Emma Swan

"I'm not used to someone putting me first."

- Emma to Mary Margaret

Emma Swan is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time and Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She débuts in the first episode of the first season of Once Upon a Time. She is portrayed by starring cast member Jennifer Morrison, and does not have a counterpart.

History
Emma's parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, are inhabitants of a world called the Enchanted Forest. On the day they marry, the Evil Queen interrupts the ceremony to announce she will destroy the happiness of everyone in the land.
 * -|Before the Curse=

Months later, Snow White is heavily pregnant expecting her first child, but worries about what the Evil Queen promised. She convinces Prince Charming to let her see a man who can see the future called Rumplestiltskin. As payment for his services, Rumplestiltskin asks for their child's name, which Snow White later gives as Emma, though Prince Charming assumed the baby's gender is male. Rumplestiltskin prophesies the Evil Queen will cast a dreadful dark curse no one can escape, but if their child is saved, she will come back for them on her twenty-eighth birthday.

The Blue Fairy brings the Enchanted Forest's last known enchanted tree, which is made into an magic wardrobe by Geppetto and his son Pinocchio, to them. The Blue Fairy lies and says the wardrobe can only protect one when in actuality it can save two people as per the secret deal she made with Geppetto; if he carves the wardrobe, Pinocchio must also be allowed to go through it. The plan is to send Snow White into a magic wardrobe while she is still pregnant so she can guide her daughter in the new world, but an early labor changes everything. Geppetto disregards the word of the Blue Fairy, who believes it's best for Snow White and her daughter to go together, and sends Pinocchio into the wardrobe to the land without magic.

After Emma's birth, Prince Charming and Snow White both agree their daughter must be the one to go into the wardrobe. Fighting his way to the wardrobe, Prince Charming is just manages to lock Emma in the wardrobe before some of the Evil Queen's guards stab him. He stays conscious long enough to see that, when they wrench the wardrobe's door open, Emma is gone. Then he falls unconscious as the Dark Curse envelops them all.

Meanwhile, the newborn Emma arrives into the land without magic through a carved in tree. Pinocchio, who arrived earlier, picks the infant up and goes into a nearby diner, claiming to have found her along the highway. They are placed in a foster home together. Later, Pinocchio runs away, leaving her behind.

Growing up in the foster care system, Emma bounces from family to family. At three years old, she is adopted by one set of foster parents that abandon her when they get their own child.
 * -|During the Curse=

She becomes independent at sixteen. Two years later, she is living in Portland, Oregon and has become a thief. While stealing a car, a man pops up from the backseat. At first, Emma is startled, but they begin talking and he tells her that his name is Neal Cassidy, and he is also a thief. The two begin dating. One day, the enter a convenience store. Emma dons a fake pregnant belly, and while Neal distracts the owner at the counter by asking for driving directions, she steals items. They are caught by a customer, but before the owner can check, Emma pretends to go into labor. As they hastily leave, Neal steals a swan keychain for her. The duo drive away and go to a hotel. Neal tells Emma that he wants to start a life somewhere, and anywhere she points to on a map is where they will move. She closes her eyes and points to Tallahassee.

Later, Neal shows her a wanted poster with his face on it. He admits to being wanted for stealing watches. To escape, Neal tells Emma that he must cross the border to Canada alone. Emma insists to going with him, so when he adamantly refuses, she concots a plan to take back the watches and sell them so they can use the money to travel wherever they want.

At the train station, she steals a blue bag containing the watches and runs to the car. Neal opens it and after seeing the contents, goes to find someone to buy the watches. Emma waits at their meeting spot for him. The police come and arrest Emma for possession of stolen goods. To Emma's heartbreak, she is told Neal tipped them off.

Emma gets sent to a minimum security prison in Phoenix for eleven months. A security guard opens her cell to give her mail sent from Phuket, Thailand. One of the items is a swan keychain Neal previously stole for her. On the same day, she tests positive on a pregnancy test.

Sometime during her pregnancy, she decides to give the baby up in a closed adoption. On the day Emma goes into labor and births a son, she struggles with her desire to keep the child. The doctor advises she can change her mind, but Emma believes she isn't fit to be a mother.

A decade later, Emma works as a bail bonds person in Boston. She pursues a fugitive named Ryan on her birthday. After she catches him, Ryan insults her, and she decks him. Once she turns him in to the authorities, she heads back to her flat and brings out a cupcake to celebrate her twenty-eighth birthday. She lights the candle, closes her eyes, and silently wishes not to be alone on her birthday.

Just as she wishes that, someone knocks on the door. She opens it to a young boy. He introduces himself as Henry, the child that she gave up for adoption ten years ago. She panics and retreats into the bathroom. On her return, Emma threatens to call the police, and Henry counters that he will tell them that she kidnapped him. She warns about her superpower to detect any lie, especially that he is calling a bluff, which leads Henry to pleads for her to come home with him to Storybrooke, Maine. Emma gives in and agrees to drive him back to Storybrooke.

During the car ride, she notices him reading a book and questions him about it. He explains about the Dark Curse and how all the fairytale characters were trapped on earth and how every single story in that book is true. He even mentions that she is in the book, but Emma is still skeptical. Henry dares her to see if he is lying and she makes up a flimsy excuse.

They reach Storybrooke and Emma asks for Henry's address. When he refuses to say, she stops and gets out of the car. While they are talking, Archie Hopper, Storybrooke's town shrink, spots Henry and comes up to them. From Archie's interactions with Henry, Emma figures out he is the boy's therapist. Hoping for a smooth drop off, Emma asks him for Henry's address. After Archie tells her, he gives his last regards to Henry before walking off.

Henry insists that Archie is Jiminy Cricket, and claims no one in this town remembers who they really were in the Enchanted Forest, and also adds they cannot leave Storybrooke or bad things will happen. Emma takes his ramblings as a wild imagination. She takes him to mayor Regina Mills' house. Regina rushes out, anxious and relieved to see her son, and hugs him. She asks where he was, to which Henry replies he went to find his real mother and runs into the house. For the first time, Regina sees Emma and can't believe she is Henry's biological mother. Awkwardly, Emma greets her. Regaining calm, Regina thanks Emma for bringing Henry home and invites her inside for a glass of apple cider.

She explains her lack of knowledge on Henry's birth parents as the records are sealed. Emma assures Regina that she has nothing to worry about, and the father does not even know Henry exists. The mayor explains her strictness with Henry is so because she wants him to excel in life. When Emma makes a passing comment on Henry's claims about fairy tales, Regina, confused, has no knowledge of any of that.

Regina invites Emma to leave. She takes the hint and goes out to her car, but turns back to see Henry watching from his bedroom window. As Emma drives out of town, she notices Henry left his book on the car seat. Having taken her eyes off the road for a second, she looks up and sees a wolf on the road up ahead. Emma loses control of the car and hits the town marker, knocking herself unconscious.

She wakes up in a jail cell, and in the next cell to hers is the town drunk, Leroy. As she looks at him, Leroy pointedly asks what she is staring at. Outside the cell area, this prompts an elderly mechanic, Geppetto, to reproach him for his rudeness. To Emma, Geppetto welcomes her as Henry's mother and how good it is she is back in his life. The sheriff, Graham, arrives to unlock Leroy's cell and allow him to go. Emma alleges the appearance of a wolf in the middle of the road distracted her. Graham scoffs, because there are no wolves in Storybrooke, and bets she was probably drunk on the mayor's cider.

Storming into the sheriff's office, Regina reports Henry has run away again. Emma offers to help. After some snooping, she questions Mary Margaret Blanchard, Henry's teacher, because he previously used her credit card to make a payment on a birth mother tracking site. When they are alone, Mary Margaret suggests checking Henry's castle playground where he usually frequents.

At the playground, Emma returns Henry's book to him. Looking out into the distance, Henry keeps staring at the clock tower and is disappointed it hasn't moved one bit as he believed bringing her to Storybrooke might change things. He begins talking about the curse and her role as savior, even though Emma tries to usher him home. Henry requests her to stay in town for a week to prove he's right about the curse. He begs against going back to Regina and how miserable his life is with her. Frustrated, she breaks down and details how much worse her own life has been than his; from being abandoned on the side of the road to foster parents who gave her up after they had their own baby. Emma tries to get Henry to look the bright side as at least he has a mother. Henry insists Emma wasn't discarded as a baby and actually came through from another world afflicted by a curse. After dropping Henry home again, Regina remarks to Emma he's taken a liking to her. Emma shares the coincidence of meeting Henry when she made a wish on the night of her twenty-eighth birthday to not be alone. Yet, Regina draws clear boundaries with the understanding Emma, in a closed adoption, gave Henry up, and therefore, has no legal right to him. Lastly, Emma asks Regina if she loves him, which she affirms and slams the door shut. Despite that, Emma is not convinced, so, she goes to Granny's Bed and Breakfast, where she finds Ruby and Granny arguing. Granny, who hasn't had a customer in some time, excitedly takes out the guest book after Emma requests a room. Just then, Mr. Gold, the rent collector,  walks in as Emma states her name for the record so Granny can write it down. He calls it a lovely name, and upon receiving the monthly rent from Granny, wishes Emma a good stay. Once Granny hands Emma her room key, the clock tower begins to move forward in time.

The next morning, Regina knocks on the door and gives Emma a basket of honey crisp apples and explains that they were from a tree she had nurtured since she was a little girl. She suggests that Emma enjoy them on her way back to Boston. Emma asserts that Regina telling her to leave is just encouraging her to stay, particularly to make sure her biological son is okay. Regina insists she has things under control and Emma asks her to elaborate further. She clarifies Henry is in therapy and warns Emma not to underestimate her power.

Making a stop at Granny's Diner, Emma nearly takes a bite of one of Regina's apples when the waitress, Ruby, gives her a hot chocolate and tells her she has an admirer. Emma mistakenly believes it's Graham and walks over. Setting down the cup of hot chocolate in front of him, she firmly rejects the free drink in the belief he is trying to flirt with her. From another table booth, Henry stands up to announce he is responsible, then invites her to walk him to school.

On their way there, Henry notices the apple in Emma's hand. After finding out she got it from Regina, he hastily asserts it's full of poison and throws it over his shoulder before Emma can bite into it. They talk about investigating the Dark Curse that had settled over Storybrooke with Emma, still skeptical, playing along with him. Henry suggests they adopt the codename Operation Cobra to keep the Evil Queen off their trail. Henry shows her torn out story book pictures of herself as an infant and talks about her parents, Prince Charming and Snow White.

Once they get to school, Mary Margaret spots them and comes over. Henry runs to join the other kids, and Mary Margaret brings up his fairytale theory. Emma is shocked to learn that Henry thinks Mary Margaret is Snow White. When Mary Margaret inquries what fairytale counterpart Henry believes her to be, Emma lies and says she is not in the book.

Emma visits Henry's therapist, Archie Hopper. They talk about Henry's fascination with fairytales and urges she must never use the word "crazy" as it could damage him. Archie discloses the fairytales are Henry's way of coping with personal problems such as his difficult relationship with Regina. Concerned for the boy's wellbeing, Archie hands over Henry's file to her. Emma is surprised he's violating patient confidentality, but Archie thinks it's best because Henry speaks of her frequently. Returning to her guest room, Emma looks over the file when there is a knock at the door. Graham walks in to check her room for the stolen files, which he says Archie told him she took forcibly. Realizing she has been duped, Emma claims that Regina set her up, but does not resist the arrest. While Graham is taking her mug shots, Emma attempts to convince him Regina framed her, but he doesn't think the mayor would go that far to intimidate someone. Suddenly, Henry and Mary Margaret walk into the sheriff station. Henry praises Emma for gathering "intel" for Operation Cobra. Upon learning Mary Margaret will be bailing her out, Emma asks why. Mary Margaret simply says she trusts her.

Having enough of Regina's games, Emma buys a chainsaw and lets it rip through the branches of the mayor's apple tree. Livid, Regina storms out to confront her. Emma calmly attests a shoddy arrest is not going to scare her off and promises Regina has no idea what she is capable of, either. Emma returns to the inn, where she is evicted by Granny, who was reminded at the last minute by the mayor's office of a "no-felony policy", so she is forced to leave. Outside, Emma meets more bad luck seeing as her car has been booted. She receives a phone call from Regina requesting for a sit-down at her office. In person, Regina begins by apologizing for her actions since she is afraid Emma is going to take Henry away. Emma denies having any intentions in doing that and only wants to make sure he is alright since seeing him so troubled. On cues by Regina, Emma goes from talking about Henry's troubled nature to his imagination that mixes reality and fantasy together, which is crazy. Unfortunately, Henry overhears and is extremely hurt she thinks he is crazy. He runs upstairs before Emma can respond. Furious, Emma realizes Regina set her up, again, and calls her soulless before leaving.

Arriving on Mary Margaret's apartment doorstep, Emma pays her back for the bail money. Mary Margaret perceives Emma needs someone to talk to and invites her inside. Emma is still unsure why Mary Margaret trusts her. Mary Margaret responds that ever since Emma came to town, it's like they've meet before. Emma contemplates leaving so Henry will stop getting hurt because of her. Mary Margaret helps Emma decide by considering her desire to leave is the very reason she needs to stay to protect Henry.

Emma bursts into Archie's office to interrupt an ongoing session with Henry. Archie begins to apologize for his earlier actions, which she quickly accepts and makes her way to Henry. She explains the one reason she stayed is to get to know him. Henry is still upset at being called crazy. She reasons it's a lot to ask anyone to believe in a curse that, crazily, may be true. From that, Emma regains Henry's trust by telling him she told Regina what was necessary to throw her off their trail as they work to break the curse. To prove her point, she takes the story book pictures Henry gave her and burns them in the fireplace so Regina will never find out. With his faith restored, Henry happily runs to hug Emma.

Out of a place to stay, Emma begins sleeping in her car while looking for somewhere to stay by looking through the town newspaper. By chance, Mary Margaret is walking home and sees her. They converse about briefly about Mary Margaret's date that night. Emma is offered a spare room in Mary Margaret's apartment, but turns her down citing she is not the roommate type.

The next day, at the playground, Henry claims to have found Emma's father and shows her a photo of Prince Charming in the story book. Due to his persistance about the matter, she helps convince Mary Margaret to read to a comatose patient, John Doe, who Henry stubbornly believes is Prince Charming. Emma hopes with Mary Margaret's help, Henry will eventually see fairytales are not real.

The following morning, they wait at the diner for results from Mary Margaret. Emma is expecting nothing to come out of the situation, though Mary Margaret rushes in gushing about how John Doe grabbed her hand. In disbelief, Emma follows as Henry and Mary Margaret hurry to the hospital. They discover Regina in John Doe's empty room and learn from Graham he has disappeared. Emma thinks it's strange the mayor is getting involved with the case, though Regina gives a full admission of how she found John Doe on the side of the road so many years ago with no idenification and became his emergency contact. As she leaves to take Henry home, Regina suggests Emma to stay out of the current situation to allow Graham to handle it. Emma ignores her advice and she, along with Mary Margaret and Graham, look over security tapes in the hospital from last night, which show John Doe getting up on his own and walking out the back exit into the forest. In the woods, Graham tracks John Doe's trail until it goes cold. Mary Margaret wonders if Emma's job as bonds bailsperson is good for finding people. Emma states it is viable in cities and relates how she got into the job from unsuccessfully searching for her birth parents. Abruptly, Henry leaps out from the bush to reveal knowledge about where John Doe is going because he's clearly looking for Mary Margaret. While Mary Margaret is unsure about Henry's theories, Emma wants to take Henry home. Graham interrupts to show them John Doe's bloody hospital bracelet. They find John Doe passed out in the water near the Toll Bridge. After Graham calls an ambulance, Mary Margaret takes charge by giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation.

Back at the hospital, Emma, Graham, Henry and Mary Margaret watch from outside the glass doors as John Doe is escorted back into the safe confines of his room. A woman frantically rushes in gains entry into the room from Dr. Whale. Regina informs them she is Kathryn Nolan, John Doe's wife. Emma learns John Doe's real name is David Nolan, yet somehow, his own wife never discovered her husband's whereabouts until now. Emma doesn't think the story adds up, but lets it slide. That night, Emma notifies Mary Margaret at the apartment of her change of decision concerning the spare room. The two begin living together.

On another day escorting Henry to the bus stop, Emma watches the vehicle leave before heading off herself. Her path is blocked by Sheriff Graham coming up in his patrol car with sirens blazing. When she asks him why he has the sirens on, he replies it is hard to grab her attention. Impressed by her performance in the John Doe case, he offers her the position of deputy. She decides to think about it and heads into the diner.

Once there, Emma is served hot chocolate and apprehended by Regina about her history of jumping from location to location and never staying in one place for very long. Regina tries to persuade her to not disappoint Henry, who is quickly forming a bond with Emma, and just leave town now. After she is gone, Emma spills hot chocolate all over her shirt and Ruby directs her to a laundry machine in the back. Emma goes to change clothes and finds Ashley, a nineteen year-old pregnant maid, doing laundry. In despair over ruining some sheets, Ashley starts talking about her contractions and says that the doctors believe the baby could come any day.

Ashley knows no one thinks she can take care of the baby properly, and Emma gets fed up. Emma asks Ashley for her age, then proceeds to give a harsh reality check, in which if she is truly serious about keeping the baby, it's up to her to make changes. That night, Ashley, inspired by Emma, breaks into Mr. Gold's shop to steal a piece of paper and pepper-sprays him when he catches her.

