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CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
OPERATION MONGOOSE, PT. 1
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TERESA SAT NEXT TO HENRY AS SHE FLIPPED THROUGH YET ANOTHER ONE OF THE BLANK STORY BOOKS INSIDE THE SORCERER'S MANSION. With her and Henry were also Emma, Snow, David, Hook, Regina, and even Robin Hood. As Teresa tossed yet another empty book off to the side and grabbed another, Regina let out a groan that drew all eyes to her.

"Nothing," she said. "They're all still blank. Whatever the Author is writing, it's not appearing in the books. This is useless."

Robin placed his gentle hand on Regina's arm to sooth her anger. "Easy. This is not your fault."

"Even so, tomorrow, thanks to Gold and the Author, I can wake up a talking frog."

"At least you'll wake up," Hook said. "I don't doubt whatever the Dark One has in store for me is a far worse fate."

"Well, there's no use speculating what he wants. We just need to stop it. And if there's nothing useful here, we need to move on, find something else that can help," David said.

Suddenly, a new voice spoke. "I might know just the thing." They all turned and found a smiling August walking into the secret library of the mansion.

"August." David looked at him confusion. "I thought you didn't know anything more about the Author?"

"He doesn't," Emma said. "But he knows someone who does. That's why I called him here."

"Who?" Snow asked.

"The man who gave him his power...The Apprentice. I met him once when I was living in Phuket. He was the one who told me about the story book and that I should learn everything about it."

"If he was in Storybrooke, could you find him?"

"Well, I haven't seen him," August replied as he pulled out a handdrawn sketch of a man with long hair and a beard. "But...that's what he looks like."

Both Teresa and Hook perked up, their lips parting in shock..

"I know this man," Hook confessed.

"So do I," Teresa muttered. From beside her, Henry looked at her with confused eyes, as did Snow.

Emma looked between both Teresa and Hook in shock. "You do?"

"More importantly, I know exactly where to find him," Hook said.

As they gathered their coats and began to follow Hook out of the mansion, Snow appeared at Teresa's side. "Teresa, how do you know him?" she asked.

"I met him once when I stealing bread. I was only nine. He paid not only for the bread but for an entire meal for me. He told me that if I didn't eat I wouldn't have the strength to keep myself going to meet him."

"Who's him?" Snow questioned.

Teresa shrugged. "The hell if I know, maybe my dad or something? Who knows. I was just as confused as you are now."

➳

A look of guilt was plastered on the pirates face as he looked down at Merlin's hat, which had previously obtained Blue and all the other fairies, until Regina freed them.

"I trapped him in there," Hook announced to the room. "I didn't know..."

Emma reassuringly rubbed his arm. She knew how he felt about that whole ordeal. "It's okay. It was Gold, not you. Blue was in there. She can get him out."

"Don't you need the Dark One's dagger?"

"Well, not if I have something that belonged to The Apprentice," Mother Superior replied. Hook turned and grabbed a broom, which he then handed to her. Mother Superior placed it on the floor and with her eyes closed she began to use her magic.

Moments later there was a bright yellow light that had them shielding away their eyes, until finally a man with gray hair and beard appeared before them. He laid on the floor in confusion.

"Are you..."

"Yes," he said, cutting Emma off. "And there is no time to waste. Isaac has abused his power for too long. The time has come to set..." When The Apprentice caught sight of Hook, he paused for a moment, knowing that he was the one who had trapped him inside it. "...things right."

"How?" Regina asked.

"By putting him back where he can't harm anyone...in the book. I will need the page with the painted door and the key. We shall return him to his prison. And this time, I would wager none of you will set him free again. The page?"

"It's back in the loft," Henry replied.

The Apprentice turned his head, and a smile pulled onto his lips when he seen Henry Mills, who just so happened to be standing right next to Teresa Holmes.

"Mom, dad, Killian, Teri, go with Henry. If Gold's smart, he'll go after the page, too," Emma said.

➳

Inside the apartment of Snow White and David, the group searched endlessly for the page with the painted door.

"Are you sure it's here Henry?" Teresa asked from where she was searching in the living room.

"Positive. I know it's here," Henry replied from upstairs.

Suddenly, there was a bright white light that caused them to shield their eyes. Before any of them could question what it was or what was causing it — even though they already assumed it was Gold — they were plunged into darkness.

➳

Henry woke up with a groan, on the floor of the upstairs room with a key in his hand. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, wondering what had happened to him considering he was just searching for the page and not unconscious on the floor.

Henry stood from the ground and bolted down the stairs. "Grandma? Grandpa? Teri? Hook?" After searching the entire apartment, Henry found not one person within it. Not Teresa. Not Hook. Not his grandparents or his baby uncle. They were all gone.

Henry bolted from the apartment building and wandered through the streets, desperate to find his loved ones. Or anyone for that matter.

"Hello?! Hello?! Is anyone here?! Hello?!"

Nothing. Not one noise.

Henry's heart fell. Spotting his Grandpa's shop, he started walking towards it. He pulled open the door and walked over to the gramophone that was still on and turned it off with a sigh.

➳

Henry had driven a couple times and he might be fifteen, but he wasn't that great of a driver. Nonetheless, he still got into a random car on the streets of Storybrooke and left his hometown.

Soon, he had arrived at a small restaurant and recklessly parked in a spot before rushing inside.

