Author's Note: I pretty much stopped watching OUAT after season one. I couldn't continue with the storyline after they killed my favorite character. I've read about how the show has continued so I maybe be incorporating those elements into my story; however, it might not be exactly as shown. So if anything has been changed: Sorry! But this is my story now! It's a bit long, but it could be a one shot or a multi chapter. If you want more than let me know! Otherwise I'll probably just keep it as a oneshot.
It had felt like hours but she knew that, realistically, it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. With her knees set firmly on the floor and his head cradled in her arms she waited and waited and waited for any sound of an ambulance. She could remember just moments before how it had felt: his strong hands holding her face, the tear falling from his eye, the shy kiss she had given him, the flush of a blush creeping from her toes to her head. She was beginning to think that Henry was right – that fairytales did exist. In that slight moment all of her walls had fallen down, she was open, she was ready, she was hopeful. But as soon as it happened it had ended. He fell as fast as her walls did, crashing to the floor screaming in agony. She saw as his brown locks of hair covered his face as he landed, his breath heaving, wheezing trying to fight through the crushing pain.
She had fallen with him, screaming and crying. Gathering her senses she had been able to call the hospital, hoping for them to save him. She had squeezed his hand, hoping that feeling of her being there would help him fight. She had kept his gaze, and maybe she was imagining it but she could have sworn he muffled out "I love you," before she watched all of the light leave his eyes. His last breath heavy, full and shaky. She prayed his lungs would lift again. They didn't.
And she had cried. Not like the movies, not just one tear slowly falling down her cheek, she had really cried. Allowing herself to feel for the first time in forever. Her chest lifted up and down in quick successions and soon she felt like she couldn't breathe. She wondered, as she cradled him, if his death would be the cause of her own. If not for Henry, maybe it would be, she thought. Her face was hot and red and she couldn't even see through her tears. She grabbed onto his vest with one hand pushed his messy hair from his face.
It was probably impossible, she knew, but she allowed herself to believe Henry for a moment, just for a second. Maybe if I just... she thought as she leaned over his head, feeling his cooling cheek with her hands. And she kissed him. Softly, slowly, hopefully. Her tears fell onto his face and everything that was hers was now his. It felt like forever but lasted a second. She pulled her head up, staring at him intently. Wake up, please wake up. But he didn't. Even true love's kiss couldn't undo it.
And as Emma heard the ambulance's siren pulling toward the police station, she knew in that moment that Henry was completely wrong. There was no such thing as a happy ending.
She went to his funeral wearing her normal clothing, red leather jacket, t-shirt and blue jeans. Everyone else was dressed in head to toe black, but the person who stood out the most was Regina. Black everything, including a black gothic collar, a garish hat and black diamonds. What a fake bitch, Emma thought. Regina gave the eulogy, which everyone in the town seemed to ignore. Nobody liked Regina, not one person, and everyone knew that anyone else would have been more suitable to give that speech. She noticed that Regina let a few tears slip. Fake tears, nothing like the tears she cried for him the night that it happened.
And in that moment, Emma allowed herself to wonder, could Henry be right? Could Regina have killed Graham because he was good? It was ridiculous, she knew, to believe that Regina could literally crush anyone's heart, but Emma wanted to blame someone and everyone else in the town was too nice to even consider.
It was drizzling and the clouds were dark, grey, and gloomy. Even the sky mourned for her Sheriff. Emma didn't allow herself to cry anymore. The last time she did was in the station when it all happened. But if this had taught her anything it was to never let her walls down again. Whenever she did, she got hurt.
Emma thought of all the people she had lost in her life. She never knew her parents. The man she initially thought she loved had her sent to prison. She was forced to give up her son. And now when she felt she could love again the man had died in her arms. She closed her eyes and let the raindrops wash over her. Henry was incorrect. She wasn't a Savior – she was the curse.
Henry stood next to her and squeezed her hand. He looked handsome in his black button down and tie. "I'm so sorry Mom," He said shakily. It was the first time he had called her that. Mom. A feeling was starting to burn within her but was quickly put out when she saw them lower the coffin. Emma turned her head to look at her son. His eyes were wet and his cheeks were stained with tears, "This wasn't supposed to happen, he was my only friend," Henry whispered.