In the morning, Emma is unpacking her shipped belongings from Boston when Mr. Gold arrives to ask for her help in tracking down Ashley. Emma, with the help of Henry, goes all around town asking for Ashley's whereabouts, including speaking to the girl's ex-boyfriend, Sean. Sean's father fills her in on Ashley's adoption arrangement with Mr. Gold. This prompts Emma to go back and wring the truth out of Ruby, who lent Ashley her car so she can flee to Boston. Henry reminds Emma that the curse keeps people from leaving Storybrooke, and the two make haste in going after Ashley.

They find Ruby's car in a ditch as Ashley lays nearby in labor. Emma drags Ashley inside her own car and drives back straight to the hospital. Henry realizes only Emma can actually leave Storybrooke, which further cements the fact that she is the savior. After receiving an announcement of Ashley's smooth delivery of a healthy baby girl, Mr. Gold comes to collect the baby, but Emma steps in and agrees to owe him a favor if he will tear the contract up. Agreeing to the deal, Mr. Gold leaves the hospital empty-handed. Directly after, Emma and Henry briefly go to check up on Ashley and her baby. Ashley is still worried over her contract to Mr. Gold, but is rest assured by Emma things are taken care of. and Sean Herman, the baby's father, and Ashley reunite.

She drives Henry home just before Regina arrives back and sees him missing. On the side of the road, Emma decides to call Graham and ask if the job he proposed is still available to her. Graham accepts her as deputy.

Officially, Emma receives a deputy's uniform, but opts out of wearing it. As she is putting on the deputy's badge, a large earthquake rumbles through Storybrooke. They investigate the site at a caved in mine where Regina disdainfully catches on Graham made Emma his deputy. Emma helps with pushing back the curious townspeople away from the damages, but is called, as is Archie, to the sidelines by Henry. In an Operation Cobra mission, he implies to Emma and Archie that there might be something down in the tunnels to prove the curse is real. Nonetheless, Emma is shooed back to doing her job when Regina intervenes.

A few nights later, she is talking to Mary Margaret about her feelings for David. Emma advises it's no good to get involved with a married man, which Mary Margaret agrees with. Henry makes an unexpected visit in tears as he tells them Archie called his fairytale theories delusional. After bringing him home, Emma goes to Archie's office to tell him off. While in the midst of an argument with Archie, Emma receives a furious phone call from Regina asking where her son is. Shocked, Archie concludes Henry has run away to the sinkhole because he is convinced it had something to do with the curse.

When they get there, Archie goes straight for the sinkhole. Emma follows through, but the entrance caves in before she can get in, and Archie and Henry are trapped inside. She and Regina team up in order to save the two. With Archie's dog, Pongo, and his scent tracking, they discover a grate leading down to the miner's elevator. Emma is slowly lowered down to pull both Henry and Archie up. Safe and sound above ground, Emma goes to reunite with Henry as Regina is checking up on him. However, Regina pushes her out.

After David Nolan is released from the hospital, she attends his welcome home party and tries to convince Henry that the reason he got lost the night they found him by the Toll Bridge is because of his amnesia. Henry does not believe her, though, and they leave after the party is over. Later, she is patrolling because Graham is busy that night. As she drives by Regina's house, Emma spots someone climbing out the window. When she tackles the person, she discovers that it is the sheriff himself. Disgusted with his affair with Regina - and how Henry is asleep in the house while all this was going on - Emma leaves, making Graham ashamed. Swinging by the diner for a late nightcap, Emma immediately bolts the minute she sees Graham inside. In a drunken stupor, he chases her down attempting to explain his relationship with Regina is purely physical and no emotional attachments. She doesn't care for the explanation, but loses her guard when Graham kisses her. Harshly, she rejects him.

In the morning, Emma scoffs upon seeing roses sitting on the apartment counter. Assuming they are from Graham, she tosses them into the garbage bin, however, Mary Margaret admits Dr. Whale sent the flowers as a follow-up of their one-night stand. Though Mary Margaret feels guilty over it, Emma doesn't think it's bad since one-nighters are as far as she goes, too. This brings to light Mary Margaret's opinion that Emma is heavily protective of herself, yet it's obvious she is falling for Graham. At work, Emma, bored, throws darts at a board when Regina enters. She notes Graham isn't in today and it must be because he spent the night with Regina. Emma is accused of having a more than professional relationship with Graham, but affirms anything that did happen meant nothing. As a final warning, Regina dissuades her from interfering in Graham's life and sending him down the wrong path.

From Henry, Emma learns Graham consulted with him. Out of concern, Emma asks Graham what is actually wrong. He prattles about needing to find his heart by following a wolf. It all sounds insane to Emma until she actually sees a wolf behind Graham. They chase it to the cemetry where he recognizes a vault from Henry's story book. The door is locked, so Emma kicks it in. Graham doesn't find his heart inside, but they are caught by Regina. Graham cuts his ties with her and Regina blames Emma for it, even going so far as to hit her. Emma retaliates, but when she is dragged away by Graham, gives up and walks away. Back at the station, Graham cleans up Emma's cuts and scratches and kisses her again. When he pulls away, he smiles and thanks her, saying that he remembers everything. Before she can ask him that means, he suddenly collapses and dies from a fatal heart attack.

Two weeks later, Mr. Gold convinces Emma to become sheriff since she already is deputy. Before she can put the badge on, Regina stops her and says that she has another candidate in mind: Sidney Glass, the author of many articles in the Storybrooke Daily Mirror that slandered her. Emma quickly challenges this and, with Mr. Gold's help, wins the election for sheriff.

She quickly gets her first job as sheriff afterwards when two orphans, Ava and Nicholas Zimmer, shoplifted from Mr. Clark's store and Regina wants them to be sent to the foster system in Boston. Emma fights this and manages to find their father, Michael Tillman. However, Mitchell wants nothing to do with them. As she is leaving Storybrooke, curse prevents the orphans from leaving by forcing Emma's car to break down. She calls Mitchell, and when he sees the two children, agrees to take them in. She and Henry talk a nightly stroll with Henry when a mysterious man drives by on his motorcycle. He asks her where there is a place to stay in town, and she directs him to the bed and breakfast. After he is gone, she turns to Henry and asks if strangers usually come to Storybrooke. Henry confirms they don't.

The next day, Regina asks Emma to check the man out, which she does. She confronts him in the diner and asks him what he carries around in the wooden box strapped to the back of his motorcycle. The man promises to tell her if she will let him buy her a drink sometime. When she consents, he opens the box to reveal a typewriter. As he gets up to leave, she questions him about that drink, to which he smiles and replies, "Sometime."

Regina gets into an argument with Emma at the diner. Once the mayor is gone, Sidney Glass slides into the booth across from her to talk to her. It is revealed that after he lost the election, Regina fired him from the Daily Mirror, and he wanted revenge. Emma is reluctant to help him out, so he gives her a card with his number and leaves.

However, when Regina tears down Henry's castle for safety concerns, Emma becomes angry and calls Sidney. Together they discover the keys to every house in town, Regina's embezzlement of fifty thousand dollars from the treasury, and that she is building herself a house in the woods on the land that she bought from Mr. Gold.

When they attempt to expose her at the town meeting, Regina reveals her "house" is actually a modern playground for Henry and for all the children of Storybrooke. Humiliated and ashamed, Emma leaves, but Regina catches up and warns her to stay away from Henry, or else she will get a restraining order. Emma and Sidney go to the diner, where they have a drink and vow to become allies against Regina's cruelty.

On Valentine's Day, Mary Margaret, Ruby and Ashley Boyd all invite her to attend their girls' night out party, but she declines, as she has her job to do. She discovers that Mr. Gold has been robbed by Moe French. Emma recovers all but one of the stolen items, something which makes Mr. Gold very angry.

He kidnaps Moe French and takes him to an abandoned cabin in the woods. Emma finds him beating the man half to death, and arrests him as he tries to leave. Regina comes with Henry while Mr. Gold is still in jail, and bribes Emma to leave the two alone for thirty minutes. Emma and Henry go to get some ice cream.

As Mary Margaret begins seeing David in secret, though Emma warns her not to get involved with a married man. Unfortunately, Mary Margaret does not listen to her, and continues on with him. However, once the town gets wind of it, Mary Margaret breaks up with him. Emma keeps Mary Margaret company that night, as she does not want to be alone.

Emma notices Mary Margaret's reputation takes a dive after the whole roomful of people at the diner ignore her efforts to ask for Miner's Day festival volunteers. Following a quick chat with Mary Margaret, she heads to the site of Kathryn's disappearance to give David the news. Sidney procures inside information from a phone company with evidence of Kathryn's eight-minute long conversation with David. Though this makes David a possible suspect, Emma doesn't pursue the matter any further until Regina comes to the station looking for news on Kathryn. Regina threatens to replace Emma if she is covering for someone. Reluctantly, Emma goes to the festival and places David into custody as a person of interest in the case.

She stays up all night interviewing David, but he continually insists to not know anything about his wife's disappearance. Emma grudgingly lets David leave and advises him to get a lawyer. As she is walking home, she meets up with Mary Margaret, and begins a conversation with her about David. At the corner, they see Ruby at the bus stop evading the advances of Dr. Whale. After forcing him to leave, Ruby tells them how she quit her job at the diner after an argument with Granny. Mary Margaret invites Ruby to become their roommate until she can find her footing in Storybrooke again. Though Ruby has a difficult time finding a job, Emma recognizes that she has a knack for answering phones. She hires Ruby as an assistant. Just then, Mary Margaret walks in to notify Emma about how strange David is acting in the forest. She and Ruby head there to come across a delirious and bleeding David. Emma takes him to the hospital where Dr. Whale diagnoses it as a blackout similar to what David experienced just after waking up from the coma.

Regina barges in and demands that Emma arrest David. Emma resists, so when David is discharged by Dr. Whale, she calls Ruby for assistance. She asks her to go to the Toll Bridge to look for something useful for the investigation before David goes into another trance. Ruby complies and finds a box with a human heart in it. Ruby is disgusted at the grisly contents, but Emma reassures her and tells her that she is wonderful at this kind of job. Ruby decides this job is not cut out for her and resigns. Emma runs scans on the box for fingerprints. She goes to the animal shelter to inform David and Mary Margaret of whose prints are on the box. Rather than David, the suspect is Mary Margaret.

Left little choice, Emma arrests and brings her into the sheriff department to begin taking mug shots. Mary Margaret insists that she has been framed. Though Emma believes her, she has to do her job or face the wraith of Regina. She takes Mary Margaret to an interrogation room. Mary Margaret is outraged, but Emma must adhere so that she as sheriff remains unbiased. From the outside, Emma watches District Attorney Albert Spencer, with Regina sitting beside him, interview Mary Margaret. Under extreme questioning, Emma perceives Regina goads Mary Margaret into giving a certain response. She takes Regina out of the room to confront her, but the mayor maintains innocence and returns back to the interrogation. Inadvertently, Mary Margaret reveals the jewelry box found containing Kathryn's heart belongs to her. More and more evidence builds against Mary Margaret, but Emma remains a staunch ally.

As she returns her to her cell, Emma advises Mary Margaret to find a lawyer. As soon as she says that, Mr. Gold comes in and offers to represent her. Emma tells Mr. Gold to leave, but Mary Margaret tells Emma off and asks her to give the two some privacy. Emma complies, and Mary Margaret hires Mr. Gold as her lawyer. Emma, meanwhile, goes to their apartment, where Henry is waiting. Henry insists that Regina is framing Mary Margaret because the Evil Queen hates Snow White. Emma is doubtful, but Henry presents a set of keys that he stole from Regina's office as proof. He claims that they are all keys to every house in Storybrooke. After two unsuccessful attempts to open the door, Henry gives her one key and tells her to use it. The key successfully unlocks the door, to Emma's astonishment. When they search the apartment, she discovers a knife hidden in Mary Margaret's heating vent.

When she confronts Mary Margaret over this, she continues to claim innocence. Emma believes that she is being framed, and asks Mary Margaret for faith in her and to allow her to keep looking for ways to get her out of being convicted and sent to a Boston prison.

That night, she walks into the sheriff department in an active conversation with Mr. Gold. Henry praises her for the escape plan, but Emma has no idea what he is talking about. She enters the station and finds Mary Margaret missing from her cell. Mr. Gold urges her to find her before eight o'clock, which is the time of the arraignment, and also the time that Regina will arrive at the station and discover her gone. Emma goes out in search of Mary Margaret and accidentally hits a man, Jefferson, on the road. To make it up to him, she drives Jefferson. He invites Emma into his house and offers her some tea. After drinking it, she passes out and awakens to find herself bound up. To break free, Emma smashes a tea cup with a pillow and uses one of the broken edges to cut out her way out. She sneaks past Jefferson, who is sharpening a pair of scissors, and discovers Mary Margaret in a separate room. She frees Mary Margaret and they attempt to escape, but are caught by Jefferson. He brandishes a loaded gun at the two and orders Emma to tie Mary Margaret back up. Once Mary Margaret is bound again, he takes Emma to a separate room filled with hats and hat-making materials. He tells her to make a hat so that he could go back to the Enchanted Forest.

Emma comes to the conclusion that he is in on Henry's Operation Cobra theory since Jefferson believes himself to be the Mad Hatter. Jefferson questions what a story is, and tells her again to start making a hat and no one is leaving until she gets the hat to "work". She attempts to do this, but only makes a simple bowler hat and gives up before it is finished. Jefferson takes her to the telescope, which is pointed at a young girl's house, and reveals the girl eating dinner with her parents. He calls her Grace, his daughter. However, the Dark Curse separated them, and now Grace - called Paige in Storybrooke - does not know who her true father is.

She feigns belief in what Jefferson is saying, even going as far as to declare that she thinks Mary Margaret is her mother. When his back is turned, she hits him on the back of the head with the telescope. She rushes to Mary Margaret's room and frees her, but Jefferson tackles her before they can leave. A brief struggle ensues. Jefferson corners Emma at gunpoint, but Mary Margaret hits him with a croquet mallet and kicks him out the window. As they peer out the window to see where Jefferson landed, there is no sign of him anywhere. All that remains is the hat. After leaving the house, Emma offers Mary Margaret the option of taking her car and leaving for Boston, or going back to the jail. She confesses her fears about being lonely if Mary Margaret leaves because she considers her to be part of her newfound family. Mary Margaret decides to go back to the jail.

Emma pays Henry a visit at school during a lunch break when a classmate, Paige, walks by and greets him. Recalling what Jefferson said, she borrows Henry's book and turns to the section about the Mad Hatter, and is surprised that everything Jefferson told her appears to be true in the book as well.

Emma continues her efforts in trying to help Mary Margaret move forward with the charges. She speaks to Mr. Gold about Mary Margaret possibly talking with the District Attorney, Albert Spencer. Mr. Gold believes her personality could help the charges get dropped. Sidney Glass walks in bearing flowers saying he is unable to find anything in the case showing Regina is involved. Emma and Regina watch the interview between the D.A. and Mary Margaret from outside the room. However, it all goes awry when Mary Margaret has an agitated outburst over her innocence being called into question more than just a few times.

Later, Emma is approached by August, who gives her some advice on revisiting old information in the case to discover new tidbits. They go past the Toll Bridge where Ruby found the jewelry box with the human heart in it. While examining the hole, she finds a shard from a shovel. Emma has a hunch about whose shovel it is, and enlists the help of Henry in her search. Without Regina's knowledge, while she is busy in the shower, Henry signals to Emma and August that the coast is clear. They grab the spare key Henry left for them in front of the house, and hurry to enter the garage where various tools are stored. After having a look around, Emma finds the shovel with the chipped off piece that has a perfect fit with the broken shard found in the hole. Having found the link Regina has both to the crime scene and as a suspect in the case, Emma comes to the front door the next day with a search warrant to look in the shed. To her surprise, the shovel is now fully intact. Thinking she has been betrayed, she confronts August about his double crossing and helping Regina cover up her tracks with a new shovel, but he claims his innocence profusely; something Emma has a hard time believing.

Emma is helpless to do anything when the police come to fetch Mary Margaret. Every solution she has tried to take has had no merits; from Mr. Gold's assistance to the incriminating shovel that should have made Regina the one accused of murder, not Mary Margaret. Unable to simmer her frustration, Emma hurls the vase of flowers in her office across the room. It smashes, and between the broken glass and wet flowers, she finds an audio spying device. Now she finally realizes the one secretly helping Regina is not August, but Sidney. She is quick in finding August and apologizing for doubting his loyalty. As Emma proceeds to show him what she found in the vase, they hear a frantic scream behind the diner. They rush toward the noise, and find a shaken up Ruby who utters, "She's in the alley". August stays with Ruby while Emma goes to investigate nearby. From the short distance, there is someone lying on the ground, but the person is facing away from her so she cannot see who it is. Emma eventually gets close enough, and is speechless in her discovery it is Kathryn, battered but alive.

Kathryn is taken to the hospital and monitored under the care of Dr. Whale. Emma goes to take a statement from her soon afterwards. She learns from Kathryn that someone kidnapped and placed her in a dark basement where food and water were readily available, but there was never anyone around. Kathryn recalls being later drugged, and waking up in a field near town. From there she crawled all the way to the alley where Ruby saw her.

Emma approaches Sidney in the diner, and forces him to show his true colors when she presents him with the audio spy device he implanted in the flower vase. She is furious he would pretend to be on her side and though he does not deny Regina is dangerous, he also admits to being in love with her. The game is up, and Emma leaves him an ultimatum—either help her find the evidence Regina is behind Mary Margaret's false murder charge, or he can go down with Regina when she finds the incriminating proof.

With Kathryn alive and recovering, and no real evidence linking Mary Margaret to the case, she is able to go home. Emma throws her a "Welcome Home Mary Margaret" party where nearly the whole town shows up for the celebration. She sends Henry off to home early since Regina does not know he is at the party, but expresses reluctance in letting her son go. David is seen almost coming in, but Emma stops him and makes an excuse for Mary Margaret since she is not ready to talk to him yet.

