. There has to be a reason you're so sad."

"I am not sad, Miss..." You smiled again and told him your name. "Miss Y/N. As I was saying, I am not sad. I simply seek revenge on those who put me in that ghastly place." You rolled your eyes. "Hyde, please. Tell me the truth. What happened that caused you to go to The Land of Untold Stories? I've asked Jekyll and he won't tell me."

Hyde let out a bitter laugh. "Why should he? He has everyone believing that he is the victim of our story instead of what he truly is. The villain." He gazed at you to gauge your reaction. You blinked rapidly, but didn't respond. You thought that if you said anything, Hyde would stop talking and you didn't want that at all. Thankfully, Hyde seemed to understand that.

"You see, Miss Y/N, I am not the monster the stories make me out to be. No, he is." You were on the edge of your seat, praying he'd continue. And he did. He went on to tell you exactly what had happened with Mary and her murder. About how Jekyll had brought Hyde out and how Hyde had unintentionally fallen for Mary, taking her to his bed. The next morning, when Mary rejected him again, Jekyll flew into a fit of rage and shoved Mary from the window. He then brought Hyde out again to take the fall.

"You loved her," you stated and Hyde barely nodded. "Oh, Hyde," you murmured and gave his hand a squeeze. "That is horrible. Why haven't you told anyone?" He gave you a pained looked. "How could I? If I had tried, Jekyll would force me back in and leave me there. I'd be stuck inside his body, screaming to get out again. I haven't been able to tell another living soul until now. I want Jekyll to pay for what he did to me...what he did to her."

You felt for him. How could you not? The man who had practically created him turned on him the first chance he got. The woman he loved was murdered and he was forced to take the fall for it. And no one would believe him. Why? Because of the tales spread about him. He was made out to be evil when he truly wasn't.

"I'll help you any way I can, Hyde. I promise. We'll find a way to tell your story." He looked at you in complete surprise. "Y-You believe me?" You reassured him with a smile. "I do. And I will do whatever is in my power to make the others believe too. I just need to figure out what. Maybe there's a spell or something that can make other's tell the truth. We could force Jekyll to tell what really happened. After all, you really haven't done anything to hurt the others except when you were protecting yourself."

You rose to get up, but Hyde used his other hand to grab yours. You looked back athim. "Thank you, Y/N." You used your free hand to run your fingers through his hair. As quickly as you started though, you stopped. That was a really intimate gesture. You mumbled a "sorry" before speaking up again. "It's nothing. It's what heroes do. You can stay here while we figure this out." Hyde stood and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand. You fought the urge to swoon at the act you'd only read about. Your days were about to get a whole lot more interesting.