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Description
Henry Mills sat at the bar in Granny’s diner, completely lost and beyond frustrated. While all other Operations had been challenging, none of them had been this challenging.
Of course, with all the other Operations there was an ultimate goal, one he could easily see. This particular Operation was lacking that one detail.
He was trying to help his adopted mom, Regina, find the Author so he could write her a happy ending. After everything his mom had done to overcome her darkness, he truly believed it was the least she deserved.
He knew she was still aching from losing her love, Robin Hood, when he left to be with his recently revived wife to New York, outside the barrier to a land without magic so that she wouldn’t die from the curse placed upon her heart.
“Wow kid, calm down, you’re going to set the fire alarms off.”
Henry looked over to his birth mom, Emma, as she sat down in the stool beside him.
“What’s going on?” She asked, sliding a mug in front of him.
He took a sip of the hot chocolate. Despite it being fairly warm out, it was still a comfort. “Just thinking about Operation Mongoose.”
“Finding the Author so Regina can get her happy ending.”
“You don’t believe we can find him?”
Emma scoffed, wrapping her hands around her own mug. “After everything I’ve seen since coming to this town kid. I have no doubt we’ll find this guy. I just don’t know how long we’ll have to look.”
“But you were a private eye in New York, what would you do when you were looking for someone?”
“Well, for one, I was a bail bondsman. Two, it’s not that easy here Henry. Back in New York, everyone left some kind of trail and I just had to find it, I didn’t have the added complication of magic.”
Henry sighed, watching as the whipped cream in his mug started to melt.
“Kid, we will find this Author, it’ll just take time. Luckily it’s been unusually quiet since Belle banished your grandfather.”
His grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin, was also sent to New York after he had betrayed his family and his wife finally had enough. Using his dark-magic against him, she forced him to cross the town boarder that protected Storybrook from the rest of the world.
“Have Belle and Hook been able to find anything?”
This time Emma sighed, shaking her head. “Nothing yet, seems we’ve all been running into dead ends.”
Henry smiled, reaching over to take his mom’s hand. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing we have a Savior to help us out then.”

CRASH
Regina Mills swept her hand across her work table, sending bottles shattering to the ground. Luckily none of them would mix together and create something they’d have to deal with later.
Course she wouldn’t complain, she needed something to channel her anger towards.
Or maybe someone.
Hell at this rate, she had a never ending list.
Emma and Hook for messing with the past.
Emma for bringing Marian back from the past, rather than letting her die.
Zelena for being… well Zelena.
Snow White for being just too damn hopeful all the time. Seriously, it was sickening.
Marian for not dying when she should have and coming back.
Robin and his damn moral code.
That damn ice witch for freezing Marian’s heart.
Herself for actually working so hard to save Marian’s life.
Robin for leaving to go New York with his family to keep Marian safe.
Herself for letting him go, and not fighting.
Yes she had many people to hate, but she couldn’t do it. Not anymore. Yes she was frustrated, but she had let hate and revenge consume her for so long. She wanted to live and enjoy life. To no longer be seen as the Evil Queen.
She wanted her happy ending.
“Regina!”
She couldn’t help but curl her lip as Mary Margret, otherwise known as Snow White, called out for her. After so many years of hating her, it was hard not to do so. Plus that voice, it was like nails on a chalkboard.
The plump woman appeared in the doorway. “There you are. We’ve been looking for you, Henry-”
“What’s wrong with Henry?” She demanded.
Snow held her hands up in defense, taking a step back.
Regina looked at her hands, realizing she had conjured a fireball. When it came to her son, she reacted quickly, without thought. It was second nature, especially with everything happening since the Savior came to town.
With a swipe of her hand, the fire vanished. “Where’s Henry?”
“With Belle, at the library. He said you were supposed to meet him for dinner at Granny’s.”
Regina cursed. It was their time together since anymore she hardly saw her child anymore. Being the town mayor, fighting off whatever dark magic came to town, and Henry’s Operation Mongoose, she felt like she had abandoned him.
“Sorry, I lost track of time.”
Snow looked down at the shattered glass. “Still no luck finding the Author?”
“No and I’m quickly losing ideas of how to find him. It’s not like I can go to every realm and search for him. And don’t even know what he looks like! It may not even be a man!”