Regina is waiting for her when Emma enters sheriff's office, and says she is going to get her confession. But, while it appears Regina has a confession, it is not her who is going to do the confessing. She brings out Sidney, which begins to explain his actions behind kidnapping Kathryn with the hopes he could have his old job as editor back. Emma realizes Sidney told Regina about the ultimatum she gave him in the diner, and that is why Regina is making him take the fall. She does not believe one word Sidney says, and asks to have a word with Regina in the hallway.

Once they are alone, Emma cannot hold back from containing her disgust at Regina's scheming and twisted ways. Regina plays the perfect poker face and reveals nothing in her involvement in kidnapping Kathryn, but Emma has had it with the mayor. She vows to make her pay, especially since Regina once took away someone she loved, and now she will do the same by fighting for custody of her son, Henry.

August Booth confronts Emma with the truth - that she is Snow White and Prince Charming's child and must save everyone. He tells her he is Pinocchio and that he is the seven-year-old that supposedly found her on the roadside. She does not believe him. He shows her his leg, which has turned to wood, but she sees only flesh. Since Emma doesn't believe the truth, it keeps her from seeing the true state of August's leg.

Emma does not want responsibility for others, which she claims the role of Sheriff gives her. She decides to leave Storybrooke, taking Henry with her.

Henry begs her not to make him leave, telling her she must save everyone from the curse. She acquiesces. After conferring with Archie, she determines she has no case in a custody battle against Regina. She goes to Regina and tell her she is leaving Storybrooke, but wants visitation with Henry. Regina gives her an apple turnover, made with the bespelled magic apple Snow White ate from, as a travel snack.

Henry comes over and Emma tells him that she is leaving Storybrooke, but that she will visit him. She tells him she cannot let other people be hurt in her battle with Regina. Henry is hugging Emma when he notices the turnover and deduces that it came from Regina and is a weapon. Henry tells her that she may not believe in the curse, or in him, but he believes in her. He takes a bite of the turnover and loses consciousness much to Emma's horror.

Emma takes Henry to the Hospital and refuses to leave his side. While checking his bag, she grabs the book, and remembers her brief time in the Enchanted Forest. She attacks Regina, realizing that it is her fault Henry is sick. Regina admits everything, and together they set off to Mr.Gold's. He gives Emma her father's sword, and Regina guides her to Maleficent's prison.

Abandoning the sword early on, she uses her gun on the dragon to no avail. Eventually, Emma slays Maleficent with the sword, and retrieves the true love potion which remained after Maleficent's body exploded. As she is traveling up the elevator, it stops suddenly and Emma calls for help. Mr. Gold answers, claiming Regina has "run off". She tosses him the egg, and he runs away with it. She climbs up to see Regina tied up, and she quickly unties her. They prepare to go after Mr. Gold, but receive a call from the hospital. They hurry over, and learn that Henry is dead. Emma starts to cry, and kisses Henry's forehead, saying, "I love you, Henry", triggering the effects of true love's kiss. Henry comes back to life and the curse breaks as a purple smoke engulfs town.

Shortly after the purple smoke clears, Emma reunites with Mary Margaret and David after the curse has been broken. They are overjoyed to see their daughter and savior, and the three of them embrace. Emma pulls back after the tender moment and states that the group (including Granny, Ruby, Mother Superior, and the Seven Dwarves) has to find Mr. Gold and ask him what he did to Storybrooke. As they walk towards the pawn shop, her parents attempt to get Emma to tell them about her life and how they have been waiting for this moment their whole lives. Emma agrees she has wondered about them her whole life too, but never in her wildest dreams ever thought they would be Prince Charming and Snow White. She asks them to give her time to adjust.
 * -|After the Curse=

At that moment, Archie Hopper runs up and tells the group that an angry mob led by Dr. Whale is making their way to Regina's house to kill her. Henry states that Regina is still his mom, and Emma and the group rush to Regina's house just as Dr. Whale is getting ready to strangle her with his bare hands. Emma stops him, and proceeds to tell the townspeople she is still the sheriff and Mary Margaret decides that Regina will be placed in prison.

After Regina is placed in a jail cell and Henry is given to Ruby to look after, Emma, David, and Mary Margaret go to confront Mr. Gold at his pawn shop. They find him there pouring tea and Emma angrily confronts him for his misdeeds and backstabbing ways. Mr. Gold responds by saying by his calculations, Emma owes him a thank you for reuniting her with her parents, breaking the Dark Curse, and saving Henry's life. Emma accuses him of twisting her words. Just then, the power flickers, a quake rumbles through Storybrooke, and a howl is heard. Emma and her parents run out of the pawn shop to investigate. As a last word, Mr. Gold tells them that thing is going to take care of Regina, and Emma still owes him a favor.

While the Wraith, released by Mr. Gold, causes a storm, Emma is driving through Storybrooke when she passes by the Knave of Hearts on the road. A short time later, in the jail, Regina nearly has her soul sucked out by the Wraith when Emma and her family burst in. After the rescue, David wants to let her die, but Emma states she made a promise to Henry to save Regina, and intends to keep it. Joining forces with Regina, the four of them make their way to the town hall. In Regina's office, they find Jefferson's hat. Luring the Wraith to the main hall, Regina attempts to make the hat work and open the Vortex, but nothing works. As time runs out, Emma grabs Regina's arm; unintentionally activating the magic inside the latter as a vortex out of the hat forms. The Wraith reaches for Regina, though Emma pushes her out of the way. Shortly after, the Wraith falls into the vortex, but Emma is drawn in as well. In a split second decision, Mary Margaret jumps after her and the vortex closes behind them.

Emma and Mary Margaret land in a part of the Enchanted Forest that has been untouched by the dark curse, Aurora's Palace. Mulan and Aurora are startled by a noise coming from the rubble left by the Wraith's emergence, and find both visitors unconscious.

Shortly after, they are taken hostage by Aurora and Mulan to a survivors' safe haven. Mary Margaret attacks Aurora in an escape attempt, but she and Emma are unable to get away. Emma and an unconscious Mary Margaret are put into "the pit" where they are greeted by Cora, the Evil Queen's mother.

While waiting for Mary Margaret to regain consciousness, Emma questions Cora about their location. She also learns that Cora is Regina's mother, which initially causes her some concern, but not as much as Mary Margaret. Emma tries to convince her to hear Cora out, considering that they are captured and in a hole. She also reminds Mary Margaret that they need to get back to Storybrooke and loved ones, like David and Henry. When Cora asks Emma about Henry, Emma's explanation is cut short by Mary Margaret, insisting that neither of them speak to Cora. The two are are released and encounter Sir Lancelot, who is leader of the remaining survivors of the curse. Although Lancelot insists that there are no more portals, Emma learns from Mary Margaret of the possibility of one remaining. They are supplied with weapons by Mulan, who urges them caution and to watch what she does. Emma jokes it'll be fine as she "killed a dragon last week." Traveling through the remains of the Enchanted Forest, nighttime is near and they decide to camp out. While Mary Margaret and Mulan go fetch supplies, Emma waits. However, she rushes to the scene of a scuffle as Aurora attempts to harm Mary Margaret and they are pulled apart by Mulan. Annoyed, Emma fires her gun into the air, which attracts an ogre. She is nearly killed by it, but is saved by Mary Margaret's arrow aim into the ogre's eye. Emma asks her how knew she could shoot. Mary Margaret replies she didn't, and it's been years since she used a bow and arrow.

Emma discovers the castle of Snow White and Prince Charming, where she was born, still exists. She and Mary Margaret enter into the nursery where the magic wardrobe made from the enchanted tree still stands. Lancelot arrives to check on them. He is revealed to be Cora in disguise, who says she killed the real Lancelot a long time ago. She attempts to escape through the wardrobe, but Emma sets it on fire to prevent Cora from reaching Henry. Mulan and Aurora arrive and Cora flees. Emma finally expresses her anger over being abandoned by her parents, but realizes how much Mary Margaret gave up for her sake. Tearfully, Emma admits she is not used to having someone putting her first while Mary Margaret tells her to get used to it. They embrace and depart from the nursery.

Returning to the safe haven, the four women find that the camp has been attacked and no one appears to be left alive. Aurora discovers Hook beneath a pile of bodies, and he attempts to deceive the foursome by stating he survived Cora's attack on the camp by hiding under some dead bodies. Emma is not buying his story and puts a knife to Hook's throat, saying that she can tell when a person is lying. She ties Hook to a tree, whistles for the ogres to come get their bait, and begins to walk away. Unable to best Emma, Hook reveals his true identity as a shocked Mary Margaret pulls his hook out of his satchel. Hook admits to working with Cora, but offers to join forces with Emma and her team as he knows a way to get to Storybrooke. Most of all, he wants to go to Storybrooke to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin for taking away his hand. Emma decides to cut him free. Then, he leads them to a giant beanstalk stretching up into the sky, and explains there is an Enchanted Compass at the top, but first they must deal with the giant guarding it.

Hook tells the others that this beanstalk and giant are the last of their kind. He reveals to the four women that he possesses a counter spell originally intended to allow him and Cora to climb the beanstalk. Now that he has chosen to align himself with Emma and company, he can take one of them up the beanstalk with him to get the magic compass. After much "discussion", Emma overrules all of the other women to climb up the beanstalk, stating that she must do this for Henry. After Mary Margaret cuts Hook free from his bonds, he slaps a black cuff on Emma, which allows her to climb the beanstalk. Before beginning the climb, Emma takes Mulan aside to task her with a duty to cut down the beanstalk if she and Hook are not back in ten hours time. She also asks Mulan to make sure, no matter the outcome, that Mary Margaret gets home. Mulan agrees, and gives Emma a substance, poppy dust, to use in putting the giant to sleep.

At the top of the beanstalk, Emma and Hook arrive in the realm of the giants. Emma asks why the place is so run down and Hook asks her what she knows of giants. Emma mentions knowing the story of Jack and the Beanstalk]. After hearing her brief synopsis, Hook states while her version is a good tale, that's not quite how it happened. He fills her in on the lore of the Enchanted Forest of a man named [[Jack who led an invasion of the giants' realm, killing all but one giant. When Hook sees Emma's hand cut from the stalk, she brushes it off as nothing, but he doesn't think so. Emma wonders if that means he wants to be a gentleman, to which Hook shrugs it off and states the giant can smell blood and points out he already is a gentleman. As he cleans her wound, Hook starts working up a plan on how to get the compass from the giant. Emma doesn't think the idea is worth it, so she suggests they could use the poppy dust Mulan gave. While Hook passes her the powder, Emma spies a tattoo on his arm with a woman's name on it. Hook alludes it's in memory of someone he knew long ago. Emma realizes he loved this person, and Hook notes that for a woman claiming not to have ever fallen in love, she is perceptive about the subject. Emma acknowledges she may have been in love once.

To lure the giant out, Hook takes a human bone and uses it to pound on a massive metal shield. The noise annoys the giant, who comes storming out and sees Hook. He begins taunting the giant as a cover to lead him towards Emma. The tactic works, and Emma manages to knock the giant out by throwing the dust in its face. At first, Emma believes Hook to have been crushed by the giant, but he is alive and congratulates her on knocking the giant out cold before they proceed inside. They wander through the giant's lair, with Emma looking for the magical compass, while Hook seems to have more of an eye on the treasure. After Emma snaps him out of it, they stumble across the skeleton of Jack the Giant Killer. All that remains are his bones, a few tattered bits of cloth and a large sword with Jack's name inscribed on it. As Hook prepares to search further, Emma notices a tripwire and stops him in his tracks. Hook takes this as a sign of affection from her, which she strongly denies.

Hook spies the compass sitting on top of a golden bird cage, and asks Emma to give him a boost, to which she retorts the one fetching it should be her, not him. He requests Emma to trust him, but suddenly, they hear the sound of the now awakened giant, pounding up and down, behind them. Roaring in fury, he storms towards them as his movements loosen stones from the ceiling, which fall and appear to crush Hook.

Emma, grabbed by the giant, is squeezed tightly in his fist. She attempts to explain the urgency in returning home as someone is waiting for her, but he grows angrier at the mention and states humans killed all of his family. Just as Emma is close to blacking out, she bites his hand, causing him to loosen his grip. Emma cuts the rope of his cage and traps the giant in his own enclosure. Asking for the compass' whereabouts, the giant refuses to answer since he believes she will kill him either way. Emma promises she is not that kind of person and sees a withered magic bean hanging around the giant's neck. He discloses the giant race created magic beans, which surprises her as because she was told earlier they invaded the Enchanted Forest. The giant replies that the story is only told from the winner's side. Eventually, he relents in giving her the compass while breaking out of the cage himself. However, much to Emma's relief, instead of being pulverized, she is allowed to leave after the giant punches out a hole for her escape. He does so out of a favor because she did not kill him. Emma disagrees and says he actually owns her two favors because she did not kill him when he was knocked out by the poppy. As part of a second favor, she asks for him to hold back Hook for a period of time. Freeing Hook from under the rocks, Emma shows him the compass, but when he reaches for it, she tucks it away. Then, she clamps a manacle on and proclaims she can't trust him. Emma hurries out, despite Hook's pleas, and climbs down the beanstalk in time to stop a scuffle between Mary Margaret and Mulan. Aurora inquires where Hook is, though Emma only says he's safe while they can get a head start.

Throughout the journey, Aurora has been having repetitive, frightening nightmares and wakes up after a strange dream encounter. To Emma's shock, Aurora informs her she met Henry in one of her dreams.

Mary Margaret listens as Aurora recounts the dream. While Emma is confused as to Henry and Aurora could possibly share the same dream, Mary Margaret speaks up and informs the group she has been to the land that Aurora mentioned before. Angrily, Aurora confronts her over not saying anything earlier. Mary Margaret reasons she did not want to worry Aurora any more than necessary. The group decides together that Aurora will go back to sleep and the other three stand guard over her while Aurora goes back to sleep. Suddenly the camp is attacked by Cora's army of heartless undead, and Emma and Mary Margaret stand and defend while Mulan and Aurora run off into the woods. After defeating the zombies around them, the two take off after Mulan and Aurora, only to find that Mulan is alone and that Aurora has been kidnapped. Despairing of a way to contact Henry again, Mary Margaret suggests Mulan use some more poppy dust to place her back under sleep so she can get the information they need from Henry. Mulan states she knows of one place in the Enchanted Forest where poppies still grow, so they hurry to the location.

While traveling, Emma is upset because she blames herself for Henry falling victim to the Sleeping Curse. Emma reasons that as his mother, she is supposed to trust him even when no one else did. Mary Margaret says that they can play the blaming game all day, but it will not get them home. Emma agrees, but quietly says to herself, "The one that's responsible is Regina," implying that she blames Regina for their current situation.

On their way through the woods, a raven lands on Mary Margaret's shoulder with a message from Cora; hand over the compass by sundown in exchange for Aurora's safety. A distraught Mulan attempts to physically wrest away the compass away, but Mary Margaret and Emma are able to negotiate that if they are unable to contact Henry before sundown, they will take the compass to Cora and retrieve Aurora. Afterwards, Mulan leads them to the location of a single poppy, and proceeds to use her dagger to grind it down. Mary Margaret settles against a tree while Emma holds her hand. The poppy is blown in Mary Margaret's direction and she falls asleep.

In a panic, Mary Margaret awakens hoping to find some leftover poppy dust as David is all alone in the dream world and she is desperate to get back to him as soon as possible. Emma promises they will be able to save and awaken David. Mary Margaret isn't so sure, but Emma believes in the love that her parents have for each other. Suddenly, they discover Mulan has run off with the compass and quickly chase her down. Furious, Mary Margaret nearly hits Mulan with an arrow and tackles her to the ground to grab the compass. The altercation is broken up once Aurora jumps in, revealing she escaped from Cora with Hook's help. The four head off towards Rumplestiltskin's old cell to procure squid ink; unaware that Cora knows of their location.

As the group arrives at Rumplestiltskin's cell in the ruins of the palace, Mulan uses her torch to search the cell for any sign of the squid ink. After Aurora finds a note scribbled with Emma's name, Mulan discovers a small empty glass vial, but without any ink inside. Out of nowhere, Aurora, through Cora's manipulation, entraps all of them inside the cell. Out of the shadows, Cora reveals she has Aurora's heart and squeezes it as a demonstration. She and Hook make off to begin their trip to Storybrooke. Soon after, Mary Margaret figures out there is squid ink on the note and uses it to open the cell. At Aurora's insistence she cannot be trusted, Mulan binds her up to the cell bars.

At Lake Nostos, Mary Margaret shoots an arrow to knock the enchanted compass out of Cora's hand to the ground. A battle ensues, and at one point, Cora vanishes in a puff of smoke after nearly getting hit, and the satchel carrying Aurora's heart is knocked off her person. Hook catches and throws it back to Mulan. After Mulan leaves to return Aurora's heart, Hook is knocked out by Emma, and Cora reappears in front of her and Mary Margaret. She uses her magic to fling Emma aside, stating that she will be giving her daughter the one thing she wanted, which is Mary Margaret's heart. As she reaches forward, Emma jumps in and shoves Mary Margaret aside, causing Cora to reach into her chest instead. However, Cora is physically incapable of ripping out her heart. A burst of light shoots out of Emma's chest, knocking Cora unconscious. Joining hands, Emma and Mary Margaret leap into the portal.

