Title: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Spoilers: None specific, though I have seen through episode 1x16.
Rating: T for some mature themes/dangerous situations
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not my creative property.
Chapter One
A grim, crimson sun had been setting in the west when the thunderheads moved over the small town of Storybrooke. As the last ray of light disappeared beneath the horizon, the clouds overhead broke open, releasing the constrained torrents from the heavens. The ground, already saturated from storms earlier in the week, refused any further absorption, leaving the impending volley of water to remain on the surface. Rejected from its usual lodgings, the rainfall had no choice but to form streams in the roads, pools in the yards, and overrun the houses in a desperate hunt for a proper residence.
Luckily for the general populace, there was a small hill in the center of the community. Atop this hill sat Granny's, an all-purpose establishment consisting of restaurant, bar, and inn, all rolled into one. It was to this venerable mecca that the unfortunate inhabitants of newly sodden homes flocked. The rain did not discriminate in its victims. Thus, the motley crew assembled consisted of everyone from teachers to doctors, from journalists to handymen. Even the mayor was present, with her young son.
To say that Mayor Regina Mills was not a people person would be a misnomer of sorts. It wasn't that she didn't like people. She enjoyed the company of some and was enthralled by using her position over some others. However, she was not one to mingle idly with the general public. She preferred a situation that was more solitary and removed. Nevertheless, a mudslide had invaded her home at the behest of the fast-approaching deluge, forcing her into the company of others for the evening. Her tired brow wrinkled as she sighed and put a hand to her temple. At least Henry, her son, would be happy.
She glanced from her position in a booth over to the bar, where he sat listening in delight as his teacher, Mary Margaret, entertained him and a few of his classmates with stories. They snacked on popcorn provided by Ruby, the waitress, who seemed just as enthralled by the story as the children. The mayor looked on with a mask of passivity on her face. Contrary to popular belief, the mayor did not despise the raven-haired schoolteacher. She just thought that she was a bit too optimistic and fanciful to prepare children for the real world.
Mary Margaret's voice rose as she reached the end of her tale. "…and that was when the king and queen realized that Rapunzel was actually their long lost daughter. Reunited once more, they lived happily, ever after."
Following the conclusion of the story and the demise of the last few kernels of popcorn, the children dispersed back to their respective families. Only Henry remained. In the absence of his peers, he pulled his stool closer to Mary Margaret. Regina watched warily, but did not seek to separate them. After all, Mary Margaret was his teacher, and one of his few friends. Still, she would keep an eye on him, to make sure that he didn't get any more crazy ideas concerning fairy tale characters from his naïve instructer.
"I was talking to Emma the other day," Henry began, as Regina winced internally. "And I asked her who my father was, but she wouldn't tell me. Has she said anything to you about him?"
Mary Margaret paused for a moment and frowned slightly, thinking. Then she shook her head. "No. But I'm sure she'll tell you when she thinks the time is right," she said confidently.
"I don't understand why she wants to wait," Henry continued. "I asked her a couple more times this morning, and she still wouldn't tell me. In fact, she got kind of angry."
"I'm sure she wasn't mad at you," Mary Margaret said, instantly consoling the young boy. "There are all sorts of reasons that she could have been angry and didn't want to talk about it. Like, maybe she went through a bad break-up with him. Or, maybe he ate all of the rest of the popcorn while she was telling a story."
This last suggestion made Henry grin. Mary Margaret reached out to tussell his hair, and he began to giggle. Halfway through, though, his laugh turned into a yawn. He stretched with his arms up in the air, and Regina decided it was time to get him to bed. She walked over to the pair and said, "It's getting late Henry. Tell Miss Blanchard goodnight."
"Goodnight," mumbled Henry as he jumped off of the bar stool.
Regina led her son up the stairs to one of the inn's rooms. Inside, there were several cots set up. This room had been given over to the children of families displaced by the storm. It was quickly turning into one big sleepover, complete with ghost stories and pillowfights. At the sight of the disapproving mayor entering, however, the children became much more subdued. They returned to their own beds and laid themselves down to sleep.
