Summary: An unorthodox use of Henry's cellphone makes for an unexpected first meeting between Ella and Emma.
Featured Dynamics: Glass Believer, Ella and Emma, Captain Swan, Ella and OG Killian
A/N: This was a fantastic request for my 300 follower spectacular by latinacinderella. This lady gives me very chill requests. Like between this and "Talk Tales Over Cocktails" (Which I consider something of a counterpart to this), the fics that come from her requests are just nice and breezy. And I like that! Besides, Ella's had a hard life! She deserves some chill moments, am I right?
Anyway, she requested to see Ella and/or Lucy encounter Storybrooke, Emma, and/or OG Hook in some way. I did something a liiiiiiiiiittle outside of the parameters of that request, but in a way that still holds to the spirit it so, I hope you enjoy it!
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When Henry Mills started his journey across the realms, he didn't pack a lot. In the small bit of storage space his motorcycle and his single satchel provided, he packed a dagger with his initials engraved on it, two changes of clothes, a few Apollo bars, and his single most prized possession: his cellphone.
But this cellphone, like much of Henry's life, was far from ordinary.
As a last gift from his mother before he went to explore the worlds, the phone was magically enchanted with a battery that would never die and a digital album filled with gigabytes upon gigabytes of pictures and videos of his family so that no matter where he went, they'd be with him.
Once Henry and Ella's friendship took off, Henry showed Ella both that phone and its digital library of his family's history. No matter how much of the library she was shown, there was always a new story to tell about the adventures of his very extended family.
Ella loved the album. She liked its convenient feel in her hand, its impossibly smooth shape and surface, and the clarity of the pictures and videos the device held.
But mostly, she loved the family that it contained.
Henry Mills was indeed a gifted storyteller. When he spoke of his parents, grandparents, and all of the other going-ons of his family tree, his very words painted the idea of home for Ella. She could practically smell the lasagna at Granny's, taste the cookies from Snow White's oven, and see the hundreds of antiques at Gold's shop as Henry made them real for her with the power of his words.
Fate really hit the nail on the hammer with his role as The Author.
A just as fate had led him to that title, it had led Henry and Ella to each other.
Every morning, Ella was reminded of that by the feeling of the locket against her heart and the feeling of her beloved next to her.
Today, though, only one of those things was where she expected it to be.
As Ella woke up – before even her eyes greeted the day – her hand reached for Henry, expecting to feel a soft blanket that leaned against his muscles.
But when her hand fell, the only thing on the other side of the blanket was the hard floor of their tent.
Ella finally opened her eyes and formally greeted the day, sad to see that she was indeed alone. That sadness was short lived however, as she noticed a piece of parchment atop her beloved's pillow. Scrawled upon the parchment was a small note that Ella could recognize as hosting Henry's handwriting. She picked it up and as she read it, she felt a blush flourish against her cheeks.
Dear Ella,
I've gone fishing with Hook and Jack and didn't want to wake you. Besides, I know you like a little bit of alone time every now and then, so I figured you could take some time off from the resistance and enjoy a morning to yourself. We should be back by midday, but rest assured I'll be thinking of you until then.
Love,
Henry
Romance wasn't something that Ella ever expected to be in the cards for her. Thoughts of vengeance for her stepfather's death and a hopelessness that came with spending years as a servant for her stepfamily had put the idea far out of her head. A future free from all of them was the best outcome she thought she could hope for.
But just as he had challenged the notion of revenge being her destiny, so had Henry changed her mind about that too. Now, the sweet words and gentle touches she had gone her so much of her life without were things she could hardly part with any easier than the air in her lungs.
In a way, she supposed that wasn't surprising. After all, Ella knew plenty about the family he came from and for the most part, love was never too far from them.
And soon enough, that might apply to her too.
It made sense. Ella was already well acquainted with one of Henry's mothers, and with a family that was just a magic bean away, it was reasonable to assume she'd encounter the rest of them before long. Additionally, if things stayed as good as they were now – and Ella had a locket pressed up against her chest that gave her a strong impression that they would – they might one day consider settling down in the same town as them.
