*I do not own any of these characters. If there are any dialogues taken from the episodes literally, I do not own these either.*

A/N: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Thanks for reading this, everyone. Don't hesitate to leave me some feedback; things you'd like to see differently; remarks you have.

Chapter 3

If Emma Swan thought she had finished the war between her and Regina Mills, she was clearly mistaken. The Mayor had continued to show her power to the blonde by having her thrown out of her little room at Granny's Bed & Breakfast, and if that weren't enough, Emma found a wheel clamp on her car. She didn't quite care that she didn't have a place to stay, but her precious car? That was one bridge too far. That yellow Bug was the thing she loved the most! Frustrated, she kicked against the curb. How could that woman be such a pain in the ass?! And as she was making up a plan to get the brunette back once more, she began to wonder. Was this worth it? Of course not. She did this for Henry. But it was the kid that actually suffered because of this. And she didn't want to hurt him; she'd already abandoned him when he was born, she shouldn't be the person to mentally torture him now.
She sighed.

Her cell phone rang. Which was strange, since she didn't give many people her number; but perhaps it was work finally catching up on her. She pulled the device from her pocket, not recognizing the number on the display screen.

"Hello?" She said, wondering who it could be.
Regina.
God damn it, that woman could get her hands on anything. Angered that the brunette had found her number somewhere, Emma considered just hanging up on her. But when she heard the Mayor ask her if she could come over 'to bury the hatchet', she hesitated. Perhaps that was for the best. In any way, it would be better for the kid.

"You can find me at my office," Regina continued without even waiting for an answer from Emma. Again, the blonde felt a pang of annoyance at the older woman's assumption that she would turn up.

"You can drive here. Or.. Walk. Whatever suits you." With a click, the Mayor ended the call, and Emma groaned in frustration. That stupid bitch was gloating, on top of everything. She kicked the curb again, and started walking. She'd better get this over with soon.

While he Mayor's office was not as impressive as her house, it was still.. pretty huge. Emma Swan felt a little intimidated by the power it showed. Driven by her anger, she let herself in and walked into the office, not bothering to go through all the formalities.

"Why, come on in, Miss Swan," Mayor Mills snickered as she looked up at the younger woman before her. Emma just narrowed her eyes at the brunette, clearly not amused.

"Cut the crap, Madam Mills," She spat through gritted teeth. What was she here for? Another plan by the Mayor? "What am I here for?"

"Ah," Regina smiled, getting up from her chair and walking to the little lounge in her office. She sat down in her favorite armchair and motioned for the other woman to take place as well.

"I think it's time we stop this.. thing we have going on. This isn't good for my son." The brunette kept her tones light and friendly, waving her hand through the air matter-of-factly. But the twenty-eight-year old was still wary. The older woman had this possessiveness around her that kept her at the edge of her chair. She didn't like the 'my son', at all. But still, she kept her mouth shut for Regina to finish. When she didn't, the blonde shifted her weight awkwardly. Her gut-feeling told her that the other wasn't lying to her, so Emma dared to trust her.

"Look… I'm not here to yank him away from you. That is no intention of mine." She assured the Mayor, who seemed to lighten up at those words. Encouraged by this, the blonde continued.

"I'm just worried about his. All these fantasies regarding his book… Thinking that everyone in this town is a fairy tale character, that's just wrong. Even a little crazy, if I dare say." She bit her lip, as her green eyes watched the other's face carefully. Unexpectedly, Regina Mills stared grinning widely.

"You think I'm crazy?" She heard a voice behind her say. Emma felt her heart drop into her stomach, and she turned.

"Henry!" She tried apologetically, but he had already run away. "You did this." She turned back to the brunette, who was gloating once again. "You knew he'd be here."

"Of course. He's my son; I always know where he is."

That was it for Emma Swan. She didn't want to stay in Storybrooke anymore; to hell with the stupid town. All she had gotten since she arrived here was trouble. Not even her guilt for abandoning her kid could make her stay anymore. She bit her lip – she knew what she had to do: pay her debt to Mary Margaret Blanchard and get the hell out of here.