Successfully, they reenter Storybrooke from within the wishing well. Henry has a tremendously emotional return with both of them. After thanking Regina, they eventually return to Mr. Gold's shop where Mary Margaret awakens David with true love's kiss. Emma speaks to Mr. Gold about the note in his old cell and accuses him of pulling strings in her life from the very beginning. Mr. Gold, however, states that he did not create her, he only made use of who and what she is--the product of true love. Emma details Cora's inability toremove her heart, which Mr. Gold remarks is because of magic that is within her, not because of his involvement in pegging her as the savior.

While David and Mary Margaret are having some "intimate" moments, Henry and Emma walk in. The couple convince Henry they are just lying down, while Emma awkwardly excuses herself. David makes a joke that it is impressive how they can still provide her with traumatic childhood memories this late in her life.

A welcome home dinner is thrown for Emma and Mary Margaret at Granny's. Emma has invited Regina, which displeases some of the other guests. At the party, Regina asks that she be allowed to spend more time with Henry, but Emma does not think it is a good idea, and she tells Regina that Dr. Hopper has shared with her that Regina is trying to change in order to get closer to Henry.

The next morning, Emma is about to leave to walk Henry to the bus from the diner when Pongo runs across the street from Archie's office. Ruby can sense something is wrong, and she and Emma go to Archie's office to investigate. In his office, they find Archie's body lying dead on the ground.

Due to Ruby seeing Regina confront Archie about sharing information from their sessions with Emma, Regina is accused of murdering the town psychologist. Regina is arrested and brought to the police station. David and Mary Margaret want to kill Regina, but Emma decides to let her go as there is no evidence and she believes Regina actually is changing for the better.

Emma, David and Mary Margaret go to see Mr. Gold, who gives Emma the dream catcher which allows her to see into Archie's dog's memories. The dream catcher depicts an image of Regina strangling Archie, but Emma drops the dream catcher in frustration before it can be revealed that the "Regina" is actually Cora in disguise. Now Emma has the proof she needs that Regina is guilty.

Because she has magic now and will be very difficult to contain, Mary Margaret and David suggest they trap her once more with fairy dust. The group goes to Regina's home where Emma tells her that they know she is guilty, that she will never change, and that she will never see Henry again. Mother Superior does attempt to freeze Regina with the fairy dust, but Regina catches it in midair and tosses it aside harmlessly. A truly broken Regina then disappears in a cloud of purple smoke.

When Emma struggles with telling Henry about what happened to Archie, she receives reassurance from David. He tells her that much like she was a parent to Henry for five minutes, he was hers for five minutes, too, but that things have changed now. They will all figure out the entire situation together because they are family.

At Archie's funeral, Henry is heartbroken and is comforted by Emma. After a chat with Marco, they decided Henry should take care of Pongo, to his delight, but Mary Margaret points out that maybe she and David should consider finding their own place, to Emma's shock. After Mary Margaret and David go on their house hunt, Emma notices Henry drawing blueprints for what to do if they decide to move out. Emma notices he has converted Mary Margaret's room into an armory for protection from Regina. Emma states they will not need it; she will not let her hurt him. Henry  states that she hurt Archie, and is afraid of what might happen if she tries to take him back. Then, Pongo begins to act unusually in front of the door. Emma opens it, revealing a very much alive Archie. Archie explains that Cora abducted him. Henry states they should probably tell Regina, though Emma worries that either way they will pay the price.

After a car crashes through the town border, Emma shows up in her sheriff car along with Mary Margaret and David inside. They rush to the scene, and find an amnesiac Belle who accidentally crossed the town line, Hook got run over by the car, and a stranger is passed out inside his car. Mary Margaret tries to calm Belle down while David and Emma restrain Mr. Gold from beating Hook to death. Eventually the paramedics arrive, and the stranger is taken the hospital to tend to his injuries. Hook and Belle are also taken in to be treated.

Mr. Gold shows up asking for Belle, but David refuses to let him go further because he was close to killing Hook. Leroy helps to hold Mr. Gold back until Dr. Whale comes to stop the commotion. Leroy, along with David, Mary Margaret, Emma and Ruby, attempt to break into the stranger's phone to learn more about him. Mary Margaret comments there must be a thousand different code combinations to try on the phone. David asks Leroy for help, but he replies humorously that pickaxing and phone hacking are two different things. Emma comes back from checking out paperwork the stranger had in his car, which shows his name is Greg Mendell. She hacks into the phone and from what they see on it, the man appears to be a normal person from the outside world. Dr. Whale comes back with bad news—the man is bleeding into his chest cavity. Emma tells him to fix the injury, but Dr. Whale is unsure if he can. When he consults with Mr. Gold in the hopes he can use his magic to fix the stranger's wounds, Mr. Gold refuses. He says the driver saw him use magic, so they better hope he dies of his wounds instead of trying to save him. David, Mary Margaret, Emma, Ruby and Leroy go into a separate room to debate about the pros and cons of helping someone from outside of town. Leroy does not think it is a good idea with the possibility the stranger could draw unwanted attention of the town's secrets to the world; particularly since outsiders are seem to be so inquisitive about magical beings and the way they study them to death. Ultimately, the decision is made to save the stranger's life no matter what. Dr. Whale leaves the room to prep for the surgery, and Mary Margaret remarks how drunk he appears to be.

They realize someone must be looking for him. The phone rings a second time with contact labeled as "Her". Again, the call goes unanswered because the group fears it might be traced to Storybrooke. The phone stops ringing, and they wait for the surgery to be over with. A male nurse comes into the lobby looking for Dr. Whale, who he cannot seem to find even after he pages him. Dr. Whale's pager goes off from his lab coat pocket, which is found disposed in a nearby laundry basket. Ruby gets the scent of booze on it, and takes off to find Dr. Whale. Mary Margaret ponders if Dr. Whale does not come back, perhaps they can get Doc to perform the surgery, which Leroy heartily disagrees with.

Ruby returns with a sober Dr. Whale who is ready to perform the necessary operations on Greg. He comes out after the surgery is done to announce to the group the man will live. Dr. Whale also shares the news Greg is ready to talk. At first, Mary Margaret and David want to go in with Emma, but she insists it would look strange if as sheriff she brought her parents in with her as well. Mary Margaret understands, and says they will be waiting for her outside. Greg tells Emma he was texting while driving and did not see a thing. Emma exits and tells the others that. On that note, Mary Margaret, David and Emma return to the apartment for the night. Henry comes down the stairs to ask about what had happened. While they each have a late night snack of a bowl of cereal, Henry chats animatedly about the subject after they are finished telling him. He is surprised Dr. Whale is Victor Frankenstein because the Frankenstein story is neither a fairy tale, nor does it not exist in his fairy tale book. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. The door is opened to reveal Mr. Gold, who comes to ask Emma to fulfill the favor she owes him. Mr. Gold wants Emma to leave with him by noon to New York City to find his son, Baelfire. Just before he leaves, Mr. Gold also warns if any harm comes to Belle while he is gone, he will kill them all.

The day after, Mr. Gold knocks at their door once again wanting to know if Emma is ready to go with him to find his son. Seeing Henry is also going, Mr. Gold comments Emma is the only one that is coming with him because it is part of the deal. Emma fires back, reminding him that Cora is still lurking around and she thinks it is best for Henry to go with her. She hugs Mary Margaret and leaves with Mr. Gold and Henry. On the way to the airport in the car, Emma asks Mr. Gold if the shawl is going to work for him, and he tells her that if it does not work then they are going to have some problems, but believes it will work. At the airport, Emma helps Mr. Gold go through the metal detector, and calms him down after he refuses security's request to take off his shawl. Once they wait for the plane to take off, Emma reassures Mr. Gold that it is going to be okay and they will find his son.

They arrive in Manhattan, and all three step out of a cab in front of an apartment complex. Emma is unsure if this is the right place, but Gold affirms it is. She figures out that his son is not expecting him to be there. They enter the building lobby and look at the apartment room numbers and call buttons. Emma is able to spot a room number—407—which has no resident name on it as a person who likely does not want to be found. She suspects that person is who they are looking. She pushes the buzzer, and announces herself as a UPS package deliverer. The call intercom switches off abruptly, and they hear a sudden noise from upstairs. Rushing out, they see a hooded man jumping down from the fire escape and taking off. Mr. Gold pleas with Emma to chase after him since he cannot run due to his disabled leg, and also because he wants her to get his son to talk to him. During the chase, Emma catches up with the escapee after taking an alleyway shortcut. Unexpectedly, she slams into him at the same juncture and both fall to the ground in pain. She looks up to see the hooded man is her old boyfriend, Neal. In shock, she questions if he and Mr. Gold were using her this entire time because of who she is and where she is from. Neal is confused about who Mr. Gold is until she yells out Rumplestiltskin's name; prompting him to change his tune. While he is furious his father is here, Emma says that she is the only one that should be angry because of Mr. Gold and Neal having set her up. Neal suggests that they should go to the bar to talk. Initially, Emma refuses, but goes with him after compliance.

At the bar, Emma asks if Neal knew who she was when they met and Neal told her he did not or not he would not have come near her. Neal explains that he came here to get away from magic. Even so, Emma has still suspicious; and asks if he used her to get away with the watches he stole, but Neal insists that not the reason he left her. He speaks about having come across an "old friend" of hers—August—who stopped him from selling the watches and going back to Emma. Neal recounts August showing him a box with a typewriter inside, and the words typed on the paper: I know you are Baelfire. Emma feels betrayed Neal let her go to jail over what August told him. Neal tries to calm her down; saying he was leading her back home. Again, Emma questions if their meeting is a coincidence, but Neal believes it is fate that brought them together. She does not believe him and it does not matter now; stating she is over it. However, Neal prompts her on why she is wearing the swan key chain he gave her all those years ago. She coldly remarks it is a reminder never to trust anyone again, and snaps the necklace off to return to him. She leaves the bar, and calls Mary Margaret for advice. She is confused over whether to tell Henry the truth about his father, or continue keeping it a secret.

Emma goes back to Mr. Gold and Henry to report his son got away, which is a lie. Mr. Gold refuses to leave the apartment complex and begins punching the call buttons for various residents. Miraculously, one of the residents buzz to open the apartment's front gate. He hobbles up to room 407, and though Emma does not want him breaking into someone's room, he pick locks the door open. Inside, they look around. Emma is surprised to see Neal kept the dream catcher from their years together. Mr. Gold notices, and immediately suspects she knows something that he does not. The tension is visible in the air, and Emma sends Henry out of the room. Mr. Gold makes threats and becomes violent when Emma refuses to talk.

Neal bursts into the room in time to stop Mr. Gold from physically harming Emma. Just as Mr. Gold realizes his son and Emma know each other, Henry comes back into the room asking if Neal is Baelfire. Neal, confused and unsure, asks Emma who the boy is, to which she says he is her son. She walks Henry out of the room, but Neal demands to know how old he is. Henry shouts that he is eleven, which is the exact number of years ago Emma and Neal were together. Shocked, Neal wants to know if Henry is his son. Emma has no choice but to confirm it. The news upsets Henry, and he climbs out the window to the fire escape. Outside, Henry asks Emma why she did not tell him the truth and Emma explains she never thought she would see him again and wanted to hide her past. Henry, in his disappointment, tells Emma is just like Regina who also lied to him all the time. She apologizes, and Henry asks to meet his father. Afterwards, Emma warns Neal not to hurt Henry like he did to her.

Mr. Gold tries to get Emma to convince Neal to go back to Storybrooke with them, meanwhile Neal and Henry go into a New York-style pizza parlor. Emma tells him that she payed up in her part of the deal, and that it is now up to Mr. Gold to decide what is best for his son. Mr. Gold compares Emma to Regina, and tells her that if Neal does not come to Storybrooke, Henry will hop on a bus back to New York to see his father. Soon Henry and Neal emerge from the pizza parlor, and Henry asks Emma about getting the camera from Neal's apartment so that they can take pictures at the museum they plan to visit later that day. When asks if he likes the pizza he insults Emma by saying that it is good because it does not lie. On the way back to Neal's apartment, Emma brings up the matter of him coming back to Storybrooke with them. She also tries to get him to go by saying that based on his apartment he does not have much going on here. Neal tells her that it is a complicated matter, and that there is something she needs to know, but Henry asks if they can take the subway before he can tell her. Neal says that they can, and the group approaches Neal's apartment. While Henry and Neal go upstairs to get the camera, Mr. Gold asks Emma if she talked to Neal about coming to Storybrooke. Emma tells him what Neal told her about it being complicated, but Mr. Gold does not accept. Emma begins to respond, but Hook rushes into the lobby in a flash, and stabs Mr. Gold with his hook. Hook is knocked unconscious by Emma, and Neal runs down when he hears the commotion. He instantly recognizes Hook, and sees his father's injuries. They bring Mr. Gold up to Neal's apartment and mention locking Hook in the storage room. Mr. Gold pushes Henry away when he asks him if he is alright. Based on Hook's map Emma finds out that Hook got to New York on his Jolly Roger, and they need to use it to get back to Storybrooke as soon as possible. Surprise is etched across Emma's face when Neal offers to captain the ship, telling Emma he knows how. Emma later asks Neal how he knows Hook, and he tells her that "this world wasn't my first stop", and if it was he would be an over a hundred years old. Through a text from Mary Margaret, she learns that Cora and Regina are after Mr. Gold's dagger, which she tells Mr. Gold. After discovering that Mary Margaret and David are trying to find it first, she asks Mr. Gold where it is hidden. He refuses to tell her, but eventually reveals it is in the Storybrooke Clock Tower. While getting a car to bring Mr. Gold to the ship, Emma asks Neal why he is helping his dad. Neal tells her that there is a big difference between not talking to his dad and watching him die. She thinks that the car that Neal finds is to be hotwired, but it is just a car that he borrowed from a friend. Finally Neal prepares to tell Emma about what has been going on since their last encounter, and a woman runs up to greet Neal. She introduces herself as Tamara to Emma, and finally Neal formally introduces her to Emma as his fiancée.

On the way back to Storybrooke on the Jolly Roger, Emma visits Mr. Gold in his bunker. Mr. Gold lets her know about what Cora could make him do if the dagger is in her possession. She assures him that they are family now, and that she will not let him die. They make it to the town dock, and Emma is helped by her parents to take Mr. Gold to his shop, while Ruby watches Henry to keep him out of the crossfire.

Inside the shop, she is instructed by Mr. Gold to find a jar. Thinking it is empty, he tells her to dig in it. Upon doing this, she grabs an invisible piece of chalk out of the container, and is further told to draw a line in the doorway of his shop. Neal tells her she missed a spot, and that she did not tell him that she was magical. Emma circumvents this by telling him she was unaware that he was the son of Rumplestiltskin, not to mention his engagement to Tamara. He asks her if it upsets her, and she tells him that they dated a decade ago, so she has no issue with their relationship. After this talk, she completes drawing the line, and asked to cast a protection spell around the premises of the shop. Mr. Gold explains that magic is not an intellectual endeavor, but an emotion one, and only then is Emma successful in conjuring a protective barrier with ease. She manages this just in time because Cora and Regina arrive after combining powers to destroy the erected barrier. Emma stands next to Neal, David and Mary Margaret—all of whom have swords or other sharp weapons to fight Cora and Regina. Their adversaries quickly manage to throw David out of the shop. When Cora has the option of helping Regina or picking the dagger from off the ground, she levitates the dagger to herself. This instigates Emma to throw Regina into Cora; causing both of them to crash into glass, which gives her and Neal enough time to enter the backroom to escape. Emma quickly creates another protection spell to seal Cora and Regina out. Later, David wakes up from being knocked unconscious by Cora's magic to call Emma, and they both realize Mary Margaret is not with either of them.

Close to death, Mr. Gold asks for the phone so he may speak to Belle. He hangs up abruptly after finished saying everything, and watches as Neal's relationship with his father becomes more familiarized. After a time, Cora finally breaks through the barrier. Emma and Neal stand guard, but she teleports them to the middle of the forest so she can be alone with Mr. Gold.

In Mary Margaret's apartment, Henry watches on as David brings back to the kitchen sink Mary Margaret's untouched breakfast. Henry does not understand what is wrong with her, but Emma just says Mary Margaret is a bit sick. At those words, David and Emma exchange a look, and Henry notices. Disappointed, he can tell they are lying to him. Emma insists no one is lying, but Henry knows she is lying; just like she lied about his father. She tries to get him to listen, and puts a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugs her off. Emma realizes Henry does have the right to know, and explains to him the circumstances in which Mary Margaret was partially responsible for Cora's death. Henry is puzzled, and does not want to believe Mary Margaret could do something like that. The conversation is halted by a knock on the door. While David goes to answer the door, Emma further states Mary Margaret was only trying to protect everyone. This still doesn't sit well with Henry. He firmly believes because Mary Margaret is Snow White that she could not harm anyone.

The visitor at the door is Mr. Gold. He has come to warn them about Regina's plans in getting revenge on Mary Margaret, but David is insistent he also owes them in helping to stop Regina since his life was saved by Mary Margaret. They investigate Regina's vault, and find one of Cora's spells missing called "the curse of the empty-hearted". The curse, when cast on someone, has the ability to make the caster think the person loves him or her. From upstairs, Henry has been eavesdropping, and comes down the stairs asking if Regina is going to use the spell on him. David tries to get him to go back upstairs and let the rest of them handle the situation, but Henry pushes David out of the way and goes to Emma. Meaningfully, he states Emma promised she would be honest with him, so he wants to know why Regina is using this curse. Answering his question, Mr. Gold says matter-of-factually that this is the only way Regina can get everything she wants—and what she wants is Henry. Furthermore, Regina not only wants love from Henry, but also vengeance from Mary Margaret. The twist is, in order to enact the curse, Regina needs the heart of the person she hates the most, which is obviously Mary Margaret. Mr. Gold says warning them fulfills his debt to Mary Margaret, but David disagrees, and Emma reminds him Henry is his grandson. He coldly remarks "wars have costs", and that this is a blood feud that goes back several generations, and the only way to end this is to spill more blood; preferably Regina's. Henry is horrified at the idea, and exclaims ending a feud by killing someone is a dark tactic that turns away from the heroes they used to be. No one knows what to say in response. Upset, Henry dashes out of the apartment while Emma follows behind.