"Mine too, kid." She dared to throw a small forced smile his way. She knew it was true. Graham had cared about him. The way he would check on him after he would run away, the way he sought him out for help when he was having that bad day. The way he tried to curb Regina in order to let Henry get to know Emma. "But we've got each other, right?" Emma breathed.
Henry tugged his tie, a ghost of a smile finding his lips, "Yeah, mom." He paused and wiped his eyes. With a huff and a silent cry he continued, "I'm done with the curse. I don't want to go looking into it anymore." The community started to pay their last respects, each of them throwing a piece of dirt onto the coffin before it got buried for good. Emma doubted that any of them cared for him the way she did.
"This isn't your fault Henry," She said with conviction. But Emma knew that Henry wouldn't believe it. It was anyone but Henry's fault, Emma surmised. But she didn't push it. She patted his head and rubbed his hair. "Let's go." Both of them walked to the grave together, keeping each other's pace. She could tell that some of the townspeople knew just how hard this was for her.
Mary Margaret looked away; her roommate, her friend had not been the same since his death, and she couldn't watch as Emma said goodbye. It was too personal. She felt as if she was watching a private moment, eavesdropping.
Henry picked up a small clump of dirt, and Emma picked up even less; she couldn't bury him, and she would not. Henry let the dirt slide through his hand, "Goodbye, Graham. I'm so so sorry, I hope you felt everything, you haven't been able to feel, in those last few hours." He breathed out the words and Emma was touched. But his resolve finally broke and the child within Henry released and he cried. He cried so hard that Mary had to run to them, pick him up and carry him back. His little body quaked and twisted and he just couldn't imagine a life without the sheriff. Emma watched as Mary calmed him down and as Regina approached.
"It's ok Henry, It will be ok," Regina said reaching out to him. Her eyes were dark and stony, but her arms begged for her son's love.
"Don't touch me," He screamed, swatting his hands at his adoptive mother. His eyes became hard, he glared at her with so much hatred in his eyes, "This is ALL of your fault. I never want to see you again," he spat. Emma's heart broke for Henry, she had never seen him so rigid.
"Henry, you're coming with me," Regina tersely responded. She was wounded and embarrassed but most of all she knew he was right.
Henry shook his head, his brown hair blowing in the wind. The rain started to pour and he let himself believe it was Graham warning him against her. "I'm staying with my real mom. If you bring me home now I'll never speak to you again."
Regina hesitated. Legally, she was his mother and could do what she willed with him. But she also knew that the Sheriff was dead. There wasn't any legal system in her fake town now. She also knew that if Emma wanted to, she could take him over the town's border, she could contact a real lawyer from a real town. She knew better than to risk it. "Ok," she tried to sound sincere, "You can stay with Emma for now," she could barely hide her consternation. Regina left in a huff, ignoring tradition of putting dirt into the ground and saying goodbye. It didn't go unnoticed by the community.
"Henry, why don't you stay back with me. Let your mom have a moment alone," Mary Margaret's voice was loving. She picked the boy up and sat on a bench, trying hard to not watch her friend give her final goodbye to their loved Sheriff.
Emma looked across the grass at Mary with such love, such appreciation. But none of it reached her eyes. She rubbed what little dirt she picked up in between her palm and her fingers. This was her last moment before he was under the ground and never to come out. She took a seat on the ground, ignoring that the soil was wet and gross. She was never a prissy girl. "I don't know how to do this." She said to no one. Feeling the ground near the opening of the grave she allowed herself to cry once more. Softer than the night in the station. "I really don't want to say goodbye," it wasn't a statement. She was begging. "Please don't make me say it." She rubbed her eyes with her free hand and put her mask back on. In the corner of her eyes she noticed that Mr. Gold watched from afar – for once showing some sign of having a soul, he had a frown in place. Forcing the tears to stay at bay she decided that she wouldn't say goodbye at all, instead she dropped the small amount of dirt into the grave. "I love you too, Graham."
At that moment thunder bellowed and lightning struck. Storybrooke had never seen such a storm before.
It had been weeks since his funeral and Emma was still in shock about how easily everyone had forgotten about her Sheriff. No one mentioned him. Emma first thought they were just trying to be aware of her feelings but she soon realized that everyone had just moved on. The thought hurt her more than she could say.
