Her Collection

Epilogue

"Crystal, are you coming?" a voice calls from downstairs.

"Yes, just give me a second," the girl calls. She checks her hair in the mirror and goes through the trap door of her apartment in Storybrooke. Her step-mother and father are waiting for her at the door, cradling her baby brother, Gideon. They both have wide smiles on their faces as everyone prepares for a great dinner at Granny's.

Her memory was a little fuzzy over the last few weeks, so much had changed and for the better,

The last thing she remembered was waking up in her car on the side of the road just outside of Storybrooke after the curse was broken. She drove back into town and was greeted by everyone she truly loved. However, the reunion was short-lived as the Black Fairy was executing the last phases of her plan. Crystal learned that her grandmother had attempted to get her hands on her wand while the curse was still going, to finally end all happy endings, but her father finished his own mother, as he was always fated to do. The curse was broken and everyone was safely returned home. However, there was still the Final Battle to face, Emma Swan vs. Gideon Gold. Her grandmother had set the perfect trap, if Gideon killed Emma, the light would be destroyed and if Emma killed Gideon, she'd turn dark and still light would be destroyed. Crystal knew that this would mean her fate would also follow her friend as she was the balance. She would also come completely dark as well. She watched helplessly as her "sister" battled her brother. She later learned that her father was battling himself deep within the caves in an attempt to get Gideon's heart back. She watched in horror as Emma threw her sword away and allowed Gideon to stab her. However, it did not play out the way one might expect because the Saviour's purpose was to protect those she loves and that love created a bright white light that made her brother disappear and seemingly killed Emma. Henry managed to wake her again with true love's kiss and everyone embraced happily. Apparently, the curse caused Henry's book to be destroyed, but it was returned in one piece as the Final Battle concluded. Snow explained that this may have been the end of Henry's storybook, but it was just the beginning for all of them.

Crystal ran off afterward to find her family. She saw her step-mother and father holding an infant. She realized that this was Gideon, her brother. Emma's power had turned him back into a baby, giving her parents a second chance at raising him. She remembered what Henry had said, that both good and evil did the right thing and thus the final battle was won. She too would remain the beacon between the two powers. She happily embraced her family with tears in her eyes and Belle allowed her to hold her baby brother for the first time. She kissed him and all of them were allowed to start over as a new family.

Much had changed since the final battle, Crystal moved back into her apartment and was now helping her father run the shop. It now said, Mr. Gold and Family Pawnbrokers. David and Snow bought a farmhouse outside of the town to raise Neal, Regina remained the mayor and Zelena moved in with her sister to care for little Robin, Emma and Hook became the sheriff and deputy in town and Henry went back to school. Crystal had never felt happier in her life and yet, something felt a little off. There was still a gap in all of their memories. She couldn't remember how she ended up on the edge of Storybrooke or why.

As they walk towards Granny's, Belle suddenly stops and turns to her step-daughter.

"Oh Crystal, that reminds me. We've been so busy that it slipped my mind, but we found this when Gideon appeared to us as a baby again." She reaches into her coat pocket and pulls out something gold. Crystal's heart drops... "It's your mother's locket, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes, but what was it doing in the cave with Gideon?"

"We sure don't know," her father says.

Belle hands it to Crystal and something shoots through her body, like a jolt of lighting. The couple keeps walking up the street with their infant son, but the daughter remains on the spot. She puts her hand inside her coat pocket and feels something that wasn't there before.

"Aren't you coming Crystal?" Rumpel asks.

"Y-Yes, you guys go on ahead... I forgot my phone,"

"We'll you at Granny's then," Belle says.

The girl nods and then turns back. However, instead of going to her apartment, she goes towards her father's shop. Her heart is pounding in her chest and her hand clutches the locket tightly. She goes inside the shop and turns the lights on with her magic. She then removes what was in her pocket.

Inside are very thick spectacles that are so wide, they might make someone's eyes look like an owl's. She can feel tears coming to her own eyes, happy tears.

"I remember everything," she says to the glasses. She continues to stare at them and she can see the reflection of a very old man with white hair and gray eyes staring back at her. "I promised I wouldn't forget you." She wants to know how her locket had been restored, maybe it was because the curse was broken and like Henry's storybook, it came back again. She wasn't sure, but perhaps she didn't want to know in the end. She'd been wearing another necklace that her mother once owned, a silver chain with a crystal blue heart on the end. It was what she'd given to Rumpelstiltskin the first night as payment to spin straw into gold, and he'd given it back to her after they fell in love. She puts the necklace on herself again, examining the name, Lillian, engraved on the surface. She opens it to find the same picture of her and her mother and something new. Engraved on the other half of the heart was...

Love can never be forgotten and is the balance of the soul.

And below that were initials, A.M.

Crystal tears up again and closes the heart again. She examines the spectacles under the light once more and then puts them on. Literally seeing the world through someone else's eyes. She expects to be able to see the future and the potential for power like the old man could. She examines everything around the room, but nothing happens. They appear to be a pair of ordinary glasses.

She removes them, a little disappointed. The reflection of the old man is now gone. Her heart sinks a little bit.

"I shouldn't have to see the future," she says finally. "I make my own."

She then finds an empty glass case on one of her father's shelves, she places the spectacles down and then puts the glass on top. She then conjures up a small plaque to place underneath it. Engraved on its surface says.

The weapon of the greatest hero who ever lived A.M

She then steps back, content with herself. She'd always remember what happened and maybe someday she'd tell the others about it, but she doubts that they would believe her. She might add a new chapter to Henry's book. One that seemed so bizarre and unbelievable, yet happened and broke a curse as well as created two true heroes.

Crystal Miller wipes the tears from her eyes and then turns to leave the shop. She turns the light out and walks away from her collection.

A/N: That's the end of this story.