To his annoyance, Emma brings him to the diner. She called Neal earlier to ask for his help in getting Henry out of Storybrooke. Henry makes it clear he does not want to talk to her, so she navigates him to the table booth Neal is sitting at. She excuses herself to grab some coffee at the counter. While she is gone, Neal seemingly convinces Henry the best possible option right now is for him to leave Storybrooke and come live with him in New York.

At the counter, Greg walks in to pick up his food order. Ruby hands him his already prepared order on a separate tray. He asks if he could have it to go, and she walks away to wrap it up for him. While he is waiting, he chats with Emma about going on a nature hiking walk. Emma muses she thought he might have already been back to Pennsylvania by now. Ruby comes back with his bagged food just as he says Storybrooke is starting to grow on him. He thanks Ruby for her service and pays for his order. Ruby and Emma exchange a look after he is gone.

Carrying a mug of coffee, Emma strolls over to Neal's booth to check in on how the conversation went with Henry. She is surprised to hear Neal got Henry to say yes to moving to New York. She does not see Henry anywhere, and asks where he went. Neal says he went to the bathroom, but Emma quickly deducts he was tricked since Henry took his backpack with him. Emma and Neal regroup with David, and search through the mines to see some of the dynamite missing. They realize Henry took some and wants to blow up something.

They arrive at the wishing well to see Regina speaking to Henry. Emma shouts for her to step away from her son, but Regina asserts Henry is her son. After the trio refuse to budge out of her way in getting to Mary Margaret, Regina conjures a fireball. Henry runs in between to force the fighting to cease, and yells that he needs someone to help him get rid of magic. Regina states there is no way to do it, and Emma replies the problem is Regina, not magic. Henry believes the problem is everyone; as magic is corrupting good people such as both Mary Margaret and Regina and makes them do bad things, though Emma insists it makes bad people do bad things, too. He pleas for Regina to help him destroy magic, but she cannot do that, however, she burns the spell page. Henry thanks her, and leaves with Emma, David and Neal.

Emma is getting for work when she sees David is making yet another breakfast in bed tray for Mary Margaret, who is still staying in bed since the aftermath of Cora's death. She is exasperated at David's attempts in coddling her. His defense is she is having a hard time, and the least they can do is make her feel comfortable, but Emma firmly believes enough days have passed and Mary Margaret needs to move past it. As Henry comes down the stairs, he casually asks if everything is okay. Emma replies everything is fine, and they both head out the door for the morning.

Later in the day, she gets a call from Mary Margaret asking to meet up at the diner. Emma takes a seat the counter next to Marco. Mary Margaret spills the beans about where August is, and Marco, who is sitting next to Emma, overhears and wants to see him. They have no means of helping him, but perhaps Mother Superior can, and they leave to speak with her.

Outside the nunnery, Mother Superior admits she knows about August's current dilemma. He came to her shortly after the curse broke to ask to be turned back to normal, but she could do no such thing if he has not stayed selfless, brave and true, which he did not. Mary Margaret agrees August has done some things which are regretful, but everyone should have a second chance. Mother Superior states if there is still a path of redemption for August, he must travel it on his own terms. Marco is sad over the news, but Mary Margaret believes there is hope for August.

Mary Margaret, Emma and Marco travel through the woods back to August's trailer. Marco says the state August is in at the moment is completely his fault, but Mary Margaret's perspective is the choices children make are their own decisions, and there is no use blaming himself. Marco finally comes clean about the true power of the wardrobe that could protect two people instead of one, and he selfishly wanted to save his son, so in exchange for carving the wardrobe, the Blue Fairy said the wardrobe could save only one so Pinocchio could go through, too. Mary Margaret is shocked at his confession, and in disbelief says she could have gone with Emma through the wardrobe. He is extremely apologetic, but a rage builds up in Mary Margaret at the revelation, and she hits Marco in the face. Emma asks what she is doing when Marco is apologizing, which Mary Margaret herself is just as surprised at her own action. Mary Margaret says she is not herself, and she forgives him because she would have done the same for her own child.

They finally reach August's trailer, but he is nowhere to be found inside. With no choice but to head back, Emma receives a phone call from August on their journey back into town. The phone call ends as abruptly as it began. The trio; joined on the way with David and Henry; go to the sheriff's office where August made the phone call. They nearly reach the front entrance in time to see August stumble out the door, and collapse onto the ground. Mary Margaret looks on with David and Henry as Emma and Marco attempt to help August. Before he dies, August tries to tell Emma something, but is unable to get the words out. Mary Margaret doesn't want it to end this way for August; still having the firm belief he is supposed to get a second chance.

Then, Henry realizes August can have a second chance because for the first time in a long time, he may have proven his actions to be selfless, brave and true. Mother Superior rushes over to the scene, and agrees if August's actions today have been selfless, brave and true, then she can restore him. She tests it out with her wand, and August reverts from wood back into a 7-year-old Pinocchio. Emma tries to ask the young Pinocchio if he can remember what August was trying to tell her before, but he cannot recall.

Henry, Emma, Mary Margaret and David go back to the apartment. Emma waits for Henry at the bottom of the stairs and apologizes for lying to him about Neal, and meaningfully promises to never lie to him again. She asks him not to push her away, and Henry agrees he won't. They make up with a hug and go upstairs together.

David and Mary Margaret surprise Emma by driving her to an unknown location and refusing to tell her where they are going until she sees the place for herself. They hold hands and enter past an outside barrier to unveil the hidden site—bean fields. Anton spots Emma and rushes off to greet her with a warm embrace. She is floored at his human sized stature, which he cheerily explains is Cora's doing but despite it he likes this size best. After a small amount of chit chat with Anton, Leroy marches over to pull Anton back to work.

Emma is flabbergasted they secretly began growing magic beans during the time she was still in the Enchanted Forest, and instinctively picks up that her parents truly want to go back to their land. Even Mary Margaret now approves of the idea since her heart is tired of dealing with the weight of Cora's death, and by going back to the Enchanted Forest she could have a chance to heal her own heart. Though Emma thinks of this world as her and Henry's home, her parents see the Enchanted Forest as theirs, and over in that land Emma might be able to have her happy ending.

Emma goes to the dock and looks through Henry's storybook and does some deep thinking about whether it would be a good idea for her and Henry to go to the Enchanted Forest or stay in Storybrooke. Regina approaches to speak to her about the revelation Mr. Gold is Henry's grandfather, which Emma plays off and says she was eventually going to tell her. She suggests Regina try to be the mother she is supposed to be to Henry before he is out of her life forever; hinting at the possibility Henry will be in the Enchanted Forest and not in Storybrooke. Regina has no idea about the magic beans, and suspects from the tone in Emma's voice she is hiding vital information. When probing further yields nothing from Emma, Regina walks away vowing to find out the secret.

After a long day, a sleeping Henry is brought back to the apartment by Neal. Together, he and Emma put Henry to bed. Neal notes Henry has gotten really good with the sword. Out the blue, Emma asks Neal would he go back to the Enchanted Forest if there was a way. Neal is put off by the thought as he spent his whole life running from that place. They move to the table and Neal delves into the topic of August—who is now Pinocchio—and how he and Henry played together at the park. At the mention of August, Emma voices her nagging concern about who was the person he had been trying to warn them about.

Emma enters the diner and sees Tamara at the counter grabbing some bagged food. As Tamara turns to walk out, Emma purposefully bumps into her and sends the items in her hands crashing to the floor. They both apologize, and bend down to pick up the stuff. Emma makes light conversation about how Neal still dislikes mayo, and is stunned when she picks up a written list detailing Storybrooke residents and who their fairytale counterparts are. Tamara says nothing and takes the paper back. Emma changes the subject, and asks how she is handling the adjustment to town and Neal's secret about being from the Enchanted Forest, to which Tamara responds in a positive light. Even so, Emma has a gut feeling Tamara is not trustworthy, and expresses concerns about what would happen if outsiders found out about Storybrooke and its inhabitants. Tamara is unruffled, and tries to sooth Emma's worries by saying she can trust her. Afterwards, Tamara bids her a warm farewell and leaves the diner, but Emma is left more apprehensive than ever.

Unable to keep her mistrust of Tamara to herself, Emma spills her theorized idea to Mary Margaret that Tamara is the "her" August was talking about. Mary Margaret is quizzical why Emma would think such a thing, and warns her to keep her voice down in the apartment or Henry will hear. Emma brings up the paper Tamara had with the list of names, but Mary Margaret is not convinced Neal's girlfriend is a true threat. Instead, she guesses Emma is still not over Neal, which is quickly refuted by Emma herself. Mary Margaret counsels that this theory of hers should not be known by Henry because even if Emma no longer has feelings for Neal, driving a wedge between him and Tamara will look in Henry's eyes like his parents have a chance of getting back together.

Once Mary Margaret is gone from the apartment, Emma is startled by Henry, who has been eavesdropping on the conversation. Excitedly, he regards the situation as them being back in business. Outside the bed and breakfast, Emma and Henry have a stakeout inside the yellow bug car and are on the lookout for Neal and Tamara leaving their guest rooms. Henry wants a new name for their partnership as "Operation Cobra" was about breaking the curse, and picks the name "Operation Praying Mantis".

Henry conveys to Emma how originally he wished to be experiencing new things in the Enchanted Forest, but being in Storybrooke with a new operation is fun, too. Emma cautiously asks would he want to go to the Enchanted Forest if there was a way. Curiously, he wonders if there actually is way. She denies it, but Henry already realizes the truth. He envisions himself, Emma and Neal could have a castle; an idea Emma thinks is silly. Just then, Henry shouts to duck, and they both do and peek out the window to see Neal and Tamara heading out of the bed and breakfast under an umbrella.

Emma pick locks Tamara's room while Henry watches to make sure the coast is clear. With a hint of mirth in his voice, he assumes when Neal finds out Tamara is evil, he and Emma will get back together. Once again, Emma is exasperated other people think she is onto Tamara because of jealousy, and maintains she doesn't trust Tamara for other reasons. But, Henry still thinks Neal and Emma have a shot together when Tamara is out of the picture. The door is finally picked open, and Emma instructs Henry to keep on guard for anyone approaching this way, and to let her know by feigning boredom and kicking the door.

Once inside, Emma snoops through a closet, but turns up with nothing. Going further into the room, her feet step on a creaky floorboard, and catches on that there must be something hidden underneath it. Just then, she hears the sound of Henry kicking the door. Neal bursts in and looks at Emma with a questioning stare. She attempts to fake a reason, but Neal sees through it, so she fesses up about her theory that Tamara is "her" and that she's playing him. Emma tells him about the list Tamara had, though Neal admits he gave it to her so she would have an easier time adjusting. Despite his confusion, he allows Emma to look at what's under the floorboard so her suspicion will wane. Emma is crestfallen to discover nothing in the floorboard is incriminating evidence, and cuts off Neal when he thinks she is having a hard time because of Tamara's presence in Storybrooke. She and Henry leave to go home.

With "Operation Praying Mantis" a temporary failure, they return to the apartment and snack on ice cream. Henry supports Emma by saying he believes what she believes, to which she smartly agrees with because her instincts are correct in not trusting Tamara.

Emma, David, and Mary Margaret investigate Regina's office after discovery of the destruction of the bean fields. Regina is nowhere in sight, and more suspicious is the last time someone entered the office was done by using an override code to break in as well the remaining beans Regina stole are also gone. Emma still thinks Tamara is involved. Neither Mary Margaret or David believe she'll find anything from Tamara, but Emma heads to the bed and breakfast guest room. She finds Neal and questions him about Tamara's whereabouts. He insists Tamara is going on a marathon training jog in the woods. The story doesn't add up in Emma's mind, especially when she notices sand on the floor left behind by Tamara's shoes. A reluctant Neal tags along as Emma marches over to the beach where she presumably believes Tamara is. While scouring the beach coastline, Tamara jogs up. She casually mentions the reason for her change in jogging area from the woods to the beach, and asks what they are doing. Emma says Regina has disappeared, and Tamara expresses surprise along with hopes they find her soon. When they are left alone after Tamara resumes her jog, Neal has a hunch Emma is jealous of his current relationship. Again, Emma fends off the accusation. The conversation gives Neal room to finally tell Emma he is regretful of how things turned out between them, and how he did want to find and take her place in jail, but was too afraid she'd never forgive him as he also never forgave himself.

With Mr. Gold's help, Mary Margaret forges a bodily connection with Regina and begins to physically experience the same sensations as her. Emma receives a call from David with a short, vague description of Mary Margaret's recollection of Regina being in a place that "smelled like sardines". As she and Neal tread close to the town cannery, it clicks in Emma's head that Regina is trapped there, and tells them where they must go. Inside, Emma and Neal cautiously enter, and are met by Mary Margaret and David as well. Her parents race further ahead in their search and stop Greg as he is electrocuting Regina to near death. In a hallway, Emma learns from another phone call from David who the culprit is, and remains on guard as Greg is currently making his getaway out of the cannery. Neal is relieved Emma's doubts about his fiancée are unfounded, or at least until he receives a shock in the form of Tamara hitting an unsuspecting Emma over the head leaving her unconscious.

Emma remains immobile until she awakens to see Neal has been shot by Tamara. Tamara tells Neal she is sorry and Emma tells her she should be as she kicks the pistol out of Tamara's hands. The two of them get into a fight and she manages to pick up the gun but is unable to stop Tamara from throwing a magic bean on the ground and thus opening a portal. Emma is almost sucked in, but Neal pulls her up. Then, their places are switched as Emma is the one trying to pull up a slipping Neal. He urges to her to let go, but she stubbornly refuses because he is wounded, and eventually confesses her love for him. Neal admits he still loves her, too, and falls into the closing portal as a heartbroken Emma watches. In a numb state, she returns home and gives her parents the news Neal is dead.

David, Emma and Mary Margaret head to the park via truck to pick up Henry, who has been watched over by Granny. Once there, they have a surprise encounter with Mr. Gold. The older man claims since Neal wants nothing to do with him, he's spending time with his grandson. Grimly, Mary Margaret tells Emma to speak with Henry first, to which she goes off to do. As her parents give Mr. Gold the news of Neal's death, she tells Henry.

Despite David and Mary Margaret's attempt at convincing Mr. Gold to help them stop the trigger, he refuses. The trio return to the apartment with Henry, where he has a warm reunion with a fully recovered Regina. Once the shaking subsides, Emma voices her hunch about what that was about. Regina admits the trigger was activated, which Henry takes to mean they are all going to die, but is reminded by her that he was born in this world and won't be affected. This gives him an even more dreadful conclusion of being all alone. Emma promises she won't let that happen and orders Regina to make the trigger stop, but there is no way of doing that. Tension fills the air when Emma blames Regina for the current dilemma, to which Henry intervenes. Just then, Hook strolls in; earning himself a punch from David's fist. Despite an undeniable wish for vengeance, Hook has decided to align himself away from Greg and Tamara since realizing revenge is not worthy if he is going to lose his own life in the process. Regina makes it clear there is no terminating the trigger and the best she can do is to slow it down. David suggests the delay will give them more time to steal back the remaining beans from Greg and Tamara, use them to open portals, and traveling to the Enchanted Forest. Emma points out no one knows their current whereabouts, though Hook chimes in he knows. To keep the pirate from betraying them, David goes along with him. A plan assembles for everyone else in the group; Mary Margaret will take Henry to gather up the rest of the townspeople while Emma brings Regina to the mines to stall the trigger's power.

Emma and Regina find the trigger in the mines, floating in midair, and glowing blue from all of the magic it is sucking out of Storybrooke. Regina warns she can slow it down in time for everyone to escape, but will die in the process. Emma stubbornly insists there has to be another way, but Regina accepts her fate in that it is the only way to be fair is for the trigger to take her life because she is the one who created it. Before she begins absorbing the trigger's magic, she tells Emma to pass onto Henry that she died a hero.

Having retrieved at least one magic bean, David and Hook return to the diner where some of the townspeople are grouped. Henry questions where his adoptive mother is, and Emma tells him that she is in the mines slowing down the trigger, but will not be able to make it out. This angers Henry; comparing this event to the Wraith attack and how are things different this time around. This gives Mary Margaret an idea—they can send the trigger through a portal just like they did with the Wraith. Emma doesn't believe anyone is willing to go through with such a risky plan, but Archie persuades her it's the right thing to do. He talks about in the past when Mary Margaret was Snow White and David was Prince Charming, who led all of them without fail, and asks who is inclined to allow them to do it again, to which everyone follows suit in agreement. Mary Margaret knows she and David haven't had a lot of time to be parents, but asks for chance to be trusted, though Emma is concerned Henry will be alone and grow up just like herself. Another rumble tremors through town, which pushes Emma to think they'd all be better off making it out now by using the bean, but Mary Margaret's lingering guilt about Cora forces a moral obligation to do otherwise. She pleads to Emma that Cora's death was the easy way out as well as a mistake, and this time around they must take the hard path to building a future not at the cost of Regina's blood. Emma finally agrees, but as David tosses her the bean container, Hook snatches it in mid-air. She makes him give it back, which he pretends to do by handing back the box and makes off with the actual bean.

