Once Upon A Time: Goldilocks comes to Storybrooke

Chapter 21

Emma drove in her car as fast as she could to Regina's house. She was driving so fast she was skidding on the road, almost knocked into a tree and then accidentally took a wrong turning.

Eventually she got there, jumped out of the car and ran to the front door. She was halfway there, before realising she had left her car door open, so she turned back and ran to her car.

After making sure the door was closed properly she ran to the front door and knocked loudly until it opened.

"Goldilocks you don't need to knock - oh, it's you Swan," Regina said as soon as she opened the door.

"Oh, sorry. Were you expecting Goldilocks?" Emma asked.

"As a matter of a fact, yes I was," Regina said, running a hand through her short black hair. "Why? Am I not allowed to have company over?"

"No. I mean, yes you can. But - we think Goldilocks is a villain," Emma said slowly.

Regina laughed. "Haha, what!?" Regina clearly didn't believe this.

"Goldilocks's story isn't in Henry's book, and Dr Hopper took her to Mr Gold's shop, but she couldn't find anything that belonged to her. She might not even be the real Goldilocks! Regina, I'm really sorry but-"

"You idiot!" Regina stage whispered. "She isn't in Henry's book because of me! I ripped it out!"

"And how was I supposed to know that!?" Emma shouted.

"Aren't you the sheriff?" Regina shouted back.

"Well, yeah but-"

"Then that's your job, isn't it? Snooping into other people's business!!" Regina yelled.

Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, keep rolling your eyes Swan, hopefully you'll find signs of a brain back there," Regina said.

Emma's mouth fell open. She was sucked why Regina's comeback. "...Look, can't we just talk about our problem with Goldilocks?"

"I have an idea," Regina said hurriedly, and she closed the door.

Emma shrugged. "Alight then," she said to the closed door.

And she began to pace around the porch until Regina opened the door again, wearing her black coat and carrying something small and fluffy.

"What's that?" Emma nodded to Regina's hand.

Regina held up a small teddy bear. It was light brown, and sitting down, wearing a green hat, and a little red jacket.

"-a bear?" Emma asked.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Well done genius. This teddy was given to me by Goldilocks when I was fifteen. Only she and I knew about it. If we give it to Goldilocks and she recognises it, then we'll know it definitely is her."

Emma nodded. "Awesome. Come on, I'll drive."

Emma and Regina drove into Storybrooke, where they saw David, Mary Margaret and Henry together a few metres down the road from Granny's Diner.

Emma parked her car and she and Regina climbed out and went to the others.

"Mom," Henry said to Regina. "Are you okay?"

"Yes I am Henry." Regina wrapped one of her arms around her son.

Emma looked slightly irritated. "By the way Henry, I'm okay as well."

Henry smiled, and wriggled from Regina's arms and hugged Emma.

Then Regina showed the teddy bear to the others and quickly explained what was going to happen.

"Really?" David asked. "Storybrooke's fate relies on a stuffed bear?"

"I think it's cute," Mary Margaret sighed happily, looking at the teddy in Regina's hand.

"Now let's show it to Goldilocks and see if she remembers," Henry said. "We agreed her to meet here. She won't be too long."

"Good," Emma snatched the bear from Regina and dropped it on the floor.

"You can't do that -" Regina cried. She was about to pick the bear back up, but Emma pushed her in between two buildings and everyone else followed.

"Now we just have to wait until she shows up," Mary Margaret said.

Henry peered around the corner. "She's coming," he grinned.

Emma also looked, and sure enough, Goldilocks was walking their way, with Perdita at her feet.

Perdita ran ahead, caught sight of the bear and began to sniff at it.

"What have you got there, Perdita?" Goldilocks took hold of the dogs collar and carefully pulled Perdita away so she could have a look. "Perdita, let me see-"

Goldilocks saw the teddy bear, and stopped, looking down at it. She slowly bent down to pick it up.

"What's going on? I can't see," Mary Margaret whispered.

"She just picked it up," Emma told her mother.

They all looked back at Goldilocks, who was now turning over the bear in her hands, as she looked down the street. Goldilocks carefully brushed a bit of the gravel off the bears head using her thumb.

"What's going on?" Mary Margaret stood on her tiptoes.

"She's looking at it," Emma whispered.

Goldilocks was silent for some time, before finally asking one question that answered everyone's worries:

"Doesn't Regina want this anymore?"