"Hi," The blonde said as soon as the teacher opened her front door. She offered a small smile as she held out an envelope to the woman in front of her. "It's the money I owe you."
Miss Blanchard took it, frowning a little. Emma nodded in goodbye, but was still hesitating. She had a long drive ahead of her, and she was leaving without saying goodbye to her son. Maybe saying goodbye to the teacher would ease her guilt a little.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to." Mary Margaret stated, already opening up the door wider to let the blonde in.

They sat themselves at the kitchen table in Mary Margaret's apartment, and Emma sighed. The teacher got up again to make two cups of hot coco, while the twenty-eight-year old simply stared at her clenched fists. The way Regina Mills had tricked her had been so unfair; she knew she shouldn't have let her guard down in that woman's company… But there just was something about the Mayor that she couldn't explain. She started to think that she had to separate Regina Mills from Mayor Mills. She couldn't yet decide which of the personalities was Henry's mother.
Emma mumbled a simple 'thanks' when she was presented the hot coco, and warmed her hands around it. They still remained silence, the teacher obviously waiting for the blonde to start talking. Instead, Emma took a sip. She smiled at the taste of cinnamon. Everyone in this town seemed to be doing that.

"Cinnamon?" She decided to comment it, casually.

"Oh, sorry," Miss Blanchard excused herself. "Perhaps I should have asked. It's a habit."

"No, I like it. Thank you." Emma assured her. "So ehm, when you bailed me out… You said you trust me." It wasn't a question, but it was implied. The teacher, too, took a sip; she seemed to mull over the words in her head.

"Yeah, I know it seems odd," Again, Miss Blanchard seemed to apologize. "I've just had the feeling I've met you before. I know that's crazy."
Emma Swan nodded. This town was all about strange things.

"I'm starting to re-evaluate my definition of crazy, though," Emma admitted. There were so many things that couldn't be explained – already.

"For what it's worth, I think you're innocent."

Emma smiled at that; it seemed like the Mayor had already made up her mind about the blonde, and was fixated on trying to make Emma the bad guy. It relieved her to hear that there were still people who believed in her innocence; such as Mary Margaret and Henry. Well, at least Henry thought she was innocent before she broke the kids heart.

"Of breaking in and entry or just in general?" Emma Swan grinned, and they both laughed.

"Whatever makes you feel better."

The blonde chuckled, but then bit her lip. Well, it didn't matter what people in this town thought about her; she was leaving anyway. As soon as possible.
She voiced this to the woman sitting at the table with her. The teacher just frowned at this information.

"I don't think you should," The brunette began hesitantly. "I mean, what happens to Henry when you leave? I think the fact you want to leave, for him, should be the reason for you to stay."

"Yeah. You're right. And I should tell him that." Emma breathed already getting up from her chair. She knew where she would find him; Regina had mentioned it earlier: at therapy, with Archie.

Emma burst through the door, not bothering with the kid's privacy. But as soon as she was standing in the room, she knew that she needn't be worried. It was absolutely silent in there.

"Henry!" She almost yelled, her voice a little panicky.

"Miss Swan! I'm so sorry, it was the Mayor, she –" The psychiatrist began, but Emma held up a hand to shut him off.

"Don't bother, I get it." She said, rushing over to Henry, who was looking sullen. She took place in front of him, and watched as he shrunk back a little on the couch.

"Listen," She began hastily. "I'm sorry I said that you were crazy. You're not. The curse is. All of this is. But this is for Operation Cobra – if the Evil Queen thinks that we're non-believers, we can do whatever we want." She had thought of what she was going to say on the way here, and because she had to walk, she had gotten some time to do so. The kid looked up at her and beamed; he could see sense in all that she said. Emma felt relieved. She got up and held her hand out for him to take; she would walk him home.

"Archie, I would appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Mayor Mills." The blonde whispered urgently as she stopped at the door, looking back at the shrink. Henry was already heading down the stairs.

"I promise I won't. Again, sorry for earlier today. I should've stood up to her." The man apologized once more, and she nodded, closing the door behind her.

