Day of the Dead Kids
by Erin Griffin
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Pairing: Pre- Swan Queen
Rating: PG. Some spookiness but nothing you wouldn't see in Paranorman
Summary: Supernatural AU where Emma is a medium. On Hall Hallows Eve and the morning of the Dia de Los Ninos, Emma is haunted by the spirit of a little boy who wishes to help his mother. Emma realizes just how much her gifts have kept her haunted not only by dead people but also by her past.
I wanted this to be done in time for Halloween, but it is still Dia de Los Muertos, so I hope it still counts. I got some advice on how to write for the holiday, and hopefully I portrayed it somewhat correctly while sticking to most of the original thought for the fic. Thanks to all who read this.
"Heels," Emma said with disgust as she trudged down the sidewalk. The woman beside her rolled her eyes. "I know, I know..." Emma sighed. "Come on." She took a breath before she pulled the door to the nice restaurant open. She noticed the fountain in the entrance and the uniformed greeter as he nodded to them. Emma brought a hand to her bare arm to rid herself of the goosebumps she felt under her fingertips. "No offence, Linsday, but can you take a step back?" She nodded and said to the puzzled greeter, "I am meeting my date here tonight. Jeremy Slater?"
"Window table three. Right this way," the greeter said. Emma followed after the young man, glancing behind her quickly at her companion. Lindsay pointed and Emma followed the finger to the man thirty years older, his hair thinning at the temple. "If I didn't know better, I'd tell you that your taste in men needs improvement." This earned her a dirty look. Emma shrugged.
Emma's date looked up just as she got a few feet away, and smiled at her in greeting. As Emma pulled back the chair, he said, "You look exactly as your picture stated. I am pleasently surprised. Eh- Here. These are for you. He pushed a small bouquet of fllowers towards her. "So, Swansong83, what should I call you?"
"Emma. And you, Android_Energy?"
He smiled. "Jeremy."
Emma knew this, but nodded with a birhgt smile on her face. "Jeremy," she leaned forward. Jeremy did as well. "Jeremy Slater," Emma sneered.
Jeremy moved back, his shoulders hitting the back of his chair with a thump. "How-?" Emma's face remained unchanged as she stared him down.
"Here's the thing, Jeremy: I'm not here for a romantic stroll by the Harbor, okay. I'm here to deliver a message from Lindsay."
"How do you know L-Lindsay?"
"A new aquaintance-" Emma said quickly.
"You're lying. Lindsay's been dead for over three months now. She fell down some stairs and cracked her head open."
"You'd know," Emma said. "You pushed her." Emma shook her head. "I'm not here to argue that. I know you did it and I've got proof that you did. I'm only here to give you the option to go to the police and turn yourself in, or I turn in the evidence against you."
"You've got nothing."
"You think so." Emma put a hand on the table and pushed herself up. She stood above him for a beat "You and Lindsay had an argument over your parents' home in Seattle, you lost your cool and Lindsay went flyinf. What was it, the third conversation that got violent? Still, your nephew's teddy bear cam caught it all and your brother in law was nice enough to let me buy it for $3 at last week's garage sale." Jeremy's jaw tightened. "You've got 3 hours to think it over."
"It was an accident," Jeremy hissed. "How... How did you know?"
"Lindsay told me all about it. All I needed was the video and your location after you convieniently ran off. Thank god for your internet dating additction, hm?
"Linday told you- What, you telling me that you see dead people?"
"Unfortunately." Emma looked towards the third presense in beside her. "Anything else? I'm getting stared at now," Emma said to Lindsay. The woman shook her head. "Let's go then." Emma made it outside of the restaurant before she felt the tug on her arm. She sprun and used the heel of her hand to Jeremy's solar plexus. Jeremy wheezed. "You wanna try that again?" The man shook his head as he doubled over slightly.
"I didn't mean to kill Lindsay. It really was an accident."
"You have an anger issue, buddy, If it wasn't Lindsay then someone else. You do seem remourseful, so prove it. Turn yourself in."
Jeremy took in another breath. "Okay. For Linds. Tell her I'm sorry."
Emma looked up at the woman, who shookher head. Jeremy stood fully and hurried away. Picking up speed and going into a sprint. "Really?" Emma asked with a sigh. She took up persuit. "Fucking heels," she said. "Any help?" she asked, leaning down to rub her ankle. Immediately, a dumpster slid across the sidewalk infront of Jeremy, forcing the man to stop. He stumbled and fell, allowing Emma to catch up to him. Jermey looked up guiltily, his eyes flickering up to Emma and then down again.
"Alright," he said solumly. "Alright. I'll go." Emma looked up at Lindsay this time, and she nodded. Emma looked down at the man before her and nodded as well.
An hour later, Emma stood before Lindsay, who had more color to her now. Before she was barely more than what appeared to be a black and white movie star. Now, her black hair shone, her green eyes stood out, and the color was there to her cheeks. Emma couldn't see the gash on her head from her fall down the stairs. Emma knewshe was ready to cross over. "He'll not be in jail for too long. It will be enough for him to turn himself around, and I think that is what my parents always wanted for him. It will just take some time." Lindsay said. in a soft voice. She nodded as if to reinforce her words. "My parents will make sure he stays on a better track from now on."
"So your parents didn't actually cross over."
"No, they chose to stay here." Lindsay then looked directly at Emma, stepping forward long enough to take her hand. The blonde was surprised to feel it was warm. She suspected pre-crossing over characteristics of ghosts will always startle her. "I'm sorry I had to harrass you into helping me, but it was the only way to get the teddy cam's evidence. Before you, only my son could feel my presence, and I just-"
"I understand now," Emma said.
"I didn't mean to scare you. I know you didn't want to see me let alone help the likes of me."