What would that be like?
In truth, Ella hadn't afforded the prospect much thought beforehand. The resistance and the newness of their relationship had prioritized living for the moment, and that's exactly what Ella did. But the fact was that the revolution against the plights of their kingdom would one day end, leaving a future that needed to be accounted for – one that could feasibly lead them to a cozy house nestled in the heart of Storybrooke.
But that begged the question, an inquiry that was just as interesting as it was somewhat daunting: How would it feel to live in Storybrooke?
If Ella was honest with herself, perhaps a bit too overwhelming for her liking.
Ella had never been good dealing with large groups of people. Throughout her time with the resistance thus far, she forewent growing closer to the movement at large, preferring the smaller bits of company provided by Tiana, Regina, Jack, Henry, and Hook. The few occasions where she did need to interact with the other members was kept to a minimum. That was more than fine with her and the sentiment seemed to be reciprocated. It wasn't unheard of for those in the camp to keep to themselves outside of their own personal circles and otherwise mind their own business.
But from how Henry described life in Storybrooke, Ella had a suspicion that that wouldn't necessarily fly there. Storybrooke was a small town with not a small amount of people there who not only liked but deeply cared about being involved in each other's lives. They never let an occasion to get together and throw a party pass them by and polite conversations tended to run longer than they ever did in this realm. Even though Ella knew they were likely all lovely people, the thought of just an afternoon of that, let alone a potential lifetime was a lot to take in and maybe more than Ella felt herself able to handle.
And it's not like she didn't want to be able to.
Just as Henry's stories had somewhat freaked her out with the family's closeness, they had also charmed her in the other side of that particular coin. In the same vein that said closeness was borderline suffocating, it was also a means of support. While Ella felt uncomfortable opening up to so many people, she didn't want to dismiss the possibility of finding new friends and pseudo family members. After all, had she not done so for Henry, she would have denied herself the happiness she now reveled in.
There was a feeling of guilt in the matter – something Ella knew Henry would never want her to feel and that only served to make her feel even more guilt. It was a frustrating cycle and one Ella genuinely wanted to move on from. She wanted to open herself up more and she wanted to want to take to Storybrooke as easily as Henry did, but she just wasn't there yet.
And she wondered if she would ever be…
No. She wouldn't allow herself to fail so easily. Just as she was doing with her stepsister's threats, here had to be a way to combat this.
Perhaps, all it would take was to view Storybrooke's many denizens in the same way that Henry did.
Suddenly, an idea struck Ella for exactly how she'd spend her morning off. She leaned over to Henry's things and felt around until she felt what was always to her an unbelievably thin surface, especially given all that it held. Once the device was in her grasp, Ella pulled it out and placed it on the blanket in front of her.
Henry once told her that his phone was only one of many pieces of technology from his world. Ella personally found that hard to believe. In addition to the odd-looking and somewhat violent games he had on there, his phone had collections of pictures far more numerous than Ella could possibly count. In her time playing around with the device, she had never once reached the bottom of the assembly of family memories.
Maybe today, that could change.
Delicately, Ella picked up the phone. On what Henry called, his 'lock screen,' there was a picture of he and Ella on his motorcycle that Regina had taken not long after they started dating. Upon seeing the picture, she softened, all thoughts of distant anxieties abandoned. It hadn't been there the last time she checked, and the spot that formerly held a picture of characters from this movie Henry told her about, "Star Wars," was now held by them.
How could her Henry make her fall in love with him so much, even when he wasn't around?
Ella looked forward to finding that little secret of his out throughout the rest of their lives.
After staring too long at the picture of them, the screen went dark. It sometimes did that when Henry went on long tangents about that movie or when…they occupied themselves in other way – namely, with each other's lips – so Ella wasn't too surprised to see it happen now. Ella made a move to press the button that would bring the picture back when suddenly, the screen turned entirely light blue.
Speechless, Ella tried to make sense of what happened. Had she broken something? All she had done was brought up the lock screen. She hadn't even tried to put in the combination, one she knew quite well, even once.