"Nice parking job. You old enough to drive?" the waitress asked, raising a brow at him.

Henry rolled his eyes, not in the mood for sarcasm at the moment. "Yeah. Are you? I need some help." He pulled out two photos from his inner coat pocket and held them of for her to see. "Have you seen any of these people?"

The waitress looked over the pictures of his family. "Mm...No. No, I haven't."

"It's my family. Are you sure?"

"Look, why don't you wait here, and I can, um...I-I'll ask some of the others..." the waitress replied. She turned around and made her way towards the back, her phone in her hand. When she glanced back at him while on her phone he knew she had dialed the police.

Henry sighed and picked up his pictures, placing them back within his inner jacket pocket. As he went to leave, a book on the sales rack caught his eye. Heros and Villains, was the name, and it was written by a man named Isaac Heller.

Narrowing his eyes, Henry walked forward and picked up the book. He turned it over in his hand and his lips parted in shock when he found the Isaac's picture plastered on the back. His jaw clenched in anger, knowing Issac had done all of this.

Henry stole the book and quickly left the diner. Sure he felt bad for being a thief, but no one would understand what his situation was, they'd think he was crazy.

➳

After some googling with his cell phone, Henry discovered that Isaac Heller, author of Heros and Villains, and the very man who's done something to the residents of Storybrooke, was having a book signing that evening in New York.

Henry had drove the speed limit as best as he could all the way to new York, and when he arrived, he was quick to get in line for an "autograph."

When the woman — fangirl — who seemed to he obsessed with his mother Regina left, Henry placed the door page on the table in front of him.

Isaac's eyes widened when he seen the page, then Henry. "What are you doing here?"

"What did you do with my family? And where are they?" He spoke threateningly, his brown eyes demanding an immediate answer.

"I, uh...I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Unh-unh. You're lying." Henry shook his head, while holding up the golden key, which caused Isaac's eyes to widen. "Now, you know what this does, so you either give me some answers or I open this door again and you get a whole new ending."

➳

Now back stage, Henry waited as Isaac spoke with his publicist at the door. When he was done, Henry shot up from the stool he had been sitting on.

"Okay. Much to the chagrin of my publicist, you have my undivided attention."

"Where's my family?" Henry repeated yet again.

"You really want to know? Look around you. They're all right there...in my best-selling book."

Henry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What does that mean?" Henry threateningly held up the page, the key nearly an inch away from it. "Are they still alive?"

"Easy with the key, cowboy!" Isaac exclaimed. "Your family is fine. If you want to get technical...they're in here." He pulled out a black story book, where on the cover it read Heros and Villians. "See? The original copy of my book...the one that I always wanted to write. They all live in here now in kind of an alternate reality."

"You made them miserable."

Isaac smirked. "I see that you've read some of my book. Good. Good. Then...then you know that everyone got the ending they deserve. Except Emma, of course. You won't find her in the book. There was no room for a saviour in my world. And, well you and the archer as well."

"What do you mean me and the archer?" Henry asked in confusion.

Isaac smirked, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Oh, you don't know."

"Know what? Just...bring them back, or I use this."

"I can't!" Isaac said in a panicky tone. He really didn't want to be trapped inside the page again, it had been hell for him. "I don't have the power. The cardinal rule of the Authors is don't write your own happy ending. As you can see I broke that rule." He lifted his authors pen. "So this...it's just a pen now. And me? Ohh. Well, I'm nothing more than a best-selling writer with legions of fans and a penthouse over central park."

"If you can't get them out, then give me the book and I will." Henry grabbed the book off the table, only to have it ripped from his hands.

"You?" Isaac laughed. "Do you know why you're still out here, kid? Because you're not from a magical world. So take it from me...you will never be a knight in shining armour, not even for your precious archer. You're just a poor, innocent child who needs saving. So, why don't you put the key away and, uh, stick to the role you're best at?" With a final smirk toward the teenager, Isaac swiftly turned on his heel and left.

Henry was seeing red. Never had he been so angry in his entire life. With a clenched jaw and fire in his eyes he ran forward and jumped him. They tumbled to the ground, the original book version of Heros and Villains sliding from Isaac's grip and across the floor.

Henry was quick and scrambled over toward the black storybook. He hurriedly and opened the pages, searching for a building.

"Now what? You're gonna tear up the book?" Isaac asked, eyebrow raised.

When Henry reached a page that had a building, he smirked and twirled the key in his hand.

"Wait! Don't be stupid!" But it was too late. Henry stuck the key into the page and twisted it. A burst of yellow magic suddenly pulled Henry Mills into the storybook.

Henry landed harshly on the ground of a village. He grunted, and after making sure he had the key he rose to his feet. He looked around in amazement at the village in the Heros and Villiand version of the Enchanted Forest.

A shimmer caught Henry's eye, and he bent down to pick up a sword that laid in the dirt. A smile pulled on his face as he twirled the sword in his hands. "Cool..."

"Feel like a real hero now?" Henry's smile dropped as Isaac now stood before him.  "Don't get used to it."

It happened so fast. The quick movement of an arm, the blaring pain in his face, and then a sharp pain in his shoulder as Henry fell to the ground. Soon, the pain won and the darkness pulled him in.

A/N: Henry was a total badass in those scenes with Isaac 😏😏