"Yeah..." Emma said. "Well, I am glad things worked out."
"I see the light you told me about. I- I think it is time for me to go now." Lindsay turned away from Emma and walked as if in a daze. She stopped midway and then turned to Emma again. "If you want my advice... I think you should follow him."
"Follow who, Jeremy?" Emma asked as Lindsay faded completely. "Of course," Emma muttered bitterly. She took out her phone from her rediculously small purse and stared at it. If she hurried, she could get him with minimal run ins with other ghosts.
Emma hurried down the sidewalk with a hand to her face. As far as she knew, the shouting man on the corner didn't know that she could see him. She just wanted to get home, eat her bag of mini Reeces Peanut Butter Cups and finish out the Halloween watching Hocus Pocus. This was the strongest ghost night of the year, and Emma didn't want to spend another holiday season in jail. She fought through the discomfort of her heels and made her pace brisk as she passed the screaming old man and only stopped when she had made it to her block.
Emma wasn't sure who was responsible, but someone had placed something that repels ghosts that spreads through her entire block. On top of that, once Emma got to her block she couldn't see or hear any ghosts. When she had asked the landlord if there were any superstitious people there, the woman had only shrugged and accepted Emma's rent check. Research into the area suggested ther would have been a large ghost population due to a motel that had been replaced by her apartment building after an arsonist had burned it down. If Emma knew of any other ghostless areas in the city (or anywhere else for that matter), she would have moved there as soon as she had read about this. She'd been thankful later on when she had been granted consecutive nights sleep without being haunted in the night. Whoever had placed the protection from ghosts must have felt the same way, and Emma owed them one. It was the first time since the Swan family decided to put her back into fostercare that she felt safe. It was nice to finally have a sanctuary after over two and a half decades.
After climbing up the stairs to the third floor, Emma let the key into the apartment door and then stopped. She felt something that she hadn't wanted to feel, not there: the presense of the spirit nearby. When Emma looked back into the hallway, she saw a small boy of about ten. He was staring at his shoes, but when he looked up, he caught Emma's eye. "Come outside. I can't stay here," the boy said.
"I'm off ghost duty for tonight, Kid," Emma replied.
"Please! It's important!" As he said the last word, the hallway light above him flickered.
"It always is," Emma said.
"Please! I need you to help my mom! She doesn't have anyone."
Emma sighed when the boy disappeared, and then she turned back to her door. She unlocked it, muttering to herself, "Whatever's keeping them out was too strong for him. But why was he able to get in here in the first place?" Emma asked herself. She opened the door fully and gasped when she saw the boy standing at her dining room table.
"It's because my mom's Latina- I'm half. She's built an alter for me, which means I can roam this place even though I have already crossed over. I have only a couple of days to get to my mother and you are the only one who can see me who could get to her and help her. Whoever made the shield on this place knew their stuff, so I can only be here for a minute before it starts to shove me out. Will you please help me save my mom?"
Emma shut her front door harder than she had meant to in slight irritation. There goes her plans for the night. She wanted to say no again, but the panic in the boys' face prompted her to say, "Let me change first and I'll go wherever to help your mom. See that blanket on the couch? Go stand by it. It should keep you in the building. If not, go wait by the yellow volkwagon beetle down the block."
"The blanket. Is it your anchor?"
"I guess. Wheneve rI have had it, it makes ghosts act differently. I think it helps them. It makes them aware they are dead or they can speak to me long enough to tell me what they want."
"Thank you," the boy said.
"Don't thank me yet. Go. I'll be out in a minute." Emma watched the boy as he seemed to flicker out of the room. She waited a couple of seconds before she saw him reappear next to the baby blanket with her name embroidered on it. When she saw his look of concentration fade, she hurried into her room. "I'm out of my mind," Emma said to herself hotly. She took off her shoes and threw them into the closet with a thunk. She grabbed a white tank top and the jeans she had worn only two hours prior. She was changed in less than two minutes. When Emma went back into the living room, she saw the boy was sitting on the couch with his hand hovering over the baby blanket. The blanket was all she knew about her birth family, that someone loved her enough to name her and took the time to make that blanket for her. Emma took the lone chair from the dining room table and placed it facing the couch. Then she sat down with a sigh. "Alright Kid. Tell me everything, starting with your name and ending with how I can help your mom."
The boy leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, copying Emma's posture. "My name is Henry. Henry Mills. My dad died when Iw as really young. He was taking my baby brother to daycare and they were hit by a drunk driver, so it is just me and her now. Fast forward to last year, and I died too. My grandpa had a heart attack and my grandma, well... She's not a nice lady, so my mom is now all alone. Where I was, you know- dead and crossed over, I could see my mom slowly killing herself. She tried to hurt herself but I couldn't do anything because dead is dead. This is the first Dia de Los Muertos since I died, so I was hoping I could come down. I have to find a way to get through to her. If she does what she is planning to do, she'll never cross over and we will never see her again. I don't even know if she will even know she is dead for eternity, unless someone like you uses their anchor to help her. That is not what I want for my mom."
"Is she going to commit suicide? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
"Yes, but our religion doesn't like it and she will not cross over as a punishment for it."
Emma nodded. She was familiar with this fate for the spirit world. She had helped a couple spirits who weren't allowed to cross over due to their religion, but Emma had been able to work around it long enough for the spirits to get through their unfinished buisness, which allowed them to stay concious on earth. "Do you know when?"
"No, but if I understand her thought process when I could hear them where I was, it's soon. I need you to help me talk her out of it."
Emma nodded. "Where's your mom?"
"We live in a town called Storybrooke."
Emma looked up quickly. "Storybrooke?" she nearly squeaked. "Maine?"
"Been there?"