Down in the mines, Henry and his family meet up with Regina, and he announces it is their turn to be heroes. David, Henry and Mary Margaret stand back as Emma prepares to take out the bean, but discovers Hook tricked them. Regina's frustration in not being able to contain the trigger causes Emma to realize she does not have enough strength on her own, but perhaps together they do. Combining their magic powers, an impact blow in deactivating the trigger causes everyone present to be thrown back onto the ground. After the danger is over, David expresses relief since they listened to Henry about not leaving Regina behind. However, Henry is nowhere to be seen. They find his backpack on the ground with torn straps. Emma deducts he has been kidnapped.

They rush off to save Henry from Greg and Tamara, but are not fast enough. Horrified, they watch as a portal opens in the water and Henry is forced to jump in along with Greg and Tamara. After the portal closes, David and Mary Margaret have to hold back a anguished Emma. Mr. Gold and Belle pass by the harbor and overhear their discussion about Henry's disappearance to another realm. Regina begs him to help, but he says there is no way to go across lands unless a portal can be opened. The whole group is despondent until Belle, transfixed, stares out at the ocean's distance and points out a ship, the Jolly Roger, still sitting in port. After discovering Hook didn't leave using the magic bean he stole, the pirate allows them to board the ship in going after Henry.

Aboard the Jolly Roger, Mr. Gold conjures the magic globe and spills his own drop of blood onto it; showing Henry's current location to be in Neverland. After Hook casts the magic bean into the water to open a portal, he, Emma, David, Mary Margaret, Mr. Gold and Regina set sail for the land.

Journeying through the portal, Hook steers the ship until it lands in the nighttime waters of Neverland. Cautiously, everyone on board looks around to assess their new surroundings until Emma asks aloud if they are at the proper destination, which Hook affirms, as they sail towards an island.

At the railing, Emma blankly stares out to sea when she is approached by her parents. Mary Margaret offers consolation by saying what happened to Henry and Neal was not Emma's fault. Emma responds she doesn't, and actually blames Mary Margaret. In stunned silence, Mary Margaret and David listen to her regret the decision of being swayed by "good always wins" and rejecting the ideology of it as she did not grow up in a fairytale land and learned to live in a world of realistic expectations. In defense, Mary Margaret states she and David also have their expectations to go by, and want to share their worldly wisdom with her. Emma retorts though they are trying to be parental, the bottom line is both of them are the same age as her, and therefore have an equal amount of wisdom as herself. Near tears, she recounts the bad decision of breaking the curse, and instead should have just left town for good with Henry. Mary Margaret agrees if Emma had, Henry could be together with her. She tries to explain in words how difficult it was for herself and David to lose Emma, and it's something that haunts them everyday. David chips in by saying that's the reason why they are here now so Emma won't have to go through the same thing they did. Having reached her limit, Emma angrily berates Mary Margaret and David's unyielding optimism when the situation is so grim. David responds it's who they are, though Emma has a hard time understanding why because ever since their memories were restored, things have not exactly been ideal. Despite that, he sees the one good thing has been finding Emma, but she counts off how many lives of people have been lost since then. Mary Margaret chides that letting go of hope is like losing all optimism that somehow, someway things will get better, and promises they will find Henry.

Mr. Gold, now garbed in his old Rumplestiltskin outfit, coolly interrupts to state they won't, and draws Hook and Regina's attention as well. With a calm determination, Mr. Gold announces his intent to get Henry back on his own. Annoyed, Regina reminds him they agreed to go on the search and rescue together, but he replies there was no such agreement. Emma questions why he is going to this length, and Mr. Gold says it's about succeeding. She deducts he thinks they are going to fail on their mission. Mr. Gold proceeds to list off the reasons for it; Emma doesn't believe in her parents, in magic, or even herself. She recalls slaying a dragon and believing, but he points out that was only because it was shown to her and has never truly taken a leap of fate. Despite all that Emma has been through, Mr. Gold sees she is still just a bails bonds person looking for proof of evidence and that kind of tactic won't work in Neverland. Stubbornly, Emma believes in doing whatever it takes, but again, he shows the cracks in her belief system since she always needs someone to tell her what that is. With a spin of his cane, Mr. Gold disappears from the ship.

Below deck, Hook walks in on Emma doing pull-ups. When asked what she is doing, Emma says it's preparation for a fight. He declares she doesn't appear to be someone who needs strengthening for battle while Emma gives him a look and stops her workout routine. Hook adds what he means is to not be so down from Mr. Gold's earlier words. Sitting down to rest, Emma asks what he wants. Hook mentions he has something to give her, and briefly talks about having spent time with Baelfire, though Emma maintains she only knew him as Neal. He offers her a blade that once belonged to Baelfire, which makes Emma question when Hook became so sentimental. Hook states, in fact, he simply thought she might need a weapon and nothing more. Then, he places a small cup in her hand and pours rum for both of them. They make a toast in Neal's honor. Sitting across from each other, Emma asks how much time he spent with Neal. Hook says it was long enough to miss him, too. Suddenly, a loud rumbling and pounding against the ship causes alarm, and they both hurry to the deck to see what's happened.

At the helm, David and Mary Margaret are trying to steer as something is causing the ship to sway erratically and throw everyone on board off balance. Regina investigates what they are doing while Hook calls for everyone to prepare for an attack. Having no idea what he means, Regina expresses confusion, but Hook urges her to grab a weapon. High pitched screeches ring from beneath the waves, and Emma asks what is out there. They all look over into the waters to discern what creature it could be, and see bodies of swimming mermaids, which only Hook is unsurprised to inform them of. He attempts to quicken the ship to outrun them, but there are too many. David goes to fill a cannon with ammunition and repeatedly fires it at the swarm of mermaids while Mary Margaret and Emma throw a fishing net into the sea and catch a mermaid on the line. As they pull the creature in, Regina remarks it's only one, and takes matters into her own hands by continuously conjuring fireballs into the water until the other dozens of mermaids disperse away from the ship. Still struggling with the weight of the mermaid on the fishing line, Regina hauls and teleports it onto the deck.

Disgusted, Hook calls for the mermaid to be thrown off his ship, but Regina disagrees as it might be helpful to have a hostage. David sides with Hook and wants the creature away from them. Regina proposes they should find out why the mermaids were attacking while Mary Margaret wonders if she means to torture it, to which the latter is open to. Sneakily, the mermaid grabs a conch shell that was also tangled in the fishing line and blows into it to signal a warning; eliciting the sound of thunder from the sky as a response. She threatens them all with death if they don't free her. David attempts to interrogate the mermaid about what exactly she did by sounding the shell, while the half-fish half-human being pleads to be let go. Regina refuses, and warns she will use force if no answers are given. Frustrated, Mary Margaret states threatening someone isn't a way to get a response, though Hook clues everyone in that a mermaid's word absolutely cannot be trusted. Mary Margaret suggests perhaps the mermaid is afraid of Pan and letting her go would be best, but Regina hints if that happens, it's just as likely the whole horde of them will be swimming right back to kill everyone. With an air of confidence, the mermaid sneers she doesn't need her friends to slaughter them, and they will do it themselves.

Unexpected loud thunder claps brewing from the sky startle everyone; making Hook realize the mermaid previously called the storm to arms. Using authority with a sword, David presses the creature to stop the storm, and then they will let her go. She refuses, and an impatient David moves to prepare slashing open her neck as Regina incites him to go through with it. However, a shocked look from Mary Margaret deters him away from doing so. During Hook's struggle to motion the ship into speeding away from the storm, more bickering follows Mary Margaret and Regina's disagreements over what to do with the mermaid. Eventually, Regina decides for the group to freeze the water nymph into a wooden statue so the storm disturbance will cease, but instead, speeds it up into a downpour of rain and gigantic sea waves.

Emma tries to help Hook turn the ship at the steering wheel when tensions are reaching a breaking point with Mary Margaret and Regina. Their ongoing dispute over whose fault it is for the current situation turns into an all-out jab of personal remarks until they both begin trading physical punches. David hurries over to break it up, but Hook incurs his wraith by using an unintended insult towards Mary Margaret, and the two start a fist fight. Emma yells for them to stop, but no one is listening. Suddenly, she notices the coincidental timing various bolts of lightning strike the ship during all the fighting, and realizes the storm's cause wasn't the mermaid's doing, but their own. She screams the real reason for the storm aloud to snap sense into the brawling foursome, but again her words fall on deaf ears. Abandoning the ship steering helm, Emma makes way to stand over the rail while hanging onto one of the rigging ropes in another attempt to draw attention and goes ignored, so she jumps overboard; forcing everyone to stop their scuffling. In the process, a rigging rope pulley block snaps from the sail and falls into the water; knocking Emma unconscious. Panicked, Mary Margaret requests Regina to bring her up, but she is unable to without knowing Emma's exact location underwater. David volunteers to retrieve Emma, which quickly helps assemble a group effort to tie a rope around his waist so they can pull him in later. Beneath the waters, David grabs hold of Emma and surfaces; signaling Hook, Mary Margaret and Regina to haul them back onto the ship. The hard work pays off, and both are out of harm's way. On the soaked deck, Emma's parents cradle her until she finally comes to just as the ocean begins to calm and the moon peeks from behind the dark sky.

The Jolly Roger, damaged by the storm, causes a change of plans, and those on board take a rowboat towards the island shoreline. On their ascent off the boat, Regina advocates towards another alternative plan instead of going through the jungle; she can fix the ship with magic and follow through with what Hook intended to do. Emma thinks it'd be better to save up the magic for later use, and notes they should stop running away as Pan already knows of their presence. She proclaims Mr. Gold was correct in that Neverland is fueled by the power of believing, and it didn't sit right that everyone was busy being at each other's throats to be believers. Emma also admits she was wrong, too, and the best thing is to not believe in magic, but in each other. Quizzically, Regina interprets her words to mean that, after all strain in their relationships, she wants to be friends. Emma doesn't expect that, and states there doesn't have to be friendship; just cooperation to save Henry. David doesn't think they can with Hook and Regina, but she insists it's possible to succeed by being who they are and sooner or later each person's individual skill will be needed. Regina questions what Emma's skill is. Emma responds, in turn, that she is a mother as well as a leader, and to help her get Henry back or step aside. With that, she walks off into the jungle. David and Mary Margaret quickly follow suit as does Hook, and Regina trails behind.

While treading through the jungle upwards to a cliff ridge, Regina mentions she could have easily used magic to bring everyone to the present area, but Hook points out there are hidden dangers in an unfamiliar location. He asserts only he himself has proper knowledge to guide them through; a judgment Emma trusts because of his previous residence in Neverland. Mary Margaret, looking out for Emma, gives her some water to keep hydrated. In return, she is thanked by Emma, who still refers to her as Mary Margaret. Wishing to be less formal, Mary Margaret approaches, with hope, that Emma can call her "mom" as she has done before. Yet, Emma is uneasy about the subject, and notes the last time she did, it was because they were all going to die. Mary Margaret drops the subject and the two catch up to the rest of the group.

David leads them in the front by using his sword to swipe away stray branches blocking their way. Seeing a bushful of thorns blocking a path, he prepares to slit them into pieces, but is stopped by Hook, who points out the life-threatening dangers of a substance, Dreamshade, oozing out from them. David stiffly ignores advice about taking the left path, and heads right with Mary Margaret and Regina; leaving Emma and Hook. Teasingly, he says her father is very distrustful of others, but Emma's opinion is David isn't used to working with enemies. Avouching himself, Hook promises that while they are on the island, he is not one of the bad guys. Even so, Emma counters Pan isn't supposed to be, either. He wonders where she got that idea, and Emma indicates the impression came from stories heard as a child. Hook corrects the pretense by stating Pan is the most treacherous villain he's ever faced. Curious about other fictional incarnations of himself, Hook asks her what he is like in stories; aside from being a handsome villain. Unamused, she leaves him to decide if perms and waxed mustaches are his thing.

Up ahead, the ridge allows them to get a view of the island, but Hook is unable to discern anything as everything looks different since he was last present. With the effort of the journey wasted, David proposes they begin combing the sections of the island, but Hook puts them off from the plan as the Dark Jungle is not safe to travel through and suggests taking the path around it. Seeing as everyone's strength is likely depleted, he decides it's best to set up camp for the night. Regina demands if resting is the answer while Henry is still out there, which Hook agrees it is if everyone wants to live long enough to find him. Reason and tiredness overrides the drive to continue the search as everyone except Emma and Mary Margaret move away from the ridge to call it a night. Emma states Regina is right about Henry, but Mary Margaret says Hook isn't wrong either, and their best chance is to save their strength for tomorrow’s search. Still, Emma is concerned finding Henry will take too long, so Mary Margaret reassures that after everything she and David went through to be reunited with her, it’s never too late for anything.

The group sleeps through the night on makeshift beds, but only Emma awakens to the sound of chattering. Thinking someone has invaded the camp, she pulls out the weapon Hook previously gifted and attempts to awaken her parents, who do not awaken. So, she decides to do a solo investigation by stalking closer to the recurring speaking inflections and raises her blade in alarm when spooked by a young boy. Casually, he asks if she is Emma, and marvels at the perplexity of why the others in her camp can’t hear the voices. She demands to know who he is, and the boy introduces himself as Peter Pan, which prompts a swift reaction from Emma; pinning him against the tree with her knife poised to cut into his neck. She asks where Henry is situated, but Pan responds to comment on her fiery personality instead. Impatient, Emma repeats her question. Pan allows one bit of information to slip; namely that Henry is still alive. She wants to know why he took him, though Pan will only say Henry is special. Redirecting the conversation away from Emma’s inquisitions, Pan addresses his reasoning for coming was to see who he is up against, and hasn't been disappointed by it through encountering the famed “savior”. Emma thinks he is going to threaten she will never see Henry again, yet Pan endeavors to let her find him with a map. She warns him against tricking her, though Pan swears, despite his reputation, he always keeps promises. Still unsure, she grills him on why he’s giving it to her. With a smile, Pan verifies it’s not about finding Henry, but how Emma finds him as well as the fact she’s the only one who can. After receiving the map, she calls his bluff by pointing out the parchment is completely blank. Pan guarantees it will work once Emma stops denying who she really is. As she glances down at the map in doubt, Pan mysteriously disappears.

Later, Emma, Hook and Regina mull over the map by a campfire. Hook muses Pan likes his games, but Regina is in disbelief since the map clearly has nothing on it and brings up the possibility it will lead to a trap. Hook points out Pan doesn't need to do such a thing since the whole island is rigged. From behind, David and Mary Margaret arrive back after finding no sign of Pan anywhere. As Emma is having no luck deciding what to do next, Regina deems the whole charade to be one of Pan’s tools to distract them from looking for Henry, and prefers to try using magic on the map. She moves to take it, but Emma stands her ground in following the given instructions; a move Hook agrees with as breaking Pan’s rules are unwise. Grudgingly, David echoes Hook’s sentiments. Mary Margaret notes Regina’s magic doesn't exactly have a gentle touch as David also chimes in that using an enchantment might backfire. Even so, Regina is willing to take the risk, but Emma is not and wants to figure things out the hard way. Outnumbered in her opinion, a doubtful Regina steps out of the conversation. Supportively, Mary Margaret offers Emma constructive thoughts; this is Pan’s game, but it’s one she can win.

Emma tries her hand at unlocking the map by voicing out loud truthful statements about herself. Mary Margaret encourages her not to hold anything back. Emma progresses by stating she is Henry's mother, her previous residence in Boston as a bails bonds person and her current employment as sheriff of Storybrooke, which Regina interrupts to note the election was fake. Urged on by Mary Margaret, Emma digs deeper to unearth the more uncomfortable facts about herself; being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming as well as the product of true love with her birth in the Enchanted Forest and the manner in how she ended up in the Land Without Magic to one day break a curse. Pressing further, David asks her to say the reason why she was able to break the curse, to which Mary Margaret excitedly remarks there's no embarrassment in admitting it. Hook doesn't understand what they mean, so Regina tips him off on the "s" word. Preparing herself, Emma firmly declares she is the savior, but the map remains unmarked with no response. Tired of playing games, Regina snatches the map and casts a locator spell on it. The enchanted parchment begins floating to lead them straight to Pan, which means they must travel through the Dark Jungle to get there. They reach an area shaped like a pit, and at the center standing with his back towards them appears to be Henry. Emma calls out to him, but as the boy turns around, it’s revealed to be Pan dressed in Henry’s clothes. Pan, displeased at the breaking of his rules, sets the Lost Boys to circle Emma and the rest of her group into battle. Hook counsels everyone to be on the lookout for the Lost Boys’ arrows as they are laced with Dreamshade. As everyone else defends themselves against the onslaught, Emma fights off several Lost Boys and ends up pinning down one of them. However, when she demands to know where Henry is, the boy only stares back at her. Shaken by what she sees in his eyes, Emma backs off. At the sudden pierce of a whistle, all the Lost Boys round up to Pan’s side. Pan reaffirms the map will only show a path once Emma stops denying who she is, and makes off with his gang.

Still perplexed over the map, Emma is given words of positivity from her parents, but she is in no mood to hear them. She walks off to be alone, and while David attempts to go after her, Mary Margaret insists on taking his place instead. Mary Margaret tries to open a dialogue with Emma, who is disinterested and closed-off; remarking they are no match for Pan, and expresses frustration as her role as savior, which has done nothing to open up the map’s secrets. From there, Mary Margaret comes to realize Emma is confused about her identity in thinking she knows herself, but in actuality, does not, and it’s through the push of reality a person’s true self is revealed. She asks about the Lost Boy with the knife, and why Emma withdrew from the fight. Emma says he was only a boy, but Mary Margaret senses there is deeper reason behind her action. Reluctantly, Emma admits the boy had an uncanny resemblance to herself—the same look of despair in his eyes--that she had while growing up in the foster system as a lost, unimportant girl desperately longing for the parents who gave her up. Mary Margaret murmurs she did find them, but acknowledges it was too late. On the island itself, Emma has no sense of being a hero, but admits to what she’s always been—an orphan, which causes the map to finally unveil its contents. Though it's difficult to accept, Mary Margaret cannot deny the truth of how Emma grew up, and says it's her job to change that now.

