And The End Is Where We Start From
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own a thing here. I'm merely playing around in this sandbox.
Summary: The curse has been broken. Everyone remembers. Emma has to face some realities, but it's a good thing that she's got a good kid and an even better boyfriend. Archie/Emma established.
This is my take on the immediate after-effects of the curse being broken and magic coming back, especially regarding the relationship between Emma and Archie. After all, who doesn't love those two together?
I know that I was blown away by how "Once Upon A Time" ended this season. I think that I had multiple moments of fangirl squealing throughout! Wow. Just wow.
Anyways, that's enough before I start gushing, let's get on with this!
It had been a hell of a day.
Emma had had crazy days before, but nothing like this. For a typically skeptical person, everything that she had been plausibly denying as part of Henry's fantasies coming true had been an understandable shock to her system. However, that being said, Emma hadn't really had any time to process – truly process – the fact that magic was real, Storybrooke was cursed, and that every citizen of said town was a fairy tale character.
Which was why she was so frantic to find Archie – or Jiminy Cricket, or whatever – once that purple smoke cleared from the town.
Henry was with her. He was just as frantic to find Archie as she was. Henry had such strong good feelings about the grasshopper-turned-psychologist and Emma needed to find her boyfriend. Once Henry had been cleared as healthy and safe to leave the hospital by an understandably shell-shocked Dr. Whale, whose fairy tale counterpart Emma was having trouble placing, the boy had changed into his normal clothing and had grabbed her hand.
Emma was just glad that he was okay – dying kind of sucked and, when it's your son who dies, that just tears up your emotional heartstring. And, since he's not dead, she can put aside that hurricane of emotions until after they find Archie because, oh hell, she's going to need Archie to help her sort out that emotional mess.
In retrospect, Emma didn't know why they took to the streets instead of simply taking her car, but, in the moment, it seemed right to go on foot. Instincts seemed to take over.
There were people everywhere, dazed from memories of another life returning to them and feeling the after-effects of that purple smoke that left shivers and electricity running up and down her spine. Henry was right. That purple smoke had been bad news. But it, like the rest of the people of Storybrooke, were not her primary concern at the moment.
She needed to find Archie!
Loud dog barks met her ears. Emma turned and saw Pongo bounding down the street, tongue lolling out of his mouth. The dog was as happy as always to see her, though Emma, through experience, knew that the dog was in a state of canine worry and panic.
Emma whistled and the dog came to her side immediately.
As Henry petted the top of his head, she crouched down next to him, rubbing his back. "Where's Archie, boy?"
Pongo tilted his head to the side, studying her face. He was a smart dog, too smart, but that was part of his charm. Emma had long since learned to appreciate that quality about this dog. The Dalmation panted a bit and barked softly.
"You know where he is, right?" Henry prompted the dog, his young voice earnest.
Another bark filled the air and Pongo bounded a few steps away from them. Emma stood up, eyes following where the dog was going.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
Archie was standing at the other end of the block. Even from that distance, Emma saw the way that he was shaking, the paleness of his already-pale skin, the way that confusion and other such emotions were running across his face. The curse wasn't totally reversed since, as she noted earlier, they were all still here in Storybrooke and Archie was still . . . well . . . Archie and not a little grasshopper.
Henry tugged on her arm. She looked down at her son.
"Go to him," Henry urged.
Emma spared the boy a smile. He was so hopeful and such a romantic. All that exposure to fairy tales had made him want to see the happy endings unfold, just like they always did in the stories. That was how it was done, he had explained to her, time and time again.
And, for once, she wanted the clichéd happy ending too.
But first, Archie needed her love, attention, and help. The final-moments-kiss-of-true-love could just wait a little bit longer.
"Archie!" Emma called, hurrying towards him. When he didn't respond, she frowned and tried again, letting the one name cross her lips that, up until today, she never thought that she would ever call him. "Jiminy!"
That, at least, got a reaction.
Archie – Jiminy – looked at her, wide eyes hidden behind his glasses. He studied her, studied her face, the way she moved. Emma slowed as she approached, concern lacing through her. Something sick twisted inside of her stomach.
What if breaking the curse meant that his memories reverted back to those of Jiminy Cricket and everything that he knew as Archie Hopper simply disappeared? What if he was an entirely different person now? Would he still be the man she had fallen in love with, despite the fact that he was supposed to be a grasshopper?