"I think... I think I was born near there," Emma said. She gestured towards the blanket. "Me and that blanket and the fact that I was found near there is all I know about where I'm from."
"Maybe that was why I came here to you instead of to someone closer."
"I thought it was because I was the first person who was like me that you could find."
"That too, but that's also because you never went too far from Storybrooke, huh? Part of you always hoped you would find your family?"
"Maybe," Emma agreed. She ran both hands through her hair. "Alright. It's about four or five hours from here, so let's get started."
"Thank you." Henry said with relief. "I'll meet you at my town's border. I need to be there for my mom." Maybe because it is Dia de Los Muertos, she'll feel me there and wait a little longer and then you can take over. Tomorrow is the day of the dead children. I'm hoping I'll have more power then, come midnight." Emma only nodded to this. "Once you get there, you can folow me to my house."
Emma heard Lindsay's words to follow him and she nodded again. Henry stood and moved away from the baby blanket until he disappeared again. Emma stared for a moment more, wondering what Lindsay could have wanted by having Emma go with Henry all the way to Storybrooke. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she was certain Lindsay in her pre-crossing over had seen something important. Something that Emma could at least see through. If nothing else, Emma planned to stay long enough to talk to people and check town records for anything of interest. She went back to her room long enough to grab her red leather jacket, her phone charger and another set of clothes. After a stop to the grocery store for coffee in a can, some cold items from the deli, and a couple of apples, Emma made her way towards Maine.
Emma rarely had the need to drive in Boston. Her abilities made it difficult to travel through ghost clogged streets. Emma knew that once she got a little way on the highway the amount of spirits she drove through would lessen greatly, and she felt better about driving her old yellow bug the further away she got. Her heart began to pound the moment she got into Maine. She stopped briefly at the now empty building that used to be the restaurant she had be found nearly twenty eight years ago. The story was that a little boy named June July or August (no one she had spoken to could ever remember) had heard her crying near by and went into the woods and found her. Emma had gotten nothing else to the story other than the boy's car had Massechusets liscence plate. Emma had no illusion of finding the family, especially since they had wanted to remain anonymous, but Emma still found herself looking up any June July or August who was about six years older than her, if only so that she could thank him for finding her before the wilderness had.
The clock on Emma's dashboard turned over to midnight. The ghostly figures she found along the way seemed to flicker, some got brighter, some disappeared, and many children appeared. It was almost like putting on high beams. Emma had little experience with working with ghostly children. Knowing what she now knew about Dia De Los Muertos, she figured they were there now because their parents celebrated the day as well. She had always thought before then that any child she saw on November 1st was killed late on Halloween night. Emma felt bad now that she knew. She couldn't help these children, not in the one night they have. Emma also knew that most children are two young to understand that they are dead, let alone what their unfinished buisness is.
Emma's mind turned over these thoughts and of Henry's mother. She hoped that she wasn't too late, and if she wasn't, what she might say to her. Emma knew next to nothing about her except for the fact that she's alone and desperate. If Henry doesn't know what to say to his mother, Emma may have a thing or two to try out, but beyond that? Before that? Emma was a stranger sent by a ghost. How was she supposed to explain her own presence to her let alone Henry's?
As the yellow bug passed the 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign, the night got quiet. Emma frowned. There was no one on the sidewalk, and the night was still. Any child she had seen before she passed into Storybrooke seemed to vanish. Though she didn't feel the calm that came with her apartment, Emma still felt that something was off. "I hope I can still find Henry," Emma said.
"I'm here," came a voice to Emma's right.
"Jeeze!" Emma hissed when she saw Henry in the passenger dseat beside her. "Alright, so where are we going?" she asked a moment later.
"We're almost there. Take a right onto Miflin."
"Okay," Emma said, doing as instructed. She put on her turn signal and made her turn into Miflin.
"She's already hurt herself. I tried to stop her, but... I think it is too late." Henry said solumly.
"Is she dead? Did she see you?"
"No. She's not dead yet."
"Then it's not too late," Emma said, though she couldn't be too sure until she got there. As soon as the blonde got out of the Bug, she saw Henry on the porch od the large house. "Wow kid. your family must be loaded."
"My mom's the mayor," Henry said.
"Wow."
Henry put out his hand to the large door as Emma walked up the porch. The door opened and right away Emma saw Henry's mother there in the large foyer. At the bottom of the stairs was a small table with candles and three small pictures. One of the pictures was of Henry. He had on a school uniform and a large innocent smile on his face. He was cute. Now he looked lost and sad, something Emma didn't think could be true for someone who had crossed over. There was a man's picture next to Henry's. It was taken in a hospital, and the man was holding a baby in his arms next to a window. He seemed immersed in whatever it was he was saying to the baby. A baby portrait was next to the man's picture with the name Daniel Jr. on the picture frame. All around the pictures were flowers, trinkets and food, along with figurines of a skeletal family.
On the floor next to the alter lay a brunette woman with about shoulder length hair. She wore a black pinstripe suit. Emma hurried towards her, and knelt beside her. She checked her pulse, which was slow but still there. "Henry's mom," Emma said. She looked at the brown book next to her, which was large with the words 'Once Upon a Time' on the front. Next to the brunette woman was also a large bottle of wine and an empty perscription bottle. "Damn it," Emma hissed. "Henry's mom!" she called now.
"Her name is Regina." Henry offered.
"Regina," Emma echoed. She shook the woman's shoulder, and then stood again. She took out her cellphone to call an ambulance. "I'm in the home odf Regina... Mills? Yeah, and she's ingested some pills. I need an ambulance. What's your address Kid?" Emma asked.
"108 Miflin, but I think everyone knows where the mayor lives," Henry said.