Since Emma Swan was kicked out of that adorable little room in Granny's Bed & Breakfast, she had been forced to crash in her car; which she couldn't move because of the wheel clamp. She highly disliked camping in her car in the middle of the Main Street. Too many curious by-passers. Other than that, she was as comfortable as possible in her car; she had spent many nights in her precious little thing, she used to sleep in it when she didn't have a place to stay – much like now – and had had many stake-outs in it. She had taken a paper from inside the diner, and was now scanning the pages for open vacancies. But so far, she didn't have any luck – all the rooms in Storybrooke seemed to be rented.

A knock on the window startled her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The blonde looked up from her paper to see Mary Margaret Blanchard peeking into the car. She reached over and started rolling down the car window, as it was an old design.

"Oh, hello," She mused. "Yeah, sleeping in here doesn't compare to the places I've slept in." She chuckled inwardly at the little joke she made. She had really been through a lot.

"Wait, you're sleeping in here?" The black-haired woman seemed shocked, and Emma's smile faltered.

"Well, until I've found a place…" She mumbled, throwing the paper onto the passenger's seat beside her. "But the town doesn't seem to have any…"

It truly troubled her. She tried so hard to stay for Henry, but that damn Mayor always seemed to be a few steps ahead of her; and she wasn't used to losing a challenge.

"So, you've decided to stay then. For Henry." Miss Blanchard sounded way too happy to be just an on-looker, and this time Emma chuckled out loud.

"You know, I have a spare room, if you can't find anything." It was hesitant but certain all at once. The blonde knew that the teacher was hesitant because, well, she was very likely to decline the offer. She cringed a little at the thought of sharing an apartment with the woman standing at her car. She sighed and got out of the car, slamming the door shut; a little frustration showing in her demeanor

"I'm not the roommate kind of type, so I'll pass on this one. Thanks though," The twenty-eight-year old finally admitted. "But hey – what are you doing here so late anyway?" She thought it safe to quickly change the subject to something else, and the teacher sighed.

"I had a date." Mary Margaret sounded grim, and the blonde smiled ruefully.

"That didn't go well." It was a statement, and the other woman simply shrugged. Not that important, she guessed.

"If true love was easy, we'd all have it, right?" The black-haired woman said, smiling. Emma admired the woman's optimism.

"Anyway… Good night and good luck with Henry."

With those words, Mary Margaret Blanchard turned around and started walking home. Emma kept watching for a little while, pondering over the things the teacher had just said. She wondered why she had denied the woman; except for them being kind of strangers to each other. It was true that she did better on her own, she had proven that many times; but it all started feeling a little lonely to her. Maybe she should've taken the teacher up on her offer. Or perhaps not. Shrugging at her thoughts, Emma turned and scrambled back into her car. She slid back the car seat and made herself comfortable.

"Damn you, Regina." She grumbled, before she let herself drift off to dream land.

She had overslept. She realized it as soon as her eyes fluttered open. The sun was shining on her face through the window, and as soon as she moved, she knew that she was sore from the weird sleeping position. She grumbled under her breath as she rummaged through some loose clothes on her back seat; there should be something lying there that she could wear. When she failed, she decided that perhaps she could ask around for a little clothes' shop later. She removed the blouse she had worn so that she wouldn't get cold overnight, and wore her red leather jacket over her white tank top. That should do for today.

Half an hour later, Emma was sitting in the castle at the little playground with Henry for their daily rendezvous. She had a much needed cup of coffee from Granny's Diner in her hand, while the kid had his book open on his lap. He had started off by telling her that he had visited the hospital – and according to him, he had found Prince Charming. Her so-called fairy-tale father. He had rambled on and on about bringing the man and Mary Margaret together; or well, just her to him, since he was in the hospital, in a coma. Emma shook her head at the whole plan.

"Look, kid," she started, frowning deeply. "You don't even know for sure that it's him. We can't possibly spring this upon Mary Margaret – it's really hard."

She tried her best to explain to the kid why this plan would fail so badly, but he didn't bother to listen.

"They even have the same scar – in the same place!" He had already reacted to her eyebrow being raised, and she gave into the smile that was tugging at her lips.

"Fine, we'll bring them together, but we're going to do it my way." She gave in, and her smile grew wider at his enthusiastic reaction.