Reforming with the others, Emma shows the map to Hook. He deducts Pan's camp is in the northern part of the island, but traveling there will be bound with impediments. David suggests preparing for what is coming up, though Regina isn't so sure about their way of doing things. Emma allows her the opportunity to disagree, but reasons their best chances are through working together. With a strategy planned, the group breaks apart to assemble for leaving. Hook offers Emma a drink of rum and asks how she unlocked the map. She states it worked by following what Pan told her to do. Notably, he wonders who she really is, but Emma isn't interested in sharing that information. When she hands him back the rum, Hook tells her he wouldn't mind knowing, but Emma leaves wordlessly.

While scourging for berries in the bush, Emma gets another unannounced visit from Pan. He commends Emma for beating his game, but also briefs on the reason for testing her. He implicates that she hasn't forgiven her parents for their abandonment, and surprisingly, accuses Emma of bestowing Henry with the same feelings. Pan threatens by the time she reaches Henry, he will never want to leave Neverland. Emma doesn't care since it's still too early to tell. However, Pan leaves her with one last alarming detail--by the end of all this, she won't just feel like an orphan, but also be one.

Heading straight north to the site of Pan's lair, Emma unravels the map to see how much further away they are, when the destination on the map changes to a location far behind them. Hook informs the group Pan has just moved his camp. Emma comments the entire journey was a waste, so Regina brings up a faster way to reach Henry; namely by using magic to transport everyone there and grab him. The suggested plan is rejected as, per Hook's knowledge, Pan will likely have shields against magic and that kind of attempt would only result in everyone's death. Regina considers what he has in mind instead, so Hook explains they can track down a fairy Pan trusts as she might be a good inside source to get them into the camp with pixie dust. At this, Emma thinks he means fairy dust. David clears things up by explaining pixie dust is much stronger and is akin to nuclear fairy dust, which helps Emma to realize the fairy they are looking for is Tinker Bell. Alarmed, Regina thinks it's a bad idea, and as the search for Tinker Bell begins, she pulls Emma aside. She presents her with the idea their combined powers will enough to go against Pan, but Emma is wary of the price of using magic. Regina is asked to at least see the plan through as a possibility of finding Tinker Bell, but she scoffs it must be a good idea since Emma's "boyfriend", Hook, gave the suggestion. Emma is incredulous to her accusations while Mary Margaret reminds Regina that Neal's death is still fresh. Regina quickly apologizes as worrying about Henry is making her anxious.

Noticing Regina is lagging behind, Emma notices and approaches to ask what her relationship to Tinker Bell is. She refuses to elaborate; only stating it's a "complicated history", and it's better if Tinker Bell does not see her. Regina urges Emma to find Tinker Bell and save Henry while she stays behind. Emma catches up with David, Hook and Mary Margaret as they reach Tinker Bell's tree house.

Inside, Hook climbs up first to make sure it’s safe and then allows everyone else to follow. While hauling herself up, Emma finds the house reminds her of another place. After Mary Margaret comments she thought a tree house would be more cheery, Emma reminisces it’s similar to the home she grew up in. Mary Margaret quickly realizes it looks like just a place to sleep, to which Emma asks how she knows that. Reminded of the past, Mary Margaret delves into her previous life while on the run from the Queen, and how she once slept in a tree stump. While getting used to the tree house surroundings, Mary Margaret also finds it strange Tinker Bell needs a ladder when fairies are known to have wings for flying. From sleuthing around, David finds a white cloth, which Mary Margaret recognizes as Regina’s. Emma pieces together that Tinker Bell was tracking Regina, and they rush off to rescue her.

They ambush Tinker Bell outside a cavern, but Regina arrives to attest to the fairy's innocence. However, Regina states Tinker Bell won't helping them infiltrate Pan's camp. When prompted over the reason, Regina comes clean that Tinker Bell no longer possesses magic, pixie dust or her wings. Emma asks how that happened, so Tinker Bell claims people stopped believing in her. Tinker Bell admits she has the capabilities to get them inside Pan's camp, but wants to know what's in it for herself. Emma promises if Tinker Bell gives a hand to their cause, she can come to Storybrooke. Mary Margaret chimes in that it'd be a place to call home. Tinker Bell agrees to the deal, and announces her intentions to enter Pan's base as well as leave an opening for them, too. Later that night, the group settles into their campsite along with Tinker Bell.

At the camp base, Emma uses a stick and a drawing on the ground made of dirt and stones to elaborate on Pan's headquarters while the others listen with rapt attention, except for Tinker Bell who is gathering up various items. Per the information Tinker Bell gave, she points to Pan’s compound where Henry is kept as well the sentries posted at the front, so the plan is they will be heading in from the back entrance. Emma drills that once Tinker Bell talks her way in and gives the signal of a clear coast, they will be sneaking in. Tinker Bell adds they will still have to deal with any Lost Boys inside. With contempt, Regina states a few children with pointy sticks can be handled just fine. While folding up a blanket, Tinker Bell promises it's not the sticks that are a cause for concern, but the poison they're dipped in. Mary Margaret recalls it must be the Dreamshade Hook previously told them about. As Tinker Bell goes on to forewarn that even so much as a nick will cost any one of them their lives, David hastily intercedes to conclude they understand that poison sticks equal inevitable death. He asks when they will be putting the plan into action, to which Tinker Bell is all up for it, but also wants to be filled in on the escape route off the island. Her question is met with silence and perplexed looks between members of the group. She re-asks to be sure, though Mary Margaret answers they were planning on figuring it out at the last minute. Tinker Bell emphasizes there's no point in going forward with the plan if there isn't a way out of Neverland. Firmly, Regina responds they will figure it out, but Tinker Bell vouches no one ever leaves the island without Pan's permission. David ensures when it relates to family, they always find a way. Seeing as no one is taking her cautions seriously, she pulls out a watch from her pocket and states it was from the people who brought Henry to Neverland. Alarmed, Emma immediately begins asking where Greg and Tamara are and learns their fates when Tinker Bell concludes she swiped the watch off the dead girl's body. As for the man, Tinker Bell attests, there wasn't enough left of him to find anything useful on his corpse. Tinker Bell schools the group on the severity of what Pan does to people he employs and what he could do to them. She contests the risk is not worth it for herself unless there is a way off the island and asks to be notified once they figure it out. After Tinker Bell strolls off back to her tree house, David prepares to call her back, but Emma stops him. She sees reason in Tinker Bell's words and believes it might be unwise to break into a place without knowing the way out. Regina takes a guess she learned it in bails bonds man school, though Emma says Neal taught her. David directs questioning onto Hook on how he made it out of Neverland before. Hook affirms he did so aboard his ship, alas, the portal used to leave was made from magic acquired in a deal with Pan and it doesn't seem likely the same bargain could be repeated a second time. Regina inquires if this means no one has ever truly left without Pan's say so, but Hook brings up Neal once did.

In order to find out, they set off to reach a cave Neal once inhabited. They reach a steep rock ensnared with vines. Hook asks for Emma’s help in lending a hand, even though David enlists himself for the job. Together, the two men work to pull down a rope to open an entrance into a cave. Inside, Hook hurries in to light a torch, with help from David’s lighter, which brightens up the wall decorated with various drawings. Instantaneously, Emma determines Neal must have lived here as a boy. Hook suspects there are clues in the cave to show how he escaped Neverland.

Emma looks over the drawings, but is unable to discern if there is anything meaningful on them. She had no inkling Neal liked drawing, so Hook points out he got it from his mother. Emma checks up on the others as they are searching, but no one has had any luck yet. Grabbing a lit candle in a half coconut holder, she returns to illuminate the wall for closer inspection while Hook guesses the drawings were just a way for the boys on the island to pass time. Emma, with a pensive expression, realizes he knew Neal, when he was Baelfire, pretty well, to which Hook agrees with since they spent a fair amount of time together.

Looking over some items left behind in the cave, David fixates on what looks like a cup fashioned out of half of a coconut except it’s filled with holes. Mary Margaret suggests perhaps it’s a colander for draining food and liquid, but Regina doubts Neal spent his time making pasta. Suddenly, Emma notices the coconut cup is a perfect half for the candle holder and requests for the light to be snuffed out. In the dark, the two halves are combined to kindle a recreation of a night sky of constellations that proves to be an escape route map. However, though Hook did teach Neal how to navigate using the stars, he is unable to actually read the encryption pattern and the only who can is the map maker himself. Emma gathers, with great disappointment, that the one person able to read it is dead. She stalks off outside as her parents follow.

Mary Margaret consoles her over the lingering sadness from losing Neal, but Emma responds with anger because, truthfully, she already lost him years ago. Breaking down in tears, she recounts believing he didn't love her only to find out the exact opposite. With Neal dead, Emma is enraged she doesn't even have the chance to express anger at him for letting her believe that, or how much it hurt when he left. Lastly, she felt terrified when he reentered her life because her love for him has never ceased. Then, she runs off to be alone.

With no way of using the map, everyone gives a more thorough search in the cave for something else that might be able to help them. Emma spots a large set of drawn on tally marks behind a bed. As she pulls away the covering, Hook asks if she needs a hand. She perceives him to be starting a joke, but he is serious and lifts the bedding away to expose the marks on the wall. Hook observes Neal counted how long he was trapped in Neverland. Upon closer look, Emma guesses Neal stopped marking the days because he got off the island. On second thought, she realizes the actual reason is due to his dimming hopes of ever leaving, so there was no merit in continuing to count. Regina's interest is piqued by Emma figuring that out from a bunch of scribbles. Emma admits she did the same thing while growing up being placed in foster care homes one after the other. David supposes Henry must feeling the exact same way right now. Although they are working towards rescuing him, she determines Henry himself is not aware of that and he needs to be given a sign his family is coming. Regina doesn't see a way around when there are Lost Boys constantly trying to kill them. On Mary Margaret's suggestion, they could use it to their advantage and files out of the cave to show them her idea.

Emma moves to follow, but Hook wants to speak with her first. In a heart-to-heart, he speaks from experience of knowing what it's like to lose hope, too. Uncomfortable, Emma shuts down the conversation by calling him out for attempting to bond with her as something she's not interested in and walks out.

By the campfire, the group begins weaving a large net out of vines to catch a Lost Boy. Emma awkwardly meets Hook's unwavering stare, and resumes work. Regina is dubious a trap for a Lost Boy is going to lead anywhere, though Mary Margaret's plan is to show retaliation by firing back at their attackers. As David comes back from the jungle carrying more vine, Hook expresses doubts at the probability any Lost Boy will betray Pan. Mary Margaret ignores his advice while Emma states they need more vine. Heading back to collect more, David implores Hook to tag along. Hook mouths back in defiance, but Emma presses they need more rope. He makes a grand gesture of bowing and going as "the lady insists"; annoying David further and drawing a curious look onto Emma from Mary Margaret.

On their return, Hook informs them about the sextant on top of Dead Man's Peak, which can help them decipher Neal's star map. Emma is all set to go looking for the sextant, but Hook heeds the importance of getting a message through to Henry. At this, David says only he and Hook will be fetching the sextant. David asks Emma to send word to Henry his grandpa loves him and bids her farewell in a warm embrace.

After finishing the net, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina place it in position as a trap and lure a hungry boar into view. From their hiding spots, they see a Lost Boy, Devin, set his sights on the animal, but as he steps forward, Mary Margaret fires an arrow to drop the net onto him. While he struggles out of the mesh, the three women rush over to corner him. Extremely displeased, Devin accuses them of trying to start a war with Pan. Emma snaps back Pan is the one who started it when he stole Henry. Regina cajoles him with the approach he doesn't have to be their enemy and sweetens the deal, literally, by conjuring up a bar of chocolate. Emma expresses no interest in harming him and only wants a message to be delivered to Henry. In spite of that, Devin doesn't see the point of helping them, so she reminds him that he, too, once had a home and family, but stopped believing he could return. She promises they can help him and the other Lost Boys leave the island if he does what is asked. Regina motions him to take the chocolate bar, to which he does and holds it up to smell the sweet flavor, but then hurls it into the jungle. Scoffing, Devin gives the trio a reality check by proclaiming he, just like the other boys, are in Neverland because none of them want to go home. Emma states Pan is a monster and assumes the fresh cut on Devin's cheek was his doing, too. However, much to Emma and Regina's shock, Devin divulges Henry did.

In a rage, Emma ties him to a tree, but Devin shouts at her that it's too late since Henry has already become a Lost Boy. He boasts Henry is one of their most vicious new recruits in ages as Emma begins wrapping a hand around his neck to choke him, but she is pulled away by Mary Margaret. Regina moves to take a swipe at the Lost Boy herself and when stalled by Mary Margaret, she states loud and clear, so Devin can hear, her intent of ripping his heart out. Mary Margaret wants to find another alternative way to reach Henry, but Emma gives Regina the go-head to do what needs to done. While Emma holds back a frantic Mary Margaret and apologizes, Regina approaches Devin, who groans in pain, as she wretches into his chest to extract a beating heart.

Shortly after, Emma, seeing the disapproving look on Mary Margaret's face, apologizes again. Instead, Mary Margaret is more concerned about when they finally get Henry, and if the line between what Regina is capable of and what Emma is willing to do stays separate. Emma is eager to do whatever it takes to bring Henry home, but Mary Margaret cautions the cost can't be their family. Emma declares it won't be. Regina unties Devin and sends him back to Pan's camp carrying one half of a magic compact mirror for communication. Once there, Regina, speaking through Devin's heart, tells Henry his family is in Neverland and coming to get him. After Henry is given the mirror, Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina look through the other half to speak with him. From the other side of the mirror, Henry cannot fathom what he is seeing is real until Emma indicates their plan to save him is "Operation Cobra Rescue". Henry's faith in his family is re-instilled, but he cuts the conversation short upon seeing Pan return, and hastily says goodbye.

Treading back to their base, Mary Margaret wonders if Henry is alright, which Emma has no doubt he is fine. Regina has concerns, but Emma consoles her; indicating Henry is their son and he is a survivor who now has knowledge his family hasn't given up on him. Mary Margaret expresses remorse for her skepticism towards Emma's decision in allowing Regina's method to be used as she knows how easy it is to give in to the darkness. Regina arbitrates to say she gave into the darkness, not Emma.

A sudden noise in the bush quickly sets the three on guard with their weapons aligned for combat, but it turns out only to be David and Hook reporting back from Dead Man's Peak. David rushes forward to engage Mary Margaret in a handful of frantic kisses. Looking away in disdain, Regina inquires where the sextant is. Hook announces Pan got to it first. Pulling away mid-kiss, Mary Margaret asks what happened to cause David to become overly affectionate all of a sudden, but he entices her back into their make-out session. Gawkily, Emma is painfully embarrassed at their display while Regina mumbles what she wouldn't give for another sleeping curse. Finally, the two lovebirds break apart as David publicizes how Hook saved his life. Hook questions if he's sure about telling them. David depicts Hook's valiant heroism in keeping him from being hit by a Dreamshade arrow after an ambush by Lost Boys on their way up to the peak. After procuring Hook's flask, David makes a toast to him, takes a sip of rum and hands it over for Mary Margaret to do the same. Then, it is passed to Regina, but she has no inkling for drinking rum and walks off into the distance. Instead, Emma takes a drink. David and Mary Margaret go off to be alone; leaving Emma and Hook together once more. She asks if he really saved David's life. He wonders if that fact surprises her. As she hands back the flask, Emma illustrates he and David haven't been the best of mates. Even so, Hook indicates it doesn't mean he'd leave her father to die, to which she gives a sincere thank you. Flirtatiously, he steers her towards giving gratitude on another level; drawing a smile from Emma, who replies that's what the thank you is for. He japes that David's life is only worth that much to her. Emma believes Hook can't handle it, the attraction blooming between them, but he professes she's the one who has been unable to come to terms with it. Sparks fly, and Emma pushes Hook into a long, passionate kiss. She diverts away stating this is only a one time thing, despite the hurt look on Hook's face, and leaves him. Trotting off, Emma requests he not follow her, and for the time being, gather up some firewood. He promises to do as she wishes while Emma secretly smiles at his response.

Standing over the camp's wood pile, Emma attempts to concentrate on setting it aflame as Regina instructs her to focus while from David and Mary Margaret watch nearby. When the effort yields no results, Regina pushes her to try harder. Emma unenthusiastically voices annoyance over Regina shouting in her ear. In turn, Regina apprises that there will be many situations magic is necessary and advises Emma to channel her anger into focus. Emma doesn't want to if it means going dark, which angers Regina enough to call her a pathetic waste of ability. Offended, she pushes back by referring to Regina as a monster. Suddenly, Regina goes silent since a certain smell as attracted her attention. Regina points to the now burning wood as a result of Emma's heated outburst and walks away in satisfaction to take a seat beside the smoking fire. Emma is surprised and bends down to observe the flickering flames.

Noticing David packing up his satchel while he, Hook and Mary Margaret are in hushed conversation, Emma approaches, with Regina following behind, to ask where they are going. Both David and Hook give different simultaneous excuses. When either are unable to reply after Emma inquiries what is going on, Mary Margaret blurts out that Neal is alive. She reacts in shock and trades a brief, nervous glance with Hook. Mary Margaret is repentant for giving out the truth, but thought Emma deserved to know.

