AN: Inspirational credit goes to ABC's "Once Upon A Time" by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis as well as "The Real Swan" by MayhemPrincess. Updates should be up once a week unless I am too busy with what ever. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.
Chapter 1 Pilot
Emmett Swan exited the elevator and stepped into the restaurant to meet his date. A beautiful brunet got up as soon as she saw him looking around. Emmett walked over to her and shook her hand then helped her into her seat.
"Wow, you look even more handsome in a suit than I thought Emmett." After a charming smile that always made women swoon, and one he used to his advantage in these situations, he replied, "Thank you, I don't dress up so formally often but considering the venue I thought I should." "You made a great decision. So tell me something about yourself Emmett." "Oh well, today's my birthday." "And you're spending it with me. Where are your friends?" "I'm kind of a loner." "And you don't like your family?" "No family to like." "Come on everyone has family." "Technically yeah, not everyone knows who they are. Ready to run yet?" "Not a chance. You Emmett are by far the sexiest, friendless orphan that I have ever met." "OK. Your turn. No wait, let me guess. You are beautiful, alluring, now stop me if I'm wrong, the type of woman who embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw you in jail." "What?" "And the worst part about it is your husband. Your husband loves you so much he bailed you out and how do you repay that loyalty, you're on a date." "Who are you?" "The guy that put up the rest of the money." "Bail Bondsman." "Yup."
The brunet splashed Emmett in the face with her wine and ran out of the restaurant to her car. She tried to drive away but the boot on it prevented her from going anywhere. Emmett now stood next to her car and waited for her to step out so he could take her to jail. On his way home he bought a cupcake and some candles then lite a single candle on his birthday cupcake. "Another banner year." He blows out the candle making a wish and the doorbell rings. He opens the door and sees a boy.
"Uh, can I help you?" "Are you Emmett Swan?" "Yeah who are you?" "My names Henry, I'm your son." Henry walks past a dumbfounded Emmett and into his apartment. "Whoa kid, kid. Kid! I don't have a son. Where are your parents?" "Ten years ago did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me." Emmett stays staring at the boy in front of him unmoving. "Hey, you have any juice? Nevermind, found some." As the kid drinks straight from his bottle of juice he says, "You know, we should probably get going." Finally out of his shock Emmett asks, "Going where?" "I want you to come home with me." "OK kid, I'm calling the cops." "Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." "Kid there's not a lot I'm great at in life but I have one skill, lets call it a superpower, I can tell when anyone is lying and you kid, are." He picks up the phone ready to dial but Henry speaks up. "Wait. Please don't call the cops. Please, come home with me." "Where's home?" "Storybrooke, Maine." "Storybrooke, seriously?" "Mhm." "Alrighty then, let's get you back to Storybrooke."
Emmett took Henry in his yellow Ford Mustang back to Storybrooke, Maine. "OK kid, how about an address?" "44 I'm not telling you street." Emmett hit the brakes and parked his car in the middle of the empty street and got out slamming his door a bit. "It's been a long night kid and it's almost, 8:15?" "That clock hasn't moved in my whole life. Time's frozen here." "Excuse me?" "The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from The Enchanted Forest here." Emmett just looked at the boy confused and slightly less annoyed seeing the kids imagination seeping out. "Henry! What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" A man with glasses and a dalmatian called from across the street as he walked over. "I'm fine Archie." "Who's this?" "Just somebody trying to give him a ride home." "Oh, he's my dad, Archie." "Oh. I see." "Do you know where he lives?" "Uh, yeah sure. Just, uh, right up on Mifflin street. The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block." Looking down at Henry surprised Emmett just sighs and crosses his arms. After a small conversation with the kids apparent shrink they say their goodbyes and get back in the car. Henry explains that he's not crazy and that the people need help because they don't remember who they really are. Emmett isn't annoyed by the kids imagination but now he's just a little worried.
Entering the Mayor's front gate Henry begs, "Please don't take me back there." "I have to. I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you." "I don't have parents. Just a mom and she's evil." "Evil. That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" "She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to." Emmett crouches down upset by that statement, "Kid. I'm sure that's not true." The door to the Mayor's house opens and out comes the single most gorgeous woman Emmett has ever seen in his life. "Henry? Oh, Henry." She hugs him then breaks the embrace to continue, "Ohh, are you okay? Where have you been?! What happened?" "I found my real parent!" Henry stormed off into the house and up the stairs as Emmett stood trying not to stare so hard at the beauty in front of him. "Y-your Henry's birth-father?" "Hi." It was all he could bring himself to say as he just looked at the woman taking his breath away. A man standing at the door interrupted, "I'll just check on the lad. Make sure he's okay." He walked away and Emmett's face dropped a bit at seeing the man who was clearly welcome in the woman's house.