"Go home now. I'll drop by at Miss Blanchard's." Before she could say anything else, the kid was hugging her again, and before she could even hug him back, he was already running home. She shook her head in amusement and started walking.

In only a few minutes' time, she found herself staring at Mary Margaret Blanchard's door again. She inhaled deeply and knocked. She didn't have to wait long for the woman to open the door, and Emma smiled.

"Emma!" The teacher said; her tones surprised. But nevertheless, the black-haired woman smiled and let her in.

"I'll make us some coco."

Emma Swan was clutching onto the mug of hot coco as she watched Mary Margaret's face carefully. She had just explained the whole plan to the other woman – and she seemed shocked. The blonde shot her an apologetic glance. She hadn't expected any other reaction from Mary Margaret – after all, she had just asked her to read to a coma patient. A coma patient of which Henry thought was the reader's soul mate. And he had asked her to read a story that was supposedly theirs. Crazy.

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask," Emma started almost apologetically. "But the kid's got a very active imagination. We can't just shoot him down. He needs to.. discover this himself."
Mary Margaret nodded slowly. And then she even smiled. Emma frowned.

"I'll do it. Can't do any harm, right?" It sounded like she needed confirmation, and Emma was eager to give her that.

"Let's meet tomorrow at Granny's for a full report?" The blonde grinned openly now, as she took the book that Henry had given her from her bag. She winked as she placed the rather heavy thing on the kitchen counter.

"I suppose I'll get ready for my date, then." Mary Margaret joked, finishing the hot coco she had held. Emma, too, finished the mug, and hesitated. She really liked this place; perhaps she should've considered rooming with Miss Blanchard after all. She hit herself internally for turning the offer down right away and not taking any time to think it over. Sadly, there was nothing she could do about it right now, because Mary Margaret had to get ready. She placed the mug next to the book and said her goodbyes and good lucks as she walked to the door. Seemed like she was going to sleep in her car again tonight. Thank god Henry had promised her a shirt for tomorrow.

The next morning, she was thoroughly impressed. They were on their way to the hospital because, apparently, Mary Margaret had gotten through to John Doe. Emma seriously had her doubts about all of this; but she was still impressed. The man hadn't moved for twenty-eight years, according to the doctor's report, and last night he apparently had after being read to. When she excused herself to put on the t-shirt Henry had just given him, the two of them made another plan: they were going to read to the coma patient again. She shook her head as she ran after the kid and the teacher, whom had waited for her return until they left for the hospital. But when they arrived at the dorm he lied on, they were informed that he was missing.
Emma Swan groaned out loud when she saw the Mayor standing in John Doe's room. Crap. Regina Mills was looking rather unpleased, and especially when she caught sight of the blonde. Emma pursed her lips and braced herself for the inevitable upcoming clash between her and the Mayor. The twenty-eight-year old watched as the Mayor made her way over rapidly, already looking furious.

"What in hell are you doing here?" The brunette spat at Emma aggressively, before turning to her son. "And you. I thought you were at the Arcade. Are you lying to me now?"
Before Regina could continue, the teacher interrupted her.

"What happened, Sheriff?" She asked. "Did someone take him?" She sounded very alarmed, and Emma frowned. The black-haired seemed so fond of the coma patient already.

"We don't really know." Sheriff Graham admitted, his eyes locked on the floor.

"What did you do?" Henry accused his mother, the Mayor, and shocked everyone standing there.

"You think I had something to do with this, Henry?" Madam Mills sounded hurt, but Emma didn't buy it.

"Well, it's damn curious that you're here, Madam Mills." She stated. Regina rolled her eyes openly.

"I'm here because I'm his emergency contact. I was the one who found him." The Mayor said, a smug smile on her full lips. Emma stared.

"No matter what, he should be returned to the hospital immediately," Dr. Whale said. "Or he'll be in a lot of danger." Emma grunted. Of course they were wasting time debating with the Mayor here when there was a man in danger. When she voiced this, the Mayor seemed even angrier than before.

"We will take care of this," She said haughtily, "There's no need for your involvement. And as I can't keep you away from my