Could they even have a chance at a happily ever after?
But, after a moment, he smiled and Emma felt her fears disappear, washed away with relief as he opened his mouth and said, "Emma."
She smiled and threw herself at him, hugging Archie – Jiminy – very tightly. "Oh thank God!"
He chuckled.
"You think I could forget someone like you, Emma?" he asked gently. "Not in a million years, I couldn't! I love you too much to forget anything that we shared together."
Emma pulled back and looked at him, really looked at him.
Yes, he was clearly shaken at having his memories forcibly returned to him. There was conflict in his eyes. Emma guessed that it was the two sets of memories – those of Jiminy from the fairy tales and those of Archie from Storybrooke – bouncing around there and that was a lot to handle for anyone.
No wonder Jefferson came across as very crazy. Who wouldn't, given all of this?
She reached up and cupped his face, glad that the man she loved still remembered her, still had that personality within him. Emma didn't know what Jiminy Cricket was like, but she knew who Archie Hopper was and she hoped that the former resembled the latter. If Henry's storybook was anything to go by though, she had a feeling that the Curse had, in nothing else, dimmed one of the parts of Archie – Jiminy – that Emma fell in love with and that was a surprisingly reassuring feeling.
Oh, this was getting so confusing. Her inner monologue didn't know what to label the man in front of her as, name-wise.
Archie saw that because he asked, "Something's bothering you. What is it?"
Emma laughed, albeit a bit weakly.
"I guess I should start calling you 'Jiminy Cricket' now."
He smiled, knowing her thought process. He shook his head.
"Jiminy Cricket was who I was before the Curse and is a part of me. The people who knew me then will still know me as that, but there were things that I did before I became a grasshopper that I'm not particularly proud of." Emma raised an eyebrow at him and he continued, "Yes, I'll respond to that name, but I-I think that I like Archie Hopper for who he is as well." He gave her a bashful smile, the one that she loved so much. Emma's heart jumped with delight. He looked at Emma and then to Henry, who had slowly approached them without Emma even noticing, Pongo at his side. Emma looked down at her son, who was smiling brightly. "If it's alright with the two of you, I think I'll keep the name Archie Hopper because I got the two best things in my life from the Curse and I can't forget that."
"Really?" Henry asked, his voice bright with hope and excitement.
Archie nodded. "Really."
"That's awesome!"
Henry's enthusiasm was quite contagious. Emma laughed as both she and Archie wrapped an arm around the boy, pulling him into a hug.
And, in that moment, Emma realized how right she had been about Archie – for not the first time.
He really was the father-figure that she had hoped that Henry would have gotten when she gave him up for adoption. True, Henry had gone to Regina instead, but he still established a relationship with Archie, even in a different form.
Now, maybe now, they could actually try to be a family.
Once Regina and Mr. Gold – Rumplestitskin – was taken care of, of course.
Emma groaned inwardly. Her inner monologue was not going to like her very much in the coming months.
Archie squeezed her upper arm a bit. She turned to look at him.
With a smile in his eyes, he leaned over and gave her a quick, light kiss on the lips. Emma smiled at him when he pulled back.
That might not have been the overly-hyped kiss from all of the stories, but it suited them and their story perfectly.
"I love you, Emma," he said plainly.
"I love you too," she answered, "both as Archie and as Jiminy."
Archie understood.
Henry shifted a bit, causing both of them to look down at him. He peered up at him and Emma saw that he had his plan-face on.
"You guys do realize that, even though the curse is broken, we're still in this world, right?"
Emma nodded. "I guess the job's not over yet, huh, kid?"
"Nope."
Archie gave them both a determined look. "Well, the end is where we start from then."
"Sounds good to me," Emma agreed. "What do we do first?"
They all shared a knowing look.
The curse may have been broken, but they still had a lot of work to do. It would be hard work and it could take a while, but Emma had a feeling that they could handle it.
Fairy tales, after all, usually ended with a happily ever after all, didn't they?
I'm sorry! I couldn't resist the Torchwood reference. It was too perfect!
Anyways, so this is my latest "Once Upon A Time" addition. What did you think? A good interpretation of the finale, with some Archie and Emma goodness thrown in (and some Henry interaction to boot)? Please review and let me know.
Now that the season has ended, I might write a few pieces over the summer, as speculation of how the next season could unfold – with Archie and Emma being the awesome duo that they are, naturally.
So, until next time, happy readings!