“Regina. Breathe. Have you tried looking at the Apprentice’s house? Or even the Sorcerer’s Mansion? Wouldn’t all the storybooks we found belong to the Author?”
Regina stood, stunned to her core.
“What, did you guys already do that?”
“Honestly, I haven’t even thought of that. I should be able to use any of those books as a tracking device.” Regina’s face screwed up in confusion, “how did I not think of that?”
“You’ve been distracted, not thinking straight. When was the last time you got a full nights sleep?”
“Not your daughter Snow.”
With a flick of her wrist, Regina vanished in a plume of purple smoke.
“A thank you would be nice!”

Killian Jones rubbed at his temples with his hand, hoping it would stop the words on the page from blurring.
“Here, this should help.”
He glanced up as the brunette pushing a cup of coffee in front of him.
“You’re going to let me drink something in your library?”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. “Do you plan on making a mess with it?”
“Not intentionally, no.”
“Then yes, you can have it. It looks like you need it anyway.”
The woman wasn’t wrong. Ever since he got his heart back and started working with Belle on freeing the fairies, he had been left completely drained.
He wasn’t a scholar. He was a pirate, meant to be out on the sea, having adventures and partaking of drinks at the local pub. Being stuck reading books day in and day out was starting to get to him.
But he was also a man of honor, or at least he was trying to be. He had wronged Mother Superior and all the fairies.
While he could admit it wasn’t his fault, that he was under the orders of the Dark One, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was trying to be a better man, for Emma.
“Killian, go home, get some rest.”
It was easier said than done. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw their shocked faces, saw the fear in their eyes as they were sucked into that infernal vortex. Could imagine what was happening to them, all so the Crocodile could increase his power to cut himself from that dagger.
“Killian, go, or do I need to call Emma?”
“Aye lass, I’m going. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
Belle nodded, giving him a genuine smile.
As he left the library, he tried not to think about a similar smile he remembered from another life.
After meeting her, Hook liked to believe his sister would favor Belle in personality. Besides being wise beyond her years, and her love of books, Kira was full of adventure and saw the best in the world.
He adored his baby sister, and mourned for the light taken from his world.
Belle was another light in this dark world. He knew why Rumple loved her, it was the same reasons Emma had feelings for him, they saw the men hidden beneath years of pain and suffering, of darkness.
While Kira would always be a light, Belle was tainted, in his eyes, because of her ties to Rumpelstiltskin.
But he did respect her, when it came down to it, and the damn Crocodile betrayed her one too many times, she used his power against him, and banished the Dark One to a land without magic where he would be miserable, forced to live with the knowledge of the pain and heartache he had caused everyone here.
“Hook!”
Killian looked up, startled. He somehow managed to end up on the docks. It wasn’t surprising, he was a Captain after all.
“Are you ok?”
He looked up at Emma’s father, David. But that was his name in this realm. Back in their world, he was known as Prince Charming.
It was hard to believe his girlfriend was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, but he had seen many a weird things in his life aboard the Jolly Rodger, so it shouldn’t have been too surprising.
“What’s up mate?”
“Regina thinks she found a way to track down the Author. We’re meeting at Granny’s.”
“And why does this concern me?” All he wanted to do was pull out his flask and drink. He made the mistake of thinking about his sister, and all he wanted was to be left alone.
“Emma asked me to come find you.”
He and Emma made a good team, she was finally accepting that. But there were somethings they still hadn’t shared with each other yet, like the fact he had a little sister. Yes, she knew about his older brother, Liam, but not Kira. And he knew what happened when his thoughts strayed to her, and he didn’t want to burden the others with his current temperament.
“I’m not feeling too good today mate, best if I not be around too many today.”
David looked like he didn’t buy his excuse, but nodded his head anyway. “I’ll let Emma and the others know. But Hook?”
“Yes, your highness?” he groaned, tossing his head back.
“I know that look in your eyes, if you think about hurting Emma-”
“Hurting Emma is the last thing I’d ever do mate. All I was thinking about was going to bed and getting rid of this damn headache.”
David gave him one last look, one that would usually cause him to say something inappropriate, but he just didn’t care.
“Alright dear sister, how do you plan to torture me tonight?”