Emma repeated tha ddress to dispatch. As soon as she got off of the phone, she looked back to the woman on the floor. She saw a familiar whisp of movement over Regina's chest. "No, get back in there!" Emma scolded. The whisp formed into a face, which looked in her direction. "Regina! Stay here! Regina!" Emma flew to the floor. She gathered Regina into her, and then looked up at Henry. "Henry, my blanket!"
"Henry..." the whisp said.
"No Mom, you have to live. Here," the boy said. He lifted his hand and the blanket flew through the open door of the mansion and towards Emma, who lifted her hand to catch it. Her eyebrows rose at this.
"This must be what you meant by getting stronger," she said as she whipped the blanket across Regina's chest and spread it as much as she could. The whisp seemed to suck back into the body of the woman as soon as the blanket touched Regina.
"I guess," Henry said.
Emma nodded and leaned over Regina's body. The silence surrounded the three of them until Emma said, "Stay in there. PLease, just stay in there." When, a moment later, she heard sirens, Emma stood and ran out of the mansion.
"Where're you goin?!" Henry called out to her as she opened the door to her Bug.
"I'm going to follow the ambulance to make sure she's okay," Emma replied.
Henry raised his hand again, and from behind him in the house the large brown book flew towards her. Emma held her hands out and snapped her hands shut over it as if to catch a frizbee. "Take this book. She'll want it when she wakes up."
"Alright kid." Emma said. She tucked the book under her arm as she got into the yellow bug.
"I'll go with her. Make sure she doesn't die."
"Make sure the blanket stays on her at least a little bit."
"Of course," Henry said.
Emma watched as Henry went back into the mansion. Lights of the ambulance came into view as it rounded the corner, and Emma ducked out of sight. She watched as the paramedics went into the mansion with a stretcherand came back out with Regina on it. One paramedic held an oxygen tank. Behind the medics was Henry. He looked quicklyin Emma's direction and thn climbed into the ambulance. Emma nodded to him even though she wasn't sure if the boy could see it.
Emma started the bug when the medics got inside the ambulance and pulled away from the curb. She looked at the clock on the dashboard. It wasn't long after 3AM. She sighed,and followed after the ambulance. She got to Storybrooke General Hospital at 3:10, and got inside just in time to see Regina being wheeled away. Next to her was Henry as she had expected, but also a man with brown hair and a goatee. He wore a denim jacket and jeans. What Emma noticed about the man was that he gave odd a feeling she got around ghosts, but he looked more alive than Henry did. She only felt these mostly alive ghostly figures in hospitals, so she wasn't too surprised to see him. What bothered Emma about this man was the fact that he followed after the gurney with an emotionless face. The man was the only ghost she had seen so far in Storybrooke, and this made Emma a little uneasy.
"Can I help you?" a blonde nurse asked as Emma approached the information desk.
"I called for Regina Mills, and I was hoping I could stay until visiting hours?'
"Visiting isn't until 9:30 in the morning. Even so, it says Mayor Mills is in on a suicide attempt, right? She'll have her stomache pumped and then I suspect she will have a careful watch on her. I don't know when or if visitors will be allowed. You're better off just going home, Miss...?"
"Swan. Emma Swan. Just..." Emma pointed to the counter. "May I get a pen?" The nurse gave Emma a pen and a stack of sticky notes. Emma wrote her number on the yellow paper and handed it back. "When or if she can have visitors, please give me a call. It will bother me all day if I don't know for sure she's okay," Emma said.
"Yes, I will do that. Thank you for calling her in."
As Emma turned towards the main doors and back to her car, Emma heard her name. "EMMA!?" Emma turnedto the voice and saw Henry down the hall watching her. "You can't leave now." Emma looked around before she walked purposefully outside. She was not surprised to see Henry as soon as she looked up, the door still in her hand. "What are you doing? I have to tell my mom that I am here. You have to give her the book."
"They have to pump her stomach. What can I do right now, Kid? I haven't slept in like 35 hours, I've come into contact with more ghosts than I am comfortable with, and I'm exhausted. I am of no use to anyone right now. I will be back whether or not they let me in to see her. I have my ways of getting by, and if not I know you're strong enough to help me."
"You have to let her know that I am here by midnight tonight or I go back over and my mom will complete what she tried to do tonight."
"I will, Henry. Just let me get a nap. You can even wake me up at 9 if you like."
Henry watched her, and then he looked down. "Okay. Please come back at the time its okay to visit. I'll stay here with my mom and I'll get her the book."
"What's with that book, Henry?"
"It's my book," Henry replied.
"Your favorite?"
"I wrote it," HEnry said.
"How old are you again?"
"I'm ten, why?"
"Nothing," Emma said. She opened her drivers side door and got the brown book out of the passenger seat. Henry took it and slowly disappeared.
"Granny's Diner opens at 6AM for breakfast," came Henry's voice.
"Thanks for the tip," Emma said almost sarcastically. She wasn't sure if Henry had heard her ot not. She then got into her car and drove.
Emma debated for a long moment whether she was going to leave town line. She had tried to sleep in her car for almost two hours, but the weather had dropped dramatically, making it increasingly difficult. Finally, at almost 5AM, she sighed and made her decision. Right away she saw the children roaming around and she watched them a moment before she turned off the headlights. She opened her car door and leaned against it as she looked behind her at the town line. There had been nothing and then suddenly a small group of children wandered around. She wondered if she could get through to these children, all of who were about the same age as Henry. She wished she still had her blanket with her, but she will have to do without it. She was glad it was still with Regina Mills. At least that could be an excuse and another way to get back to see her later that day. The first child Emma reached was a blonde haired girl looking all around her. "Hello?" Emma said cautiously. She walked in front of the girl to test if the girl could see her. This would determine right away if the girl knew she was dead or not. Slowly the girl looked at Emma until their eyes locked.