Nervous, Ella picked up the screen, looking closer. The power blue that covered the front surface of the phone was still there, but Ella, no longer as plagued by her immediate shock, noticed that the color was…swirling. The contents of the screen slowly spun, like a vortex of the sky on a perfect day.
Ella watched it. The thought had just occurred to her to get Regina's help when suddenly, the blue screen had begun to be overtaken. Slowly from the center, the image of a woman began to push out the blue, soon overtaking it entirely.
Before Ella could move a muscle or take in the woman on the screen, a sound came from the phone – though not its speakers like it usually did when Henry showed her a video. No, the noise was just there, as if another person was in the tent with her.
Or rather, as if the woman was in the tent with her.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
No, the strangest part was what she said.
"Henry?" she called. The voice wasn't panicked as it searched for Henry, but called casually, as if calling someone in for dinner.
And then the woman noticed Ella. For a second, she paused, taking her in. The woman's eyes bulged, as if she had just had a big realization about Ella.
"Hey," she said. This time, she was more in a state of surprise.
Ella blinked, and in that fraction of a second, her mind caught up to her and like pieces of a puzzle, clues came together to fill her in about exactly who she was talking to.
For but a single second, Ella studied the woman in front of her – the long blonde hair that reached well below her shoulders, the green eyes that held an inquisitive stare, the light bump in her belly, and the leather jacket that was the color of a juicy pomegranate.
Who else could it be?
"You're Emma Swan," Ella said. There was an essence of disbelief in her voice as she said it, mirroring the one Emma had when she seemed to realize who she was.
Emma, now apparently over her shock, nodded and smiled, her finger offhandedly aimed at Ella in a pondering fashion. "And you're Cinderella, right?"
"I actually go by Ella now," Ella pointed out, not the least bit upset about Emma's mistake.
That didn't stop an apologetic look from overtaking Emma's features.
"I'm sorry," she said, a meekness in her voice that was a far cry from the confidence Henry's tales had painted her with.
"It's okay," Ella eased. "But yeah. I just started going by Ella again recently."
"Ella," Emma repeated, smiling once more as the word comfortably settled in the space between them. "Well, Ella. It's nice to meet you."
Ella returned the grin. "It's nice to meet you too. Henry's told me so many stories about the Savior of Storybrooke."
"Hopefully good ones?" Emma teased.
"Well, he wasn't too happy when you confiscated his X-Box – whatever that is – a few years ago," Ella retorted, smirking. "But apart from that, he's got nothing but good things to say about you."
Emma snorted. "Did he tell you that he failed his math test before I confiscated it?"
"No he did not!" Ella said, gasping in mock scandalization. "Looks like he has some explaining to do!"
Suddenly, Ella realized something.
This impromptu meeting with her beloved's mother was just that: impromptu.
She hadn't called for her, but for Henry.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you: Henry went fishing and won't be back until later today."
Emma frowned and snapped her fingers. "Damnit," she muttered. "I always seem to miss him by just a bit. And I've got to go to work soon, so I won't be able to call until basically midnight, and I'm pretty sure midnight for us is also midnight for you guys."
Ella was about to say that she'd have Henry call her back tomorrow, but a thought struck her.
"Emma, how exactly did you reach us here?"
Just like that, Emma's frown disappeared, replaced with a proud grin. "Magic," she replied, with a casual wave of her hand. "Regina taught me a long time ago how to communicate with mirrors. And a few weeks ago, I had a thought. I figured that since a phone screen can reflect your face like a mirror, maybe I could use Henry's phone screen to talk to him. I've been trying it out lately, but Henry either doesn't have his phone on him or he does, but can't hear me talking over his motorcycle."
"That thing is so noisy," Ella cosigned.
"Tell me about it. And I thought it was bad when Henry was revving it up all night in the garage back in high school. But, at least now I know that this actually works, and as a bonus, I get to meet you!"
"I guess we could call it a happy accident."
