Fables #31

Down in the Woodlands lower levels, Bigby and Cinderella interrogate one of the chopped, splintered heads of the Wooden Soldiers while Beast looks on. The head stars by telling them how the Adversary, not wanting Mundy's or their technology coming into the Homelands and upsetting the delicate balance he created, had all the portals to the Mundane world closed. Meanwhile upstairs, Beauty meets Snow White in the Business Office to learn the ropes of being the Deputy Mayor. First, she advises Beauty to keep both Bufkin and Boy Blue on, since the help they provide is invaluable.

In the Mayor's penthouse, King Cole is just finishing up his departure from the premises as Prince Charming begins preparing for his move-in. King Cole finds his new temporary home downstairs, bunking with Boy Blue in his apartment.

Night falls, and the interrogation of Arlo the wooden head is done. Cinderella goes to put him back with the other heads, suggesting they start with Reginald tomorrow, which Bigby approves. Beast is curious about Cinderella's involvement, so Bigby tells him that she was one of the secrets he'll have to keep when he takes over as sheriff. If Beast can show that he can be trusted, Bigby will tell him all about Cindy, and the other secret operations he's been keeping from the Mayor and Deputy Mayor. The job, he tells Beast, is a mix of small-town sheriff and clandestine spymaster. He then leads Beast down a passage to show him one of the "secrets", which turns out to be the hidden nest area of Gudrun the goose who laid the Golden Egg! Gudrun, who was thought to have been killed centuries ago, lays the gold eggs that served as Bigby's primary source of funding for his unauthorized investigations. Beast starts to wonder what he got himself into. Boy Blue spends a late night in the Business Office to practice his horn playing, sending Bufkin to one of the quieter backrooms to sleep. He tells Bufkin goodbye and to look after everyone for him, but the little monkey had already flown out of earshot.

Days later, Bigby and Snow are walking together in Central Park. He asks her to go with him, instead of to the Farm. A tearful Snow responds that she can't betray Fabletown by leaving it all behind, even for him. Her resistance causes Bigby to storm off angrily. And so, the next day, Snow White is off to the Farm with the cubs. Her friends and co-workers all see her off outside the Woodlands entrance. Bigby watches with sadness as the van leaves. He snuffs out his cigarette, grabs a taxi, and heads "away".

The Farm inhabitants are all out front when Snow arrives, with Rose Red at the front of the pack. She's ever so eager to meet her nieces and nephews for the first time, and when she opens the door and unstraps them, the cubs begin floating away. But before Snow can panic, Rose tells her they've been practicing maneuvers for weeks just for this occasion, and a flock of birds grab the cubs by their strap loops and bring them back down to earth. Rose tells her sister that she is now among the most efficient babysitters for her unique brood that any mother could ever hope for.
That night, Rose visits Snow in her room to talk. She smiles when Snow mentions that Bigby got angry at her when she wouldn't go with him and then he left to who-knows-where, which Rose matter-of-factly says that's confirmation that he'll be back; There's been an invisible chain connecting them since they first met years ago, when Bugby freed the two sisters from the Adversary's chain gang. Rose advises Snow to give the mutt a try, since Princes and castles didn't work out so great last time.
Meanwhile, that same night in the mayor's penthouse, Hobbes (Fables) wakes up Charming to inform him that, according to Bufkin, Boy Blue has left. To the Homelands, to find the real Red Riding Hood and rescue her. Charming jumps up, asking how? Hobbes said he took a few magical items with him, including the Vorpal Sword and Witching Cloak... as well as Pinocchio's body.

Later still, Snow is in a dream where the head of Colin the Pig visits her, being called by her into her dream. She asks him if the bad parts are over now, if everything was better going forward? Colin regretfully answers that he wishes he could say that it did.