"YOu... see me?" the girl asked.
"Yes. What's your name?" Emma asked. She crouched down so that the girl was now taller than her.
"A-Ava. I'm dead. My brother and I... I know we're dead."
"Yes, you are. Where is your brother?"
"I don't know. I hope he crossed over, but I have this bad feeling that he is still here. He would have come for me if he had, and if he is here I don't want to go without him. Oh, what do I do? How can you see me?"
"One issue at a time. The imporant thing is that I can see you, and I can help you. My name is Emma. What does your brother look like? What's his name?"
"Nicholas."
"Alright, and how did you die?"
"When we lost our father, we were going to be split up in fostercare. W-We didn't want that so we ran away together. We made it here and hid in an abandoned house undil Sherriff Graham found us and threatened to put us in fostercare anyway, so we left. But while hiding from him, we got lost in the woods and it was cold out. The next thing I know I was here and I can't seem to go past the entrance of the town, and I can't find Nick."
"What does he look like?" Emma asked again. "What was he wearing when you died?"
"It was winter, we had jackets, but it wasn't enough. There was snow. What day is it?"
"November 1st."
"2011?"
"Yes."
"We've been dead about 10 months."
"That recent?" Emma asked, more to herself than to Ava.
"Nicholas has black hair, shorter than me, has freckles..."
Emma felt a firm grip on her shoulder and gasped. She turned quickly with her hands up. The man looking back at her let go and took a step back. He put his hands up in surrender. Upon further look, Emma knew he was dead. "I know where he is. The boy. I can help you help them both. And then some, if you're willing."
"Who are you?"
"Sherriff Graham," he said, almost as if he was ashamed of it.
Emma looked behind her quickly at Ava. The girl looked bewildered. "Who are you talking to?"
"She can't see me. Neither can he. They're only here a few hours a night, and they can't seem to remember anything about their searches the previous nights for eachother."
"Okay, where is he?" Emma asked. The ghostly man simply pointed towards the woods that surrounded the lonely road into Storybrooke. When Emma's gaze followed Graham's point, she saw a figure moving across the trees. "Ava, come with me. You too. Or not," Emma finished to Graham. The brunette man nodded and lead the way towards the moving figure. Only then did Emma hear Ava's name called out. Emma looked behind her for the girl. She knew Ava couldn't hear it. Emma walked closer until she saw the boy, who scowled at her when their eyes met. She stopped walking.
"Why have we stopped? Aren't we going to get Nick?" Ava asked.
"I think we've found your brother," Emma said.
"Nick? Where?"
"He's here. You don't-"
"You've seen Ava?" Nick asked.
"They can't see eachother," Graham reminded Emma.
"They're on two different planes of existence." Emma replied. "They can't see or hear eachother because of it, and so they've spent time looking." Emma said to Graham. "Here's the thing: Ava, Nicholas is here. Nick, your sister is right here looking for you. I have only dealt with this sort of thing once before, and I was only able to help them because they were ready to cross over at the same time and met up on the other side."
"Who are you?" Nick asked.
"Right. Emma. My name is Emma Swan."
"The same Emma August is looking for?"
Emma froze upon hearing Nick's question. "August..."
"There's a redhead boy a mile from here screaming for an Emma. I thought that might be you maybe," Nick suggested.
Emma looked to Graham, who nodded. "I don't know his story, but I have seen him too. He's been wandering around here for about as long as I have been dead. I'll lead you to him too."
"Emma didn't like knowing that August was dead, but if she could help him, she was going to. It was the least she could do for him, since he had been the one to find her. What she didn't understand was why he was still looking for her when he had already found her. "Yes. Maybe. I'll take care of that later." Emma wasn't sure who she was saying this to. "Nick, Ava, I can help you both, but I need you to trust me and be honest with me. Tell me about what you did your last day. Ava told me that Sheriff Graham was going to take you to put you into fostercare and you ran away. What happened after that?"
"Big mouth," Nickolas muttered.
"You can trust me. Once you're reunited, no one can separate you ever again," Emma said.
"Promise?" the boy asked.
"Yes."
"What's going on? What's he saying?" Ava asked. Emma put a hand up, which made the girl quiet down.
"I got tired and we rested. But it got really cold, so I said I was going to make a fire for us. I just got my badge before Dad died, so I knew how. Ava was waiting for me, but it was dark and I really couldn't see. I fell and then I was here. Can you really see my sister? Is- Is she dead too?"
"So you know you're dead?" Emma asked.
"Yeah," Nick said.
"Yes, I can see Ava, but the reason why you can't is because of the way you both died, so you aren't on the same plane of existence."
"Huh?" Nick asked.
"Ehm... You're not the same type of ghost," Emma explained. Nick nodded in understanding. "Only when you are both ready to cross over can you see eachother again and go into the light together."
"Do we die? I mean, for good?" Ava asked softly.
"No, it's the afterlife. Your hearts live on there," Emma explained. "At least, that was how I saw it."
"What is is like there in the afterlife?" Nick asked.
"I don't know," Emma said softly. "I haven't been there yet. It isn't my time. It doesn't hurt, I promise," Emma told the boy.
"Will dad be there?" Ava asked.
"I think that depends on the type of man your dad was."
"He wasn't - you know - perfect, but he never hurt us or anything. He tried, he really did," Ava said at the same time Nicholas said, "Our father? He'll be there."
"And you'll see eachother," Emma reassured.
Both Ava and Nick looked at Emma hopefully. "Where is Nick. Like, point to him so I can stand nearby. I just want to feel that he is close." Ava said.