Henry quickly changed into his pajamas and got into his own bed. Regina bent down to kiss him on the forehead. She then exited the room, turning off the light on the way out.
As she descended the stairs, she found, to her displeasure, that the place had become even more crowded with refugees. Mary Margaret had left her place at the bar and was now occupying Regina's booth. Resignedly, Regina sat down opposite of Mary Margaret. Ruby soon appeared at her side.
"Can I get you guys anythig? Coffee, tea, pie…?" said the waitress.
"How about something stronger?" asked the mayor.
"I can do that. What would you like?"
"I'll have a vodka tonic."
"And for you?" Ruby asked, turning to Mary Margaret.
"I'll have a glass of red wine," answered the schoolteacher.
Several Drinks Later
"…and after I took away all of the glue, I turned around to find him eating the tape. I swear, some kids are worse than goats," said Mary Margaret, giggling.
Regina found that, after imbibing nearly half a dozen vodka tonics, she was almost enjoying the company of the overly cheerful educator. Either that, or Mary Margaret actually started being funny after her third glass of wine. They were so deep into conversation that they were both visibly surprised when a sopping wet sheriff plopped down in the booth next to Mary Margaret.
"Emma!" Mary Margaret nearly shouted.
"Hey," answered the sheriff, with an affectionate, if somewhat weary smile. "Madame Mayor," she said, in a more serious tone.
"Sheriff Swan," returned the mayor. "I trust you're keeping my town from being torn asunder."
"I'm doing my best. I've just stopped by to fuel up on some caffeine before I head back out."
On cue, Ruby arrived with a steaming mug of coffee, seasoned with sugar and cinammon, just how the sheriff liked it.
"So, what have you guys been up to," asked Emma, directing her question toward Mary Margaret, "besides depleting the town's rations of alcohol?"
Mary Margaret giggled, "We were just having a little fun after the kids went to bed. By the way, Henry told me about a conversation he had with you, about the identity of his father."
Emma looked down at her coffee, frowned, and sighed. "Is he still going on about that?" she asked, disconcertedly.
"You aught to know by now that once Henry gets an idea into his head, it's hard to extinguish it," said the mayor.
"I suppose he gets that stubborness from you," returned the sheriff.
"Actually, I think it's a genetic trait," quipped Regina.
Emma smiled a little, then sighed again. "I hope he gives up on this one soon."
"Why don't you just tell him?" asked Mary Margaret.
"It's complicated," mumbled the sheriff, as she took a long sip from her coffee.
"Well, why don't you tell us?" said the teacher. "Maybe we can help."
"I didn't really know him very well," Emma began. "I just sort of bumped into him outside of my apartment one night. We started talking, and he kept going on about how he was a social worker who helped lost boys. He was funny, though, and agile."
"What was his name?" asked Mary Margaret.
"Peter…something. I forget his last name. It was something to do with cooking. Stove, griddle, pot…..Pan! His last name was Pan!" replied Emma.
"You expect us to believe that Henry's father is Peter Pan?" asked the mayor, with a disapproving look on her face.
"No," answered Emma. "But it's the best answer you're going to get from me." She took a couple more swigs of her coffee and then laid a five dollar bill on the table.
"Well, this has been fun, but I have a town to keep from washing away." And with that, the sheriff rose from the table, zipped up her jacket, put on her hat, and swiftly exited the building.
Author's Note: This is my first story. I plan for it to be three chapters long. As the saying goes, "In der Kürze liegt die Würze" (In brevity lies the spice). Any reviews or comments are welcome.
AN 12.20.2012
Thank you to everyone who read, alerted, and reviewed this story.
I originally planned for there to be three chapters to this story. I updated the rest on tumblr. However, after finding out who the real father was in 2x06, I didn't want to update here because it would make this story too AU.