Alice's plan to overthrow the Queen of Hearts is thwarted by a dashing pirate with a hook. Years later, after the curse is broken, they reunite once again.
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I elected to skip the 'we beat Zelena' party that the others were throwing at Granny's. I'm not in much of a celebratory mood, despite how relieved I am that Zelena is no longer a threat. I look up from the book I'm reading, a strange book about a woman who works at a convenience store, to the sound of my doorbell ringing.
I get up from my cozy cocoon on the couch and pad softly across the wooden floor. I swing open the door to see Emma standing there, looking drained of all energy. She walks past me into my apartment when I gesture inside.
"I don't have any alcohol," I say, following her to my kitchen.
"I know you don't drink," she responds, sitting down at the uncomfortable black bar stool. I walk around to the other side of the kitchen counter, confused at her sudden appearance. Last I checked, she and Henry were at the 'Ding dong, the witch is dead' party.
"I don't know how you manage."
"Quite well, all things considered," I say with a small smile, folding my arms on the counter so that we're face to face. "What's wrong?" She sighs, putting her head in her hands. I feel a sting of sympathy, knowing where this is going.
"I'm angry... at you." My brows shoot up at her confession. Okay, maybe I don't know where this is going.
"Me? What did I do?" My question makes her lift her head from her hands.
"Don't you miss it? You said it yourself that New York was your home!" She exclaims, gesturing animatedly. I look down at the pristine countertop, feeling my heart lurch slightly in my chest at the thought of my life in New York.
"I—"
"You had a job you loved! An apartment that you loved! And there were no threats of magic fairy tales to kill us! That was real. Our memories may not have been, but that year was. How can you act like it didn't happen?" She's standing now, pacing back and forth. I half expected her words to sway me in some way, considering how homesick I feel for New York. But I don't. I have no intention of leaving Storybrooke.
"I miss it every day, Emma," I admit quietly. She stops pacing to turn to face me with a pleading look. I look down again, unable to meet her gaze.
"So come back with me. This place is too dangerous for Henry," she exasperates. I shake my head.
"I won't."
"If it weren't for Hook, would you?" Her question feels like someone threw a brick at my head, and I stop breathing for a moment.
"Without hesitation," I admit, dragging a hand over my face. And what a scary thing to realize. That a person could feel more like home to me than any other place I've ever been. "This place doesn't feel like home to you?"
"No," she says immediately, and I nod in understanding.
"There's a reason for that, you know. Since we've been here, there's always some villain around the corner trying to destroy us all, but... I believe that this place could be home. There's a reason we both came back—"