Emma took a couple of steps to Nick and waved a hand over his head. When the boy was about to step away, she said, "Ava wants me to point out where you are," and Nick stayed still. Ava walked towardswhere Emma was waving and stoodnext to where Emma's hand stopped. To Emma, they were almost shoulder to shoulder now. "Both of you close your eyes. Think of eachother, and think of your family. Tell me honestly: Are you ready to go?"
Ava's yes was immediate, but Nickolas hesitated. "Tell her... Tell her I said that I am sorry for leaving her alone to die."
Emma nodded. "Nickolas says he's sorry that he left, that you died alone."
"He was trying to help. He didn't know. I'm not mad," Ava said, opening her eyes to look at Emma.
"Ava isn't angry with you. She knows you were trying to help," Emma echoed. Nickolas nodded and then he closed his eyes. A moment later Emma asked, "Are you ready to cross over?"
"Yes," both siblings said at the same time, and then they both opened their eyes wide.
"Ava!"
"I can see you!" The teo clasped hands and hugged before Nick pointed.
"That's the light she was talking about. I hear that song Dad used to listen to. Come on!" He took a few steps forward, tugging his sister with him.
Ava looked behind her and called, "Thank you Emma!" The children then faded away.
Emma was quiet for a moment later in the stillness of the night. "They were running from you. Were they your unfinished buisness?" she asked as she turned to Graham. He only nodded to this. "So you didn't die too long ago either."
"I was born with a heart condition. It was pretty well maintained until it wasn't. Died in my sleep. I think it was the guilt and stress of finding those kids in the woods like that... Anyway," Graham said as he shook his head, "I've been roaming around here for something, hoping they would find eachother. I didn't know exactly what I was waiting for until I saw the Zimmer kids. And you."
"Do you see a light yet?" Emma asked.
"No. Not yet. I promised I'd help you find that boy August. Then I'll worry about a light. Come on."
Emma followed Graham for a few minutes before Amma asked, "Why is everyone hanging around outside of the town? Why are there no ghosts inside of Storybrooke?"
"Mr. Gold. He's a powerful man in town. When his son died, he was so torn up over it. Suicide. Messy... messy suicide. Gold was convinced there was more to Neal's story, but he had come to the Sheriff's station to confess a hit and run of the Mayor's husband and kid. That was the day he died. Anyway, Mr. Gold teamed up with Cora Mills to do excersisms and sayonces to find his spirit. As a result, any ghost who didn't know they were dead were sent away. Those who were consious simply left the town. I assume like me they are waiting for the right time to return and finish their buisness or for their loved ones to die."
"Are they still around too?"
"Most. Some got tired of waiting and wandered off. A couple of them crossed over out of boredom," the man said.
Emma let out a small chuckle at this. "I've never heard of ghosts being so bored that they'd choose to let go of their unfinished buisnes." The sound of her name from a small voice cut into her laughter. "August." Emma said. She quickened her pace and followed the call of her name. She in turn called out for the boy.
"Emma? Is that you?"
"August?" The calls of her name stopped and the air went still for a moment more. "Hello?" Emma saw the ghostly image of a boy with red hair and freckles. He wore a small marroon hat, shorts, and white t-shirt. He stopped talking when he saw her. "I'm..." Emma started to say.
"Emma?"
"Yes," Emma choked out. The boy smiled. "You found me when I was a baby. Why are you still looking for me?"
"I worried. I never forgot about you, and I hoped that you were okay." As the boy spoke, he grew in height, and Emma watched as he went from a boy to a grown man in a second. "I had a feeling you'd come back here eventually. I was very confused after I died. I wasn't sure for so long whether I was dead or still immobilized in that coma after my motorcycle accident. Then I knew for sure that I died, and came here. I couldn't stop taking up my old form. Maybe part of me thought it was the only way you would recognize me."
"I'm here now. Alive. I am sorry I can't say the same for you."
"I'm glad. Not that I'm dead, but that you're not."
"I looked for you," Emma admitted. "In Boston. All I kenw was that your family had Massechusets liscence plates and I always had the fantasy of finding you and thanking you somehow. Maybe even come back here to look for clues on my parents, but... I got scared."
"I understand. Did you find ahome?"
"Not apermanent one. Not for a long time," Emma told the man. August nodded to this. "What about you? How long ago did you die?"
"Too long ago." August put a hand in his leather jacket's pocket and shrugged. "I am so glad that you're okay, and I wish we could talk some more, but I'm ready to cross over, and you're going to get a phone call here in a sec, so-"
Emma jumped when her cell phone went off. "Uh-"
August smirked. "Like I said. I'll pass along to Sheriff Tall Dark and Handsome your thanks." Emma looked around. "He crossed over about five minutes ago. Go. Answer that. I know you'll be fine now, and I will find you again when it is your time."
"I look forward to it," Emma said honestly, and then she pressed the talk button on her phone. August vanished as she said into the phone, "Hello?"
"Hello, this is Dr. Whale at Storybrooke General. I understand you made the 911 call for Mayor Mills?"
"Eh- yeah," Emma said.
"She's awake, and she is requesting to see you. Since she's got dirt on me dating back to the eighth grade, I am not going to refuse her. Are you still in town?"
"Yeah, I'm parked outside of the town line."
"Um... why?"
"I was scared someone would think that I broke into her house and took something. I didn't think I would get arrested if I was outside of the town," Emma lied.
"Oh...kay," Dr. Whale said. It was clear that he wasn't convinced but he didn't seem to care one way or the other. "Well, I will have Nurse Potts allow you in. See you in a bit." There was a click before Emma could say goodbye.
Emma walked into the hospital and the nurse who had taken her number looked up and nodded. "She's in room 104," she said. She gestured down the hall behind her. "To the right." Emma nodded and walked down the hall where she saw the man from before leaning against the wall opposite Regina's hospital room. He looked up at her and gave a nod.