She visited his gravesite everyday. Not intentionally. She just always seemed to find herself there. She would sit next to his grave and daydream, sometimes she would try and piece together why this town was so weird. One particular day at his grave she found herself thinking about the wolf. What had happened to him? Graham had called the wolf his friend. She absently played with the shoelace on her wrist. Perhaps when Graham died the wolf died of heartbreak. She wouldn't have blamed him. It began to drizzle.
She had come full circle in Storybrooke when she had realized that within the year she was there that Henry had been right all along. The curse was real. Fairytales were real. And the Evil Queen was real. True Love's Kiss had awoken Henry from his poisoning. It had brought loved ones back together. Her parents.. she couldn't even think about it. But it hadn't brought her the one she lost.
Emma trailed the forest trying to escape everyones praise. What they failed to remember, when they thanked her, hugged her, talked about her being a savior, is that she didn't save everyone. Her Sheriff. Her Huntsman. She could save everyone but him. Her heart felt heavy. She lightly touched the leaves and branches as she walked. She had never explored the forest – she had felt no need. But she wanted to be as far away as possible now and for some reason she was called there. Henry was safe with her parents. She still struggled at the thought. Her parents. She thought. They're my age. She pushed the thoughts out her head.
She came to a clearing and sat on a log. The bushes rustled. "Please go away." She demanded. "I'd like to be alone." She pulled at her blonde hair, head bent toward her knees.
The rustle continued. This time a little more shy. Emma blew the hair out of her face. People in this town just didn't understand personal space. She looked up just in time to see a small head pop through the clearing. A red eye and a black one looked at her. Emma's eyebrows knitted together. She took a large breath. "The Huntsman is gone. I'm sorry."
The wolf looked down and nodded, he already knew. Anyone who believed animals didn't feel were wrong, Emma could see the sadness in his face. "Would you like to be sad with me? At least now we can be sad together. People here have seem to forgotten about our friend but I remember him everyday." She whispered to the animal. And she felt free and happier than she had in a while. She could confide in the animal and the animal wouldn't judge her.
The wolf brushed his head against her leg. He felt safe with her and he knew that his brother had trusted her. He fell flat on his belly and sat next to her, looking around the forest, becoming her protector. He barked.
Emma laughed a bit. "Yes, you can be in my pack if you want to. I can't say I know anything about woods though." She pet him languidly and they sat there for a long time just basking in each other's presence. The closest thing they could get to their fallen loved one. But as Emma knew, happy endings were not in her cards so the moment was of course, ruined.
A man walked out of the bush, confident in his strides. The wolf jumped up in a protective stance. His ears were back and he crouched, baring his teeth. He pushed Emma behind him, making sure his new pack would never fall the way his old one did.
"Now don't get that attitude with me, dog. Calm down, I'm here as a friend." The man smiled a wide smile and directed his eyes toward Emma. "The princess came to save the day, and yet she wonders why she couldn't save her own." He swung a dark cane in a circle.
"I'm not in the mood, Gold." Emma rolled her eyes and laid back on the log. Her wolf hesitantly fell back to the ground. The wind around them started to pick up and it started to drizzle. "God! Even the weather hates you!" Emma sarcastically screamed. She hadn't seen this kind of gloomy weather since Graham's funeral. The thought interested her.
"Perhaps not all is lost?" Gold posed the question but it was clear he already knew the answer. "Dead is dead, that is for sure. There isn't magic that I have that can change that. But perhaps.." He trailed off. He stood straight letting the droplets hit him in the face. Curious.
"Perhaps what?" Emma said quietly and guardedly. She pretended he had no idea what he was talking about, but they both knew.
"Maybe for a trade?" Gold questioned. His smile turned wide and Emma was sure he was back to his old tricks. She wondered why people had to be bad. Why couldn't everyone just be good? Yeah, there were times she wanted to kill people, but she never did it. If everyone could just get over their past problems then perhaps she could have been happy now.
"I don't do trades. I don't do magic. I want to be normal." She finally leveled her eyes at him. She was serious. No compromising. Dark magic had killed him, and she didn't believe that dark magic could bring him back.
Gold sat next to her on the log. She found this interesting because it took away any sort of intimidating factor he was going for. They sat next to each other, their legs barely touching, in silence. The wolf looked at him curiously and thunder started to roar. Gold looked toward the sky, a knowing look on his face. "Interesting weather. Could be a coincidence, but in our world that's rare." Emma didn't respond, and he knew she wouldn't. The girl could barely believe their was a fairytale world, she probably didn't believe in an afterlife in this one either. But Gold knew. Some things were just unexplainable. The last time the weather had roared this way was when Emma had told a grave that she loved him. "It wouldn't be dark magic." Gold finally said, and it was strange because it sounded like sadness within his voice. Emma had never heard this side of him before.