Description
Henry Mills sat at the bar in Granny’s diner, completely lost and beyond frustrated. While all other Operations had been challenging, none of them had been this challenging.
Of course, with all the other Operations there was an ultimate goal, one he could easily see. This particular Operation was lacking that one detail.
He was trying to help his adopted mom, Regina, find the Author so he could write her a happy ending. After everything his mom had done to overcome her darkness, he truly believed it was the least she deserved.
He knew she was still aching from losing her love, Robin Hood, when he left to be with his recently revived wife to New York, outside the barrier to a land without magic so that she wouldn’t die from the curse placed upon her heart.
“Wow kid, calm down, you’re going to set the fire alarms off.”
Henry looked over to his birth mom, Emma, as she sat down in the stool beside him.
“What’s going on?” She asked, sliding a mug in front of him.
He took a sip of the hot chocolate. Despite it being fairly warm out, it was still a comfort. “Just thinking about Operation Mongoose.”
“Finding the Author so Regina can get her happy ending.”
“You don’t believe we can find him?”
Emma scoffed, wrapping her hands around her own mug. “After everything I’ve seen since coming to this town kid. I have no doubt we’ll find this guy. I just don’t know how long we’ll have to look.”
“But you were a private eye in New York, what would you do when you were looking for someone?”
“Well, for one, I was a bail bondsman. Two, it’s not that easy here Henry. Back in New York, everyone left some kind of trail and I just had to find it, I didn’t have the added complication of magic.”
Henry sighed, watching as the whipped cream in his mug started to melt.
“Kid, we will find this Author, it’ll just take time. Luckily it’s been unusually quiet since Belle banished your grandfather.”
His grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin, was also sent to New York after he had betrayed his family and his wife finally had enough. Using his dark-magic against him, she forced him to cross the town boarder that protected Storybrook from the rest of the world.
“Have Belle and Hook been able to find anything?”
This time Emma sighed, shaking her head. “Nothing yet, seems we’ve all been running into dead ends.”
Henry smiled, reaching over to take his mom’s hand. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing we have a Savior to help us out then.”

CRASH
Regina Mills swept her hand across her work table, sending bottles shattering to the ground. Luckily none of them would mix together and create something they’d have to deal with later.
Course she wouldn’t complain, she needed something to channel her anger towards.
Or maybe someone.
Hell at this rate, she had a never ending list.
Emma and Hook for messing with the past.
Emma for bringing Marian back from the past, rather than letting her die.
Zelena for being… well Zelena.
Snow White for being just too damn hopeful all the time. Seriously, it was sickening.
Marian for not dying when she should have and coming back.
Robin and his damn moral code.
That damn ice witch for freezing Marian’s heart.
Herself for actually working so hard to save Marian’s life.
Robin for leaving to go New York with his family to keep Marian safe.
Herself for letting him go, and not fighting.
Yes she had many people to hate, but she couldn’t do it. Not anymore. Yes she was frustrated, but she had let hate and revenge consume her for so long. She wanted to live and enjoy life. To no longer be seen as the Evil Queen.
She wanted her happy ending.
“Regina!”
She couldn’t help but curl her lip as Mary Margret, otherwise known as Snow White, called out for her. After so many years of hating her, it was hard not to do so. Plus that voice, it was like nails on a chalkboard.
The plump woman appeared in the doorway. “There you are. We’ve been looking for you, Henry-”
“What’s wrong with Henry?” She demanded.
Snow held her hands up in defense, taking a step back.
Regina looked at her hands, realizing she had conjured a fireball. When it came to her son, she reacted quickly, without thought. It was second nature, especially with everything happening since the Savior came to town.
With a swipe of her hand, the fire vanished. “Where’s Henry?”
“With Belle, at the library. He said you were supposed to meet him for dinner at Granny’s.”
Regina cursed. It was their time together since anymore she hardly saw her child anymore. Being the town mayor, fighting off whatever dark magic came to town, and Henry’s Operation Mongoose, she felt like she had abandoned him.
“Sorry, I lost track of time.”
Snow looked down at the shattered glass. “Still no luck finding the Author?”
“No and I’m quickly losing ideas of how to find him. It’s not like I can go to every realm and search for him. And don’t even know what he looks like! It may not even be a man!”