Though everyone else is taking Pan's claim seriously, Regina finds it to be a waste of time. Mary Margaret has reasonable proof and shows Emma the footprint patterns collaborating with a possible scuffle. Emma is hesitant to readily accept it means Neal was at their camp. Still, Mary Margaret believes it is evidence someone, if not Neal, was fighting for his life. Unconvinced, Regina probes Emma over whether she is really going to fall for something so unbelievable. Emma says nothing, but Regina interprets her response as siding with Mary Margaret. Regina, having had enough, leaves everyone else to follow the "evil munchkins' dirt road". Despite Emma's plea they need to stick together, Regina is not willing to risk Henry's life over some heartbroken fool's errand and is tired of waiting around. After she is gone, Emma considers if Pan is lying, but Mary Margaret assuages that just because something seems too good to be true doesn't mean it is and she owes it to both herself and Henry to find out if Neal is still alive.

While Mary Margaret is busily leading the search for Neal by tracking the imprints on the ground, Emma admits to her that she kissed him. On further inquiry, Mary Margaret learns the kiss was with Hook and asks why it happened. Flustered, Emma queues several reasons; such as "it's been a while" and she was "feeling good". Mary Margaret asks if it meant anything, though Emma perceives it was only a kiss. Unquestionably, Mary Margaret knows Neal will understand, but Emma is still on the fence about Neal's alive status. Mary Margaret attempts to convince Emma to open herself up to the possibility that Neal is not dead because she deserves her own happy ending, which begins with hope.

Emma, David Hook and Mary Margaret follow the footprints to outside a cave. David notices there aren't any guards outside. Hook brings to light his past exploration inside the place, known as an Echo Cave, where he once lost half his crewmen. He stresses the only way to rescue someone inside is for each of them to reveal one of their deepest, guarded secrets. Emma doesn't buy into the requirement since it could still be a trap, but Hook states this is exactly what Pan wants; for them to free Neal. Additionally, he explains once they do what is necessary, Pan has hopes their secrets will destroy each one of them.

Once inside, they come across a dead end, but in the distance, there lies a separate strip of land housing a caged, unconscious Neal. Mary Margaret is amazed and turns to look at Emma, who is overwhelmed. As he comes to, Neal notices Emma and shouts her name, which echoes off the walls. Emma backs away slightly in a daze; astounded by the sight before her. Mary Margaret observes Neal must be at least a hundred feet across while David scrutinizes that even if they fashion a rope as a means of getting there, there is nothing to attach it to and swing over. As an alternative, Emma asks what they are going to do now. Hook repeats the prerequisite everyone needs to fulfill in order to bring Neal out safely. Emma perceives that once a person's secret is revealed,, someone will sprout wings, but Hook only knows what he's been told about the cave's rules. To find out if it works, he goes first in baring his secret.

With much reluctance, Hook confirms he and Emma shared a kiss. David reacts in outrage, though Mary Margaret presses it's not the time to start an argument. Emma discloses she already told Mary Margaret about the kiss, so it's not really a secret. Also, she doesn't see how that is his darkest secret as it was just a kiss. Hook replies that it's what the kiss exposed, which is he's never been able to forget his first love, Milah, or believe his future could be with someone else until meeting Emma. At the spur of the moment, the ground begins shaking and the first section bridging them to Neal forms.

David begins going next, but Mary Margaret urgent news to confess to him. At the sidelines, Emma listens as Mary Margaret makes known that, since the curse broke and they found each other as well as their daughter, there's been much happiness, but has been harboring reluctance to admit something throughout all that time. Mary Margaret praises their daughter as a beautiful, smart, amazing woman who she loves dearly and is extremely proud of, yet it pains her that Emma is all grown up and they missed out on the years of their child's upbringing. Additionally, Mary Margaret is confident what they have with Emma is unique, but it's not what she wanted without having been there for all of their daughter's "firsts". So, she verifies her desire to have another child when they get back to Storybrooke. With another secret out of the bag, the second bridge arrangement molds into existence. David is last to go, and starts off by saying to Mary Margaret that nothing could make him happier to give her another child because he knows she would make an amazing mother. Still, it's not possible, at least not with him. David, in tears, pushes out the truth about what really happened when he and Hook went to look for the sextant, the Dreamdshade wound and the price for the cure is never being able to leave Neverland. Again, more rumbling follows for the third and final completion of the bridge formation, allowing Emma to cross over to Neal's side.

After checking up on him, Emma attempts to slash the enclosure to bits, which is all in vain, when he implies that she, too, must also follow the cave's requirement. She bends down to face Neal, who coaxes and reassures her it's okay to be honest with him. Emma unfurls how she really felt after hearing he might be alive, which was not elation, but terror. Furthermore, she didn't understand her own reaction until now. Recalling how they crossed paths again after so many years, Emma voices that the meeting proved her feelings for him never died. Additionally, before there was time to process all this, Emma lost him again; causing all the pain and hurt she had hidden away for years came bubbling to the surface. She admits to uncertainty about going through all those emotions once more and affirms her love for him will likely always be there. Yet, Emma bursts into tears while acknowledging that she had hoped he wasn't alive so it'd be easier to put him behind her than to face the pain all over again from their relationship. In the next instant, the cage bars melt away as she and Neal warmly embrace each other.

When they reach the outside, Neal thanks everyone for their efforts in rescuing him. David thinks it's too soon for that since they still have to get to Henry. Hook fills him in about discovering his star map, which Neal promises if they can find Henry, he can definitely get them off the island. Hook instructs they should regroup with Tinker Bell first and continue on with the mission from there. He, David and Mary Margaret head back while Emma and Neal stay behind. Emma feels guilty about what she told him earlier and is sorry her feelings can't be changed. He disagrees and doesn't think she has anything to apologize for after everything he put her through. Then, Neal tells Emma his own secret; he won't ever stop fighting for her. He exits while she is left behind to contemplate his words.

Emma, David, Hook and Mary Margaret are familiarized by Neal on a proposed tactic for getting off the island using Pan's shadow. David brings up that everyone was under the impression he knows how to navigate the stars. Neal certifies he can, but to get off the island, they need to fly. Mary Margaret sees where he is going with the idea since the Shadow can fly. Neal expresses interest in capturing it, but Emma can't comprehend how it's possible since they have never been within ten feet of Pan unless he let them. She thinks it's insane to sneak up on Pan and steal his shadow. Hook interjects into the discussion to provide knowledge about the Shadow rarely being with Pan and it can exist as a separate entity to carry out his will from miles away. David asks what it means for them. Neal assures that they can nab the Shadow without being anywhere near Pan. Since Neal knows where to look for it, Emma steps up to go with him on "shadow duty". A beat later, Hook enlists himself as well, justifying that the hike there won't be easy and they could use another veteran of the island, which makes Neal thankful for his help. David thinks it'd be a good idea for himself and Mary Margaret to let Tinker Bell know so she can make good on her promise to get them into Pan's camp. Emma agrees and emphasizes after the shadow business is done, they are meeting back at Tinker Bell's tree house, then getting Henry and going home.

While busily packing up necessities, Emma notices Mary Margaret's cold treatment towards David. She casts a glance in David's direction and raises concerns to Mary Margaret about how long her feud with him is going to last. She tries to help her see David didn't say anything about his injury because he wanted the main focus to be on Henry. Mary Margaret accepts her answer only by saying Emma inherited David's "tunnel vision", alluding to being narrow-minded, yet she doesn't elaborate when asked what it means. Emma indicates even if Mary Margaret isn't saying much, she is definitely showing her emotions non-verbally. Changing the subject, Mary Margaret warns her to be discreet with Hook and Neal, though Emma heeds that the shadow is of more importance. Even so, Mary Margaret considers the fact both men are harboring feelings for Emma and it could be dangerous. Emma takes one look over at Hook and Neal engaging in an active conversation and regards the situation as something that doesn't matter. Her only interest is getting Henry back.

Before they capture the Shadow, Emma, Hook and Neal revisit the old Lost Boy cavern. Neal rapidly begins searching for something. Hook doesn't think they'll find anything of use here, but only when Neal describes what he is looking for that Emma, recognizing the item as his star map, goes to fetch it in a hiding place.

She returns with the star map and notices a visible change between the two men, even though Neal reassures that everything is fine. She hands over the item, still referring to it as a star map, as Neal checks the two coconut halves and stuffs it into his bag. He states it's not a star map and they'll be using to trap the Shadow. Hook is equivocal over whether it will work, so Neal compares how a certain pirate once left Neverland on a ship through a portal, which isn't much different than driving out on a magic coconut. Hook concedes and asks for the next place they are headed. Neal announces it'll be at Dark Hollow, drawing a disdainful reaction from Emma, who finds the name to be too morbid. Hook recalls it as the darkest place on the island where any light that makes its way in is snuffed out by the shadows that call the area home and admits he himself has never been there. Emma pulls a one-liner about breaking tradition while Neal concludes Dark Hollow will be the only way they can ever get back to Storybrooke.

Traveling to Dark Hollow, Neal stops shortly since the tall grass is blocking their way. Emma forks over her weapon to let him cut through the obstacle. He recognizes the sword as his old cutlass and discovers from Emma that Hook gave it to her. Neal wonders when Hook suddenly became sentimental. Hook reasons he did it for Emma's benefit so she could have something to remember Neal by. Annoyed, he sarcastically thanks Hook and quips that Emma has him now. Neal strides away into the grass as Emma turns to give Hook a questioning stare. When cued, Hook comes clean about assuming Neal had heard his secret at the Echo Cave as well as that Emma had already told him about their kiss. She doesn't see why he would assume that; leading Hook to profess hopes that the kiss did mean something to her. Preferably, what meant something to Emma is Hook's honesty in letting everyone know Neal is alive as she realizes he could have kept that piece of information to himself. Hook prompts her on why he would do such a thing. She guesses Pan offered him a deal of some sort. Hook takes into account that Pan wanted to test to see if he'd leave behind an old friend who happens to be vying for the affections of the same woman as himself. Emma is relieved he chose his friend. Hook perceives she is surprised by his actions. She wisecracks that he is a pirate, after all, which saddens Hook. He mentions being in good form in order to win her heart fair and square without any trickery and it'll happen because she wants him, too. Emma states it's not a contest, but he lets her know that the bottom line is a choice between him and Neal will have to be made eventually. Instead, the only thing she wants to choose is how to get her son back. Hook believe she can since he's never seen her fail. He warns, however, when that happens, the "fun" will begin. In the distance, Neal calls out to Emma and Hook and lets them know he might have found Dark Hollow.

They enter into a light-less, windy zone with bare trees all around. Hook interprets the place as home to all the shadows Pan captured. Neal expands on this by illustrating the shadows are forced to spend eternity in the darkness and hopes they won't be joining them. They cross deeper into Dark Hollow and wait for Pan's shadow to show up. Neal takes out the coconut halves to explain that once the candle inside is lit, the Shadow will be drawn to the light and once it gets too close, the flame will engulf it. At which point, the lid must be put on to contain the Shadow. Hook thinks it's a fine plan, except their lanterns are all out, so there's no way to light the candle. Neal's back-up method is using a lighter and he begins attempting to use it on the candle. Hook tries to lend help; saying he has only one hand and probably can do better. This causes Neal to suspect he's trying to impress Emma. Hook rejects the accusation while Emma is exasperated by their quarrel. Since Neal is having trouble with the lighter, Hook pushes aside their differences to try his hand at it. His effort also produces no flame on the candle, which Neal mocks him for and tries to snatch the lighter back, but Hook refuses to give it up. During the struggle, Hook's grasp slips and the lighter ends up sailing a few feet away onto the ground.

Emma, with her patience wearing thin, scolds that they don't have time for this as both men go off to retrieve the lighter. She happens to pick up the coconut halves just when three shadows fly dangerously close. Pulling out her blade, she alerts Hook and Neal to the danger. Out of the three shadows, one is Pan's. As they dodge the shadows' lunges, Neal quickly realizes that Pan is controlling all three. Hook is thrown off his feet and pushed up against a tree by one shadow while the same befalls Neal seconds later. Unsure which person to save, Emma is kept busy defending herself from the third shadow and is unable to stop the other two from commencing in ripping out Hook and Neal's shadows. With the lighter out of reach, Emma can only rely on herself and turns to using magic to ignite a flame on the candle. Success follows, with the third Shadow's interest in the glowing fire ultimately causing it to be physically sucked in, at which Emma clamps the lid on immediately. The two other shadows dissipate, releasing Hook and Neal, while Emma is still reeling from the power of her magical strength.

As they head over to Tinker Bell's place, Neal is regretful over his actions at Dark Hollow. Emma affirms he as well as Hook screwed up and nearly lost their chance at catching the Shadow because they were fighting over a lighter. Hook corrects Emma to hint they were fighting over her. To settle the score once and for all, Emma confides that if she had to choose, it'd be Henry, due to him being the only love there is room for in her life.

They near the tree house just as Tinker Bell is telling David and Mary Margaret that she's not helping them until there's proof Pan's shadow has been captured. Emma and Hook follow behind as Neal, triumphantly holding the rope bound coconut halves containing the Shadow, straggles out from the wilderness to show Tinker Bell. Finally, Tinker Bell agrees to do her part in the plan to take down Pan. Everyone follows Tinker Bell back into her tree house, but Neal calls Emma to stay behind. Neal accepts what Emma said earlier and thinks of Henry as the best thing that came out of them being together, which she agrees with.

While moving ahead to Pan's camp, Emma sees her parents are finally back on speaking terms. She talks to Mary Margaret about her decision to stay behind in Neverland with David. Though Mary Margaret is torn about leaving her, there's no other solution. Emma accuses her of giving up too easily and believes there has to be a way.

A rustle from the jungle causes the entire group to assemble for battle, but it turns out to be only Regina and Mr. Gold. Regina tells them about the power of Pandora's Box while Neal's distrust in his father causes him to blurt out Mr. Gold's objective to kill Henry and prevent a seer's prophecy from coming true. Subsequently, Emma and everyone else turns against Mr. Gold by drawing their weapons. Things cool down only when Neal forces him to hand over the box.

Some time later, Emma tries to talk to Hook about an alternative to removing David's ties to the island because of the Dreamshade cure. He concludes that nothing can be done, but then Mr. Gold steps in to offer his potion-making skills to concoct an elixir cure for David. Emma agrees to his bargain, though in return, he wants a favor of equal value. Neal puts a full stop to Mr. Gold's asking price by demanding that he help for the right reasons rather than personal gain.

After Tinker Bell gains access into the perimeter of the encampment and the Lost Boys are put to sleep by Regina, neither Henry or Pan are found there. Instead, Neal frees a young prisoner, Wendy, and brings her back to camp to inquire about Henry. Forced to act on Pan's wishes, Wendy lies to them, but with some encouragement, she yields and tells the truth. Emma gains insight on Pan's real reason for needing Henry's heart, which is to save himself from dying and then become immortal. As a trade, Pan lives, but Henry will die. Before leaving Skull Rock to stop Pan, she presses David and Mary Margaret to go back to Dead Man's Peak and retrieve more of the spring water as a necessity for the journey home and afterwards Mr. Gold will create an elixir in Storybrooke for a permanent cure.

By rowboat, Emma goes to Skull Rock with Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina. Inside the entrance, a barrier, capable of blocking anyone with a shadow, keeps them from progressing. Since Mr. Gold is the only one without a shadow, he regains the box and goes up alone. Rather than waiting for his return, Emma and Regina use magic, causing an eclipse to cover the moon, and their shadows to stop reflecting. Then, they hurry to the top to see Henry pulling out his own heart. All three attempt to dissuade him from the sacrifice, but through Pan's manipulations, Henry chooses to give up his heart. They cry out in horror as he plunges the heart into Pan's chest, causing all of them to be thrown back from the impact, and Henry collapses. As they rush over to check up on his unmoving body, Pan rises into the air.

Trivia

 * The name "Emma" is of Germanic origin derived from the word "ermen" that means "whole" or "universal".
 * Her trademark leather jackets are custom hand-made by Vanconver's Ocean Drive Leather. Five have been created for the show.
 * Jennifer Morrison has stated the in-show inspiration for the character of Emma relates to the story of "The Ugly Duckling".
 * In the original script, Emma's first name was Anna.
 * According to show writer Adam Horowitz, Emma was supposed to have three children, which eventually see imevolved into just one.
 * Emma claims to have an extra-special ability which is being able to tell when someone is lying to her. The show writers have stated this is not a magical ability, which is why it has been failing her in her interactions with Sidney about Regina and Henry or Greg about what he saw when his car crashed; her personal involvement in a situation hampers her ability to detect lies.
 * Used to wear glasses as a young adult.
 * Dons a necklace with a small swan engraving on it, which she fashioned out of a key chain that was given to her by former boyfriend Neal.
 * The necklace is an actual jewelry piece called a "Swan Talisman Necklace".
 * Emma's secondary necklace that is in the shape of a circle was chosen specifically by Jennifer Morrison herself. She states the circular shape draws symbolism to ancient Celtic art of swans, which "are pictured with rings around their necks to represent the connection between divinity and humanity".
 * Possesses a star charm keyring.
 * Has a flower tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.
 * The inn room key Granny hands Emma has an ornament with an engraving of a swan.
 * The newspaper Regina reads the morning after the curse is dated October 23, 1983. This means Emma's birthday is either October 22, or October 23, depending on whether she was born before or after midnight.
 * According to Jennifer Morrison, Emma got her last name from her first foster parents.

Appearances

 * Emma appears in Henry's storybook in "The Thing You Love Most".
 * Emma appears in a photo in "The Crocodile".
 * Emma's name appears on the squid ink parchment in "Queen of Hearts".