"I like that. So, considering that you have Henry's phone, I take it that you two are…close?" Ella giggled at Emma's expression. There was a hopeful smirk where a simple grin had been but a moment ago. She could tell how Emma was trying so hard not to be too nosy, but was also looked too excited to expect Ella not to think that that's exactly how she felt.
"Yes," Ella confirmed, her grin now wide enough to show teeth. "We're together."
Emma looked at Ella, positively beaming with happiness.
"That's great!" Emma nearly shouted. "I'm so happy for you two!" As soon as she was done speaking, she blushed, clearly embarrassed at her over excitement at the news.
But in truth, Ella loved it.
"Thanks!" Ella said, finding herself beaming as well. "I guess I don't have to worry about a disapproving mother?" she teased.
Emma tapped her chin, smirking. She released a wicked hum before speaking. "Nah," she dismissed with a wink. "You're a good kid, and you're good for my kid."
"You think so?"
"Definitely," Emma answered, not skipping a beat. "Henry's got a good heart. You must be pretty amazing if it lead him to you. And honestly, you seem amazing. I mean, sword fighting a prince's army, riding a motorcycle after a minute-long lesson, and joining a resistance movement, and all in the same day? That's impressive."
Ella felt her cheeks redden at the thought of all that Henry had told her. "I guess Henry's had his own stories to share about me?"
"You have no idea, Ella. Henry's always been an passionate kid, but when he told me how you two met – that look in his eyes – it was like magic. And trust me, I've become quite the expert on the subject these days. So yeah, like I was saying – I think you two are gonna be great together."
Ella felt her heart warm at that comment. Regina had taken to her presence in Henry's life rather quickly and now, Emma had too. On some level, she knew that winning over anyone from Storybrooke wouldn't be an obstacle – they seemed too kind to ever make themselves come across that way – but the validation was still very much appreciated and it felt nice to be welcomed into Henry's family with such ease.
Or at least part of what was a very big and extended family.
Now that that thought had made its way back to the forefront of her mind, Ella mused on Emma for a moment. Emma had a story of her own, one that Ella felt a kinship too, especially in her current situation.
Henry's tales always illustrated Emma's story in particular as something more complex than just some badass woman with a leather jacket and a gun. No, there was also the story of a woman who found her family, fell in love, and became a leader after a lifetime of wondering if she'd leave any impact whatsoever on this world at all, or if she'd even want to. It was a a journey of taking comfort in one's connections and learning how they can be empowered through them, rather than things to be feared or avoided. And now, just judging by the gentleness that surrounded her through her posture, smile, and eyes, Ella could tell that Emma was happy beyond all belief with her life in Storybrooke.
Maybe with Emma lied the key to getting the same thing for herself.
Perhaps there was more Emma Swan could offer than just a sweet first encounter.
"Emma," Ella started, admittedly more than a touch nervously. "Can I ask you something?"
Emma seemed to be able to tell that Ella's question was more subdued than previously and settled herself accordingly from her former state of sheer giddiness. "Of course," she answered. "What's up?"
"How did you settle into Storybrooke life?" Emma raised a brow, clearly confused by the inquiry.
"What do you mean?"
Ella bit her cheek as she sought words of clarity. "What I mean is, Storybrooke's a really social place and I know you weren't when you first arrived…" Before Ella even attempted to further her sentence, she groaned. "I'm sorry. I'm bad at this. And that's what I mean." Emma raised a hand, as if asking her to settle down.
A look of realization and understanding overtook Emma's features. "I guess Henry's told you about the rest of his family."
"Yes," Ella responded. She was so tempted to place her hand over her face, but held back as not to further embarrass herself.
But Emma looked calm and better yet, understanding. With her eyes, she encouraged Ella to keep on going.
"It's just a lot," Ella continued. "And don't get me wrong: you all seem great and kind. I guess I'm a bit more reserved. I want to fit in, but I know myself and I know that I tend to not do great with large crowds, especially if they're as involved as Henry's stories make them out to be."
Emma shrugged. "Unfortunately, he's not wrong." Another groan was working its way up Ella's throat, but she stifled it.
