Charlotte had a strange flurry of butterflies as Henry unlocked the door of the apartment. He had told her a little bit of the town on the way over, and surprisingly, that had made her nerves even worse.

"She'll want to help, that's what we do," Henry said proudly as they walked in.

"Henry, is that you?" A feminine voice called from upstairs.

"Yeah, it's me. I brought a friend, is that okay? She needs some help."

Charlotte bit her lip as she saw a figure come down the stairs, a woman with short, black hair and a kind face. Her eyes held a bit of surprise at Charlotte's presence, but she quickly turned it into a smile.

"Of course," she said, giving him a welcome hug. "Emma let me know what was happening. Henry, why don't you make us some cocoa?" She broke away and guided Charlotte to the table, where she gratefully sat. "I'm Mary-Margaret, it's nice to meet you, Charlotte."

"Nice to meet you too, ma'am," Charlotte managed to say, her bundle of nerves loosening slightly. "Thank you for helping me."

Mary-Margaret smiled again. "So, I hope you don't mind me prying, but Emma said you were a mermaid."

Charlotte looked down, her cheeks reddening. "Yes, I am. I'm trying to get back home, but I'm not even sure how I got here in the first place. Emma and Regina said they were going to try and contact Ariel. At first, I thought they were playing some cruel joke on me, but after what Henry told me… They actually mean the Ariel, don't they?"

The older woman laughed softly as Henry brought over the mugs, which Charlotte took gratefully. The heat from the drink warmed her hands and she took a small sip, careful to not only burn herself, but get wet as well.

"Yes, Charlotte, they did. Don't worry, she'll help if she's able. It's how we met, actually." Mary-Margaret took a sip of her drink, looking off in the distance as she reminisced. "I jumped off a cliff trying to avoid some guards, and she saved me when I almost drowned. I was lucky I met her; most mermaids are not that kind. They'd sooner drown you before helping."

Charlotte's smile fell a little and she looked at the table. The memory of when she tried to tip Nate over from Lewis's boat played crystal clear in her mind briefly before she pushed it aside.

Mary-Margaret noticed too late what she had said, and quickly tried to amend her statement. "I didn't mean to say that, Charlotte. You seem like a very nice girl."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Charlotte murmured, her hand finding the locket at her throat. The hurt look on Cleo's face as Charlotte tore the locket off her neck popped into her mind, and she stood up, a lump in her throat. She remembered how powerful she felt when she thought she was winning at Mako. "Would it be alright if I used your bathroom?"

Mary-Margaret nodded. "Just over there," she said, pointing. Charlotte nodded her thanks, and quickly went in, shutting the door behind her.

For a minute, she stood at the sink, holding the porcelain. Her breath came in short gasps as she struggled not to cry.

"You're not a monster," she whispered to her reflection the mirror. She turned on the water and watched it flow for a few seconds, the sound rushing in her ears.

"Charlotte?"

She looked up sharply, and emitted a small scream at what she saw:

Instead of her reflection in the mirror she was looking at an aerial view of the moon pool, with Cleo, Emma, and Rikki looking up at her.