She paused for a second. Truly wondering if she could trust this man. She decided that she had to, she had no one else to talk to. He might use it against her, or he might find humanity and feel for her. She shook her head sadly, taking a strand of hair and putting it behind her ear. She turned to face him. Lightning lit up the sky. "I tried. When he died, I kissed him. Nothing. Either True Love's Kiss failed or he wasn't my true love." She didn't know which hurt more. That she failed at the one thing she was born to do or that Graham may have had another true love (because she knew that he was her's).
"A fluke." Gold murmured. "Magic works in mysterious ways." He balled his hands into a fist and it looked like he might even cry for a moment. "You remind me of my Belle," He whispered. The lightning dissipated and the rain picked up. The sky was crying for them. And it was amazing, Emma thought, how beautiful the woods looked in the rain. The greens were bright and the browns were lush. Everything became illuminated.
She wasn't sure who Belle was but she could tell by Gold's look that she was incredibly important to him. She suddenly, in the moment, felt safe with Gold, despite the fact that he was one of the most hated men in the land. She knew that later on he could turn on her, but in this moment, they both mourned the loss of people they loved.
Gold stood up and prepared to go back to where he came from. "The magic has been restored here now. Perhaps just a wish could turn the tide. My Belle was captured years ago and I wasn't strong enough for her then. Maybe I'll get my second chance too." He bowed and left Emma alone in the forest with her wolf.
The wolf tilted his head as the strange man left. He could smell that the man was a threat when he first came, but as he left, the wolf smelled nothing but sadness.
It had been hours since Gold had left her but she couldn't bring herself to leave the log. The sun started to set and but the grey clouds remained. The wolf whined next to her, he was getting hungry, she could tell. She felt a calm breeze touch her face and for the first time in a while, her walls came crashing down and her body was seized with tears. Her breath was fast and heavy and she was tripping over herself to try and actually get air in.
"I wish," she breathed the crying fit seized her once more, "I wish I could save him, I wish he was alive."
A gust of wind blew through the forest, leaves were flying everywhere, the wolf began to howl. Something strange was happening.
"I hear your wish. You don't have to wish it so loudly," Emma heard the sweet sound of a high voice behind her and nearly screamed when she saw a tiny creature flying near her ear.
"What are you?" She screamed while falling off the log, "A talking mosquito!?" She swatted her hands as the creature giggled. Her tiny light blue dress was blowing in the wind, her little wand sparkling within the night.
"Not at all. A fairy. Magic has been restored!" The little thing smiled and laughed such a musical laugh that even Emma had to smile. "But your wish. I'm sorry I cannot bring him back. What is gone is gone, and their spirit lingers within what they loved most." The wind began to push again, the trees making a whistling noise. Emma felt all of her hope rush away from her. She knew Gold couldn't be right.
"Can I at least see him one more time? Even if it's just his body." Emma realized how morbid this was and that it had been almost a year and his body was probably gross but before she could change her wish to something more aesthetically pleasing the fairy had nodded her head and touched her wand to the tree.
In front of her an amazing rush of lights came together and swirled into a circle. Emma believed it was probably as beautiful as the northern lights. She watched as they danced together from the tree to the ground. And there, it appeared, Graham's coffin had been transported, clean, free of any dirt, as if he hadn't even been buried. "Magic can't bring him back but we can at least bring his resting place up clean," The fairy joked. And she was so cute and so tiny Emma couldn't even get mad at her.
Emma felt a flap in her belly. Butterflies. He was gone, she knew, but she'd get to see him again. Gross and all, she didn't care. She slowly walked up to the coffin. It was brown and plain. Regina wouldn't shell out for a better one. Lifting the lid, she was nervous at what she would find underneath. She was surprised when she saw that he looked the same as he ever did. She turned back to the fairy and glanced at her curiously.
"I'm sorry, princess. Sometimes magic is unexplainable." Emma inwardly scowled at the title. She wasn't a princess and never wanted to be one. She then scoffed. Stupid magic. It could keep him looking young, healthy and alive when in reality he was nothing but dead. If only it could actually keep him breathing.