"I guess what I'm asking is if we end up in Storybrooke, how am I going to manage there? I don't want to come off as rude, but I can't see myself being as open as everyone else there is. And I figured since you weren't always like that, according to Henry, you could give me some pointers."
Looking through the screen, Ella saw Emma biting her lip, seemingly contemplating what she said and nodding as a likely chugging train of thought rode through a lifetime's worth of experiences. "I get it," Emma consoled. "In this realm, we call it being introverted. I'm like that too."
"Then how did you get…unintroverted?" The snort that Emma seemed to only barely able to stifle told Ella that her word choice was incorrect. Ella playfully rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean."
Emma gave her a soft smile. "I do. Can I tell you a little secret?"
"Sure."
"I'm still freaked out by it – the whole social thing. I look at Henry and my parents and even Killian and they're so much better at this than me. They're the ones who initiate all of the conversations. They're the ones who extend invitations to hang out. They're the ones who remember everything about everyone. I don't remember what the spices were in the deviled eggs at the last Doctoberfest! How do they? Who pays attention to that stuff?" At those last statements, Ella instinctively felt her face scrunched, confused. Emma looked to catch onto that. "Sorry, that's another story for another day."
"Why would anyone eat eggs from the devil?"
"They're not actually from the devil. It's just a weird name thing," Emma dismissed. However, Ella wasn't just about ready to drop the matter just yet.
"Who name things after the devil?"
Emma smirked. "Do you want my advice or not?" she teasingly chided.
Ella returned the gesture. "Fair enough."
"What I mean is it's a struggle for me. I get the feeling it always will be. I'm like you – an introvert. It doesn't go away, at least for most people."
Another groan escaped Ella. "So am I doomed?"
"I never said that," Emma assured. "It's just different for people like us. But here's the thing: People in Storybrooke get that. The town's a lot of things, but more than anything, it's understanding. If you talk about your limits and you're nice about it, the people here will get it if you need to take a step back every now and then." Emma snapped her finger, as if recalling something. "And trust me – neither of us are alone. Regina's more introverted too and so is Henry's other grandfather."
"Rumplestiltskin?" Ella clarified. Emma nodded. "Yeah, he seems the type."
That seemed to surprise Emma. "You've met him?"
"Yeah. I haven't talked to him yet, but apparently, he came to this world recently."
Emma nodded. "Noted. But," she continued, "I promise you, Ella, you'll be just fine if you and Henry end up here. And if it helps, even if I'm still struggling with the social stuff, I have learned a lot too just by being here and getting close to the people I love. It all builds, so just let yourself take it one day at a time. Start things off with a simple 'it's nice to meet you,' and follow your gut for the rest. Sound good?"
Ella took a moment to absorb her advice. It certainly made Storybrooke seem a lot less scary. It was still a bit nerve wracking, but Ella now felt a surge of determination that hadn't been there before. Besides, if a fellow introvert like her could find happiness there, Ella had a feeling that she could too, especially given the start that her family in this realm had given her. And by the time that she and Henry might move to Storybrooke, Ella knew she'd be even stronger and more capable.
"It really does," Ella said, her smile wide with the very confidence she knew Emma had in herself as you, Emma."
"Happy to he-"
"Emma! Were you able to get in touch with Henry this time?" It was a man's voice that called and subsequently interrupted Emma. A series of increasingly loud footsteps followed, leading to what was clearly the sound of an opening door.
"Killian," Emma said, a surprised bliss clear in her tone. Ella felt her heart warm at it, thinking of how Henry's presence so often gave her that exact feeling. "No, I wasn't able to get him today. He's out fishing."
"My apologies, love. It's my fault that he's so drawn to the sea's call." Killian's shadow was now visible on the screen and Emma must have been able to tell. She looked at Ella in a way that seemed to be asking her if she was comfortable meeting Killian like this.
And Ella – ready – nodded.
"But I did meet someone else." Ella saw the screen twist in Emma's wrist so she was now facing Killian. "Killian, this is Ella, Henry's friend!"