"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?" Quick to remove the distaste in his look at seeing the man Emmett replied, "Got anything stronger? He follows the Mayor into her house and waits for a drink that will hopefully calm him down from this really weird night. To end the silence he asks, "How did he find me?" "No idea. When I adopted him he was only three weeks old. The records were sealed. I was told the birth parents didn't want to have any contact." "You were told right." "And the mother?" Emmett paused, his face pale at the memory. "Should I be worried about her?" "No. She's dead." "Do I need to be worried about you, Mr. Swan?" "Absolutely not." The man interrupts them again and Emmett doesn't even bother listening to him as he takes a long swig of his drink. The apparent Sheriff leaves and that makes Emmett soo much happier. "I'm sorry he dragged you out of your life. I really don't know what's gotten into him." They walk into another room and Emmett replies, "Kid's having a rough time. It happens." "You have to understand. Ever since I became Mayor balancing things has become tricky. You have a job I assume?" Taking a break from his drink he replies, "Uh, I keep busy, yeah." "Imagine having another one on top of it. That's being a single mom, so I push for order. Am I strict? I suppose, but I do it for his own good. I want Henry to excel in life.I don't think that makes me evil, do you?" "I'm sure he's just saying that because of the fairy tale thing." "What fairy tale thing?" "Oh, you know, his book. How he thinks everyone is a cartoon character from it, like his shrink is Jiminy Cricket." "I'm sorry. I really have no idea what you're talking about." "You know what it's non of my business. He's your kid, and I really should be heading back." "Of course."
Leaving the Mayor's house Emmett catches a glimpse of a disappointed Henry at his window then he's gone. Emmett gets to his car and starts the drive back home. He looks down to the passenger seat and sees the kid's book. "Sneaky bastard." He looks back onto the road and sees a wolf so he quickly tries to avoid it but this ends up with banging his car against the town sign and knocking him out. He wakes up behind bars with a bit of a headache from the crash. A small conversation later with another prisoner, Leroy, and some older man and the Sheriff walks in to set Leroy free. Giving him a small glare Emmett asks, "Seriously?" "Regina's drinks, A little stronger than we thought." The man using the beautiful woman's first name is annoying but he defends himself. "I wasn't drunk. There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road." "A wolf. Right." A familiar voice interrupts what would have sounded like an overly aggressive remark from Emmett. "Graham, Henry's run away again. We have to… what is he doing here? Do you know where he is?" "Shaking away the small smile from seeing Henry's mother, he reminds himself, he replies, "Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him off at your house, and I have a pretty good alabi." "Yeah well he wasn't in his room this morning." "Did you try his friends?" "He doesn't really have any. He's kind of a loner." "Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be e-mailing them." "And you know this how?" "Finding people is what I do. Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out, and I help you find him?"
Being sprung from jail Emmett did quick work to find out how Henry found him. A website receipt with his teacher's name on it. Mary Margaret Blanchard was now the person to see. After talking with her and clearing her as an accomplice to finding Emmett, the Mayor storms off. Ms. Blanchard however, feeling more open with a complete stranger, tells Emmett where to look next, his castle. Finding Henry, Emmett takes a seat next to him on his castle and hands him his book. "You left this in my car." Both looking at the distant clock tower he continues, "Still hasn't moved huh?" "I was hoping that when I brought you back, that things would change here. That the final battle would begin." "I'm not fighting an battles kid." "Yes you are. You're here because it's your destiny. You're gonna bring back the happy endings." "Can you cut it with the book crap?" "You don't have to be hostile. I know you like me. I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's okay. I know why you gave me away. You wanted to give me my best chance." Not able to look at the boy he gave away any more Emmett looks back at the tower and asks, "How do you know that?" "It's the same reason Snow White gave you away." "Listen to me kid. I am not in any book. I'm a real person. And I'm no saviour. You were right about one thing though. I wanted you to have your best chance. But it's not with me. Come on let's go." "Please don't take me back there. Just stay with me for one week. That's all I ask. One week, and you'll see I'm not crazy." "I have to get you back to your mom." "You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks." "Oh, you wanna know what sucking is? Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system and I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own kid so they sent me back." Fighting the tears that threatened to come out from that confession he continued, "Look… your mom is trying her best. I know it's hard, and I know sometimes you think she doesn't love you, but at least she wants you." "Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway. That's just where you came through." "What?" "The wardrobe, when you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse." "Sure they were. Come on, Henry." As they walked to Emmetts car Henry grabbed his hand and they went to the Mayor's house.
Once the door opened Henry rushed past his mother and up to his room. The Mayor walked out to speak with Emmett. "Thank you." "No problem." "He seemed to have taken quite a shine to you." "You know what's kinda crazy? Yesterday was my birthday, and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish that I didn't have to be alone on my birthday. And then Henry showed up." "I hope there's no misunderstanding here." "I'm sorry?" "Don't mistake all this as invitation back into his life." "Oh." "Mr. Swan, you made a decision ten years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been...well, who knows what you've been doing, I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, endured every tantrum. You may have aided in his birth, but he is my son." "I was not.." "No, you don't get to speak. You don't get to do anything. You gave up that right when you tossed him away. Do you know what a closed adoption is? It's what you asked for. You have no legal right to Henry and you're going to be held to that. So I suggest you get in your car and you leave this town, because if you don't, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do. Goodbye Mr. Swan." As the Mayor is halfway to her door Emmett asks, "Do you love him?" "Excuse me?" "Henry. Do you love him?" "Of course I love him." She turns and closes the door without looking back. She takes Henry's book and Emmett leaves.
Emmett goes to an Inn and decides that he will do as Henry asked and stay for a week. No later than he takes the key to his room does the clock in the tower that has been frozen in time start to move again.
To Be Continued