Looking down at her Sheriff again she traced the outline of his vest. The material still felt rough beneath her fingers. She slowly felt his scruff, and she remembered how nice it felt against her cheek so many months ago. He looked as if he was merely sleeping, his eyes closed softly and his long eyelashes trailing up. She leaned forward, her hair framed his face as she leaned toward him, "I never did say goodbye. I guess now it's time," she whispered against his lips. She brushed her own against his, slowly and softly, a nice parting kiss, one that she would hopefully never forget. She parted from him and leaned back, her heart was hurting but it was beating a mile a minute. A fog began to fill the coffin and she fell backwards coughing. What the hell is happening? She inwardly screamed.
The fairy flew toward her and the wolf ran to protect her. "Magic," The fairy gasped. Even she had never seen anything like it. The fog mixed with an array of colors and they swirled together again to make a display as beautiful as the Cosmos.
Emma wasn't going to lie, she was pretty terrified. For a minute she began to think that Gold had tricked her. That Regina and Gold had come back together to seriously destroy her and everything she's ever loved. But as the fog started to clear and her eyes started to adjust she began to see the clearing. The coffin was gone. She closed her eyes, this was her final goodbye to him.
"Emma?" The voice was gruff, rough but so sickly sweet. She knew that voice, but she knew it couldn't be true. She kept her eyes so tightly shut, afraid if she opened them his voice would be gone. She felt two hands grab her cheeks. "Emma," He whispered again.
She began to open them, she felt them fill with tears. Because, oh my god, it cannot be true she told herself. Her head was facing down, she saw shoes, and DAMNIT one of them was missing a shoelace. A finger went under her chin and it lifted her face to meet his, "How is this possible?" Emma breathed, so quietly, that almost anyone else wouldn't have heard it.
He shrugged, his good natured shrug that he always had. And he smiled, but his eyes were filled with tears too. He took her hand and put it upon his heart that was beating wildly. "True Love's Kiss." He said simply.
"But I tried that before, It didn't work." She responded in a huff. She refused to believe this, it had to be a trick, it had to be untrue. She looked toward the fairy but the fairy was in awe. She inspected her wand. Emma looked toward the wolf and he was staring wide eyed at the man. He rubbed his body against his leg and howled. It was him, it was Graham. It was true. Her Huntsman.
"You didn't believe before. Now you do." The wind had calmed and the clouds had disappeared. It was a normal clear night sky in Storybrooke once again. He pushed his lips unto hers and kissed her with so much love, so much passion, that he almost thought he would die of a heart attack again. He smiled so widely. Emma was sure she had never seen such a beautiful sight. "My heart's back. You broke my curse, princess."
Emma smiled, her eyes still brimming with tears. "Don't call me that, dork." She threw her arms around him and pushed her body toward his. The heat that he felt was so comforting. She felt like home. He had never felt so much at once. And Graham knew that people believed he could never feel anything, but in this moment he figured out that he felt so much, so fast, so hard that he felt everything. He gently pushed her head back, and his blue eyes found hers.
"I missed you. I missed you so much." The words fell out of Emma's mouth with no filter. Her walls had been demolished, she just couldn't hide anymore.
Graham's hand fell from her face and laced his in her own. He brought her knuckles up and kissed each one. "Me too." he said. He held her gaze but heard a whine next to his leg. He looked down and pet his old friend. "I see you found a new pack when I was gone," he turned back to Emma and scrunched his nose, "I should arrest you for that."
She laughed, and it was deep, and beautiful and she swore it echoed through the forest so everyone in town could hear it. "Stealing friends is a crime now?" She asked. They fell into a nice silence before she added, "I won't ever complain if you arrest me again." And she was serious. She would never never complain about being near him again. Yeah, they would probably fight, and they would probably say hurtful things, because relationships weren't fairytales, but dear god, she knew that he was her happy ending.
He pushed his hair back with one hand and tugged on the one that was held onto hers. He laughed a hearty laugh, and she couldn't get over how much she missed his Irish accent. "Really?" He wiggled his eyebrows as they walked back toward town. He eyed the badge attached to her pants. "I see I've missed a lot. You've apparently stolen my job as well." He clicked his teeth with his tongue and he kissed her again and again and again.
And at the moment Emma knew that Henry was right – There was a such thing as a happy ending.