Killian beamed upon seeing her and hearing her name. "Ella! How nice it is to meet you!"
"And it's nice to meet you too, Killian!"
"So you're the woman my boy's had his eye on! How are you two getting by?"
"Very well," Ella answered. "But, we have got to talk about your sword fighting lessons. I thought you were a pirate, Captain Jones, but Henry doesn't exactly fight dirty."
Killian laughed heartily. "Don't blame me! Blame his goody two shoes grandfather!"
"I don't know about that, Mr. Good Form," Ella shot back, earning herself a similarly hearty laugh from both herself and Emma.
For the next half hour, the three of them exchanged stories and updates about life in their respective realms. Emma asked if the resistance needed their aid, and while Ella told them they'd be alright, she stressed that she wanted to see them when things finally quieted down.
At the chime of a clock in the distance of Emma's side of the phone, Emma frowned.
"We've got to take off," she said. "We're already late as it is and while I don't have to worry about anyone signing my paychecks, I'd rather not get an earful from who or what ever might be at the station when we arrive."
"Two doubloons says it's about Granny going on another drunk crossbowing spree."
"It's okay," Ella assured, laughing all the while at the image Killian so kindly painted her. "I'm going to take a bit more time for myself before Henry gets back."
"You definitely deserve it. And tell Henry that we love him!"
"Of course!"
"It was nice to meet you!" Emma and Killian chorused.
"It was nice to meet you, too! And Emma, thank you for everything."
KIllian placed an arm around Emma's shoulders and Emma gave her a final appreciative grin at Ella from the other side of the phone.
After that, the swirling light blue appeared once more briefly before dissipating back to the blackened screen. Ella checked the phone to make sure that everything was back to normal and when the image of a happy couple holding each other upon a motorcycle appeared, she knew that it was.
Content, Ella laid back in her bed and as she had initially planned, went through Henry's phone. The light bit of tension that had been in her belly whenever she looked at the collection of memories was still present, but lessened. It was especially so when she encountered pictures of Emma. Within her gazes as she decorated trees and carved up pumpkins in a room filled with people – through Ella had no idea why she would be doing either of those things – Ella saw not only hope for herself, but a friend who would help her realize that hope's full potential.
An hour later, Ella heard shifting sounds outside of her tent, though she knew immediately just who it was on the other side of it.
True Love was funny in that way.
As she expected, the folds of the tent soon split to reveal a joyful Henry from the other side.
"Hey!" he called. Ella felt her heart swell as she looked at her lover. The bottoms of his pants as well as his shoes were dirty and he had an odor that she could definitely say was reflective of his morning's activity.
"Hey! How was fishing?"
"Pretty good, but don't ask Jack or Hook. They're a bit…jealous." Giggling, Ella gestured for him to come lay by her side once more. Henry didn't hesitate before joining her and colliding their lips in a satisfying and hungry kiss. When they finally broke free after a few minutes, they held their stare as their heavy breaths rhytmically pulled their chests up and down."And how was your morning alone?"
"Well, it wasn't exactly a morning completely alone."
Henry's face fell. "I'm sorry," he cooed, his head tilting sadly. "Resistance stuff?"
"No, and it was fine," Ella assuaged. "I actually had a really nice chat with your mother."
"Really? I thought she went to go visit my grandpa today."
Ella smirked at Henry's bewildered expression. "Wrong mother."
If Henry's face looked taken off guard before, he now looked like a child lost in the middle of the woods without so much as a compass to guide him. "Wh-what? You talked to Emma?"
"Yes, I did! And tomorrow, Regina's going to help us call her because she loves and misses you." Ella then smiled as she finished talking.
Henry softened, clearly still bewildered, but just as clearly happy about the implications behind that very smile. Just as Killian had done to Emma before they ended their conversation, he looped his arm around Ella's shoulder.
"I knew you guys would get along. You two are a lot alike."
"More than you could imagine." Ella pulled Henry closer, contently cradling her head in his neck as she beamed. "And Henry?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I know about the math test."