“Regina. Breathe. Have you tried looking at the Apprentice’s house? Or even the Sorcerer’s Mansion? Wouldn’t all the storybooks we found belong to the Author?”
Regina stood, stunned to her core.
“What, did you guys already do that?”
“Honestly, I haven’t even thought of that. I should be able to use any of those books as a tracking device.” Regina’s face screwed up in confusion, “how did I not think of that?”
“You’ve been distracted, not thinking straight. When was the last time you got a full nights sleep?”
“Not your daughter Snow.”
With a flick of her wrist, Regina vanished in a plume of purple smoke.
“A thank you would be nice!”

Killian Jones rubbed at his temples with his hand, hoping it would stop the words on the page from blurring.
“Here, this should help.”
He glanced up as the brunette pushing a cup of coffee in front of him.
“You’re going to let me drink something in your library?”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him. “Do you plan on making a mess with it?”
“Not intentionally, no.”
“Then yes, you can have it. It looks like you need it anyway.”
The woman wasn’t wrong. Ever since he got his heart back and started working with Belle on freeing the fairies, he had been left completely drained.
He wasn’t a scholar. He was a pirate, meant to be out on the sea, having adventures and partaking of drinks at the local pub. Being stuck reading books day in and day out was starting to get to him.
But he was also a man of honor, or at least he was trying to be. He had wronged Mother Superior and all the fairies.
While he could admit it wasn’t his fault, that he was under the orders of the Dark One, it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was trying to be a better man, for Emma.
“Killian, go home, get some rest.”
It was easier said than done. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw their shocked faces, saw the fear in their eyes as they were sucked into that infernal vortex. Could imagine what was happening to them, all so the Crocodile could increase his power to cut himself from that dagger.
“Killian, go, or do I need to call Emma?”
“Aye lass, I’m going. I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”
Belle nodded, giving him a genuine smile.
As he left the library, he tried not to think about a similar smile he remembered from another life.
After meeting her, Hook liked to believe his sister would favor Belle in personality. Besides being wise beyond her years, and her love of books, Kira was full of adventure and saw the best in the world.
He adored his baby sister, and mourned for the light taken from his world.
Belle was another light in this dark world. He knew why Rumple loved her, it was the same reasons Emma had feelings for him, they saw the men hidden beneath years of pain and suffering, of darkness.
While Kira would always be a light, Belle was tainted, in his eyes, because of her ties to Rumpelstiltskin.
But he did respect her, when it came down to it, and the damn Crocodile betrayed her one too many times, she used his power against him, and banished the Dark One to a land without magic where he would be miserable, forced to live with the knowledge of the pain and heartache he had caused everyone here.
“Hook!”
Killian looked up, startled. He somehow managed to end up on the docks. It wasn’t surprising, he was a Captain after all.
“Are you ok?”
He looked up at Emma’s father, David. But that was his name in this realm. Back in their world, he was known as Prince Charming.
It was hard to believe his girlfriend was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, but he had seen many a weird things in his life aboard the Jolly Rodger, so it shouldn’t have been too surprising.
“What’s up mate?”
“Regina thinks she found a way to track down the Author. We’re meeting at Granny’s.”
“And why does this concern me?” All he wanted to do was pull out his flask and drink. He made the mistake of thinking about his sister, and all he wanted was to be left alone.
“Emma asked me to come find you.”
He and Emma made a good team, she was finally accepting that. But there were somethings they still hadn’t shared with each other yet, like the fact he had a little sister. Yes, she knew about his older brother, Liam, but not Kira. And he knew what happened when his thoughts strayed to her, and he didn’t want to burden the others with his current temperament.
“I’m not feeling too good today mate, best if I not be around too many today.”
David looked like he didn’t buy his excuse, but nodded his head anyway. “I’ll let Emma and the others know. But Hook?”
“Yes, your highness?” he groaned, tossing his head back.
“I know that look in your eyes, if you think about hurting Emma-”
“Hurting Emma is the last thing I’d ever do mate. All I was thinking about was going to bed and getting rid of this damn headache.”
David gave him one last look, one that would usually cause him to say something inappropriate, but he just didn’t care.
“Alright dear sister, how do you plan to torture me tonight?”