"I take it you know who I am now?" he said.
"I think so. Mr. Gold's son. The one who-"
"Yes, I know what I did. You can't get me to cross over because of that."
"Okay," Emma said. "Your choice." She looked at the door and turned to walk into the room, but she stopped and turned back to the man. "Out of curiousity, what would it take to get you to cross over?"
The man looked Emma over and then stared at the hospital room door for a moment before he said, "We'll see." He then waved her off and gestured into the room.
Emma frowned and then opened the door to Regina Mills' room. The brunette woman was propped up, and if it wasn't for the slight movement of her head as she walked in, Emma would have assumed that Regina was still asleep.
Regina took a deep breath and then said, "Sit down."
Emma nodded and went to the lone chair in the room, but stopped when she saw Henry already sitting in it. To explain her actions, she said, "I'll uh, stand. Something tells me this will be a short visit."
"Fine," Regina said. Her voice was barely a croak. Regina slowly placed a hand on her lap, where Emma's blanket was. "I'd like to return this to you."
"Thank you," was all Emma could say. She took a step towards the bed, but she didn't reach for her most treasured possession.
"I should be saying that to you." She took in a few breaths and continued, "but there are a few things I need to know."
"Don't you think you should save that for later? You just had a rough night." Emma stared at her blanket and then her eyes landed on the book.
"I'll rest when I say I want to rest," Regina said a little louder now. Emma sighed. "I have to know... Who you are and... if you've seen my son." Emma looked up. She had expected questioning about how she got into her house or even what she may have stolen, but this was unexpected. She had hoped to find a way to ease Regina into the news of why Emma was really there, but this was her opening. "See, if you had simply broken into my home, at least one of my alarms would have been triggered, but none of them did."
"You have more than one alarm system?"
"Not the point,"
"Right."
Regina stared at Emma for a moment, so long that Emma's eyes lifted from the floor and the two of them stared. "I also remember... I heard the 911 dispatch call. Deputy Fa brought it too me an hour ago. I heard you say- You said, 'what's your address kid'. And I saw you. Both of you. You and my son."
Emma pursed her lips and then she let out a sigh. "Yes... I see dead people. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to tell you that Henry had come to me so that I could help you."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" Emma asked. She gestured to the hospital bed.
"Right," Regina said, copying Emma's earlier words. "That is the only thing that makese sense. The dream last night, and then this. I died, didn't I? I remember sitting up, and you put this blanket on me. Then, I woke up in here. I was hoping you could fill in some blanks. This blanket... it's yours?"
"It has my name on it."
"You're Mary Margaret's child."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh yeah!" Henry called from his chair, his face lighting up.
Regina pointed to the brown book on the table next to her bed. Emma picked it up and opened it. "Page five." Emma turned to the page and stared at the picture of the woman with the long brunette hair holding a baby in a white blanket with Emma on it. With her blanket.
"What is this?"
"You've been buddies with my son and you don't know?"
"I was abandoned as a baby. That blanket is all I had. I don't know who Mary Margaret is. Her?" Emma asked, pointing to the book. Her chest began to ache.
"You came here for me, Miss Swan. My son came to you to help me. Not the other way around."
"Really?" Emma asked exasperatedly. She closed the book with a slap, and put it on the table again. Regina glared at her.
"Careful."
"Henry told me that he had crossed over as soon as he died, but when he felt what you were planning to do to yourself and came to me to help stop you. We were almost too late. He says if you commit suicide, due to your beliefs, you wouldn't get to cross over. At best you'd stay on earth reliving the suicide over and over again. You wouldn't be able to see him or the rest of your family ever again. He didn't want that for you. He wouldn't tell me anything more about that book other than he wrote it. Had I known that my blanket was in it..." Emma trailed off, staring at the book in question.
Regina looked at the desperate look on Emma's face. "Henry and his babysitter had this inside joke that everyone in town was some sort of fairytale character trapped as a mundane person. This later became a bunch of stories and illustrations they would plot out together. The whole town knew about them. The summer before he died, Henry wrote the stories all down. The overall theme is that a boy finds out that he was adopted and that his town is filled with cursed fairytale characters. When he tells them all who they really are, they start to remember, and then they are forced to choose if they want to stay in the small town or go. Everyone is based off of the people here."
"So..."
"In the book, Mary Margaret was Snow White, cursed to never be near her true love Prince Charming. In reality, Mary Margaret and David Nolan were just victims of bad timing. This happened a long time ago, but town gossip was that Mary Margaret was cast out when she was pregnant. She was last seen making a baby blanket, and then the next day she was gone. A few months later, she came back, no longer pregnant, and no baby in sight. People assumed she was dead, but she was unharmed. She madeher life here as a teacher. A long time later, David and Mary Margaret got married."
Emma frowned, her jaw tightening. She looked to Henry and fought off tears. "What else do you want to say to your mother?"
"You mean he's here?" Regina asked.
"Of course. He hasn't left your side since we got to Storybrooke."
"Where is he?"
"In the chair. Its why I wanted to stand."
"What's he saying?" Regina asked.
Emma watched Henry as he stood up and walked to Regina. He placed a hand on her cheek. Regina lifted her hand to her cheek and it almost looked like they were really touching. "Mom, I need you to live. I know that you are lonely, and I am sorry I left you like this, but it isn't your time yet." Emma repeated this to Regina, placing her hands in her pockets. "Please promise me."
"He needs you to promise him that you won't try to commit suicide again," Emma said.
Regina sniffled as she moved her head down. Henry let his hands drop. "I promise."
"I think she means it," Henry said to Emma.
"He believes you. If you have anything to say, now's the time."
"I wish I could have done more for you," Regina said.
"Tell her... that all the money in the world wouldn't have taken away my illness. It was bound to happen, and I was happy through it. I was a happy kid."
"He says that there was nothing you could have done for him. It was his time, and that you made him a happy kid."
Regina gave a watery smile. "Dad!" Emma looked up as she saw Henry walk to the other side of the room.
"He sees his father-" Emma stopped when she saw a small glow in the direction that Henry was standing. A sillouette blocked the light briefly before Emma saw a tall man walk out of it. The man held a baby on his hip, and he put an hand on Henry's shoulder. He looked to Emma and bowed his head lightly at her. Then he walked over to Regina's bed. "He's here. He's got a child in his arms."
Regina sobbed. "Daniel," she whispered. More tears fell on her cheeks. The baby made a small sound.
"DJ wanted to see his mother," Daniel said in a soft voice. He leaned down and kissed Regina on her forehead. The baby made a noise, which made Regina's tears fall faster. "I won't be back tomorrow even though you keep building the alter for me."
"He says he's here because of DJ. The baby wanted to see his mother. He says he will not come back tomorrow.
"Why?" Regina asked.
"It will be too hard for us all. I don't want to leave the kids, and you need to heal and let go of me until it is time for me to come get you, too. And Emma... Emma has her own life to sort through. I want you to love, and to trust again."
"He doesn't want to leave the kids behind there and he thinks it will be too hard on you. He wants you to heal and move on. He said to love and trust again."
Daniel stood up fully now and walked to Emma. He placed a hand on her shoulder and said, "I mean that for you too." Emma stared at the man for a moment and then looked away.
"Emma, I'm going back now. We love her, and we'll see her again."
"They're about to leave."
"So soon?"
"Yeah, I guess. Daniel seemed pretty sure about everything he wanted to say. The baby couldn't really say anything could he? And Henry, well, he got me here, so..."
"Everything is done. And I'm alone."
"Well, I'm here. For a little bit."
Regina looked at Emma for a moment. "Thank you. For telling me their messages."
"You're welcome."
"I shouldn't have, you know... been that way about the book."
"Apology accepted," Emma said. She slowly walked towards the door.
"You're leaving?"
"I don't know what else to do," Emma said. Her throat tightened from the unshed tears. She couldn't stand there and watch Regina cry anymore, and Daniel was right. She needed to think about what she was going to do, now that she had the names of her parents. In the end of the day, Mary Margaret had left her in the woods near a roadside restaurant in the middle of nowhere and then went ack to her life.
"I can't believe you'tre THEE Emma..." Regina said.
"Yep."
"And you didn't know who your parents were until tonight."
"I learned a whole lotta stuff tonight," Emma said. "I need to wrap my head around it."
"Well... You did so much for me. Saving me and then giving me hope, so... If you decide that you want to stay, your bill at Granny's is covered. Deputy Fa is going to become Sheriff soon, and she will need a deputy. The job is yours if you can get a letter of recommendation from, say the mayor. If nothing else... If you stay long enough for me to get out of here, I can cook you a nice thank you dinner. I make a great lasagna."
"Yeah, I think I can do that," Emma said. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was getting close to when Granny's opened. "I'll take you up on the Granny's tab."
"Get a room there. Stay as long as you need to. Take this." Regina lifted the book and handed it to Emma. Emma stared for a moment and then she gently took the book from the mayor.
"Keep my blanket for collateral. I will get this back to you when I have read about my parents from Henry's perspective. Gosh..." Emma stared at the cover of the book and said, "I didn't think I would ever miss a spirit before, but I kind of miss the kid. Pushy as hell, but I know he just needed something done."
"That's perfectly Henry," Regina murmured.
"Anyway," Emma said. She held up the book. "Is it okay to come back after we've both had some rest?"
Regina smiled at this. "Yeah. We can talk more about what you read in the book if you like."
"Who knows, I would probably rather not, but I will be back. Keep that safe. I've had it for years. I'd cross over immediately if something happened to it," Emma said.
"Same for the book."
Emma nodded and turned to leave the room, the big brown book tucked under her arm. Regina shifted, grabbing the blanket to her chest and inhaling the scent that was all the years of Emma Swan. Slowly her eyes began to close and she was soon asleep.
Emma looked up at the man who had not moved since she had entered the hospital room. "I think I know what I would like in exchange of me crossing over."
"This isn't a bargain. You get something and then you cross over. That is a win win situation."
"Move here, Emma."
"What?"
"Move here. You don't need to become a family with the Nolans, but... I think Storybrooke needs you, and you need Storybrooke. You and Regina... I think you need eachother. Perhaps that is why Lindsay wanted you to follow Henry here. You did more for Regina in an hour than I could do for her in seven years. Don't you understand? And I think she has done more for you than any foster family could have."
Emma tensed her jaw. "And if I don't? You're just going to stay on this plane out of spite or something?"
"No, I will leave Regina's side and never leave yous."
"I don't understand why you would go through the trouble."
"Because something tells me that this town is going to be exactly what you need.
"I need a bear claw. Leave me alone. I will be back later and then we will talk."
"I'll be waiting. I'm always waiting," the man said, his eyes wide to show he had no where else to go. Emma rolled her eyes, and then she hurried out of the hospital. When she made it to the parking lot, she looked up at the building, but the room Regina was in didn't face her. She looked up at the sky, and at the dark clouds that were forming to warn Emma of rain that day. She sighed, wondering if she had the courage to meet the woman who abandoned her. She did know, however, that she wanted to see Regina again, and if nothing else, she needed to get her baby blanket back. She hoped she would be closer to a decision once she came back from Granny's.
End
*I know it is a kind of awkward place to end it, but I do have some ideas for how to continue it. The question then is if I have the time and if I still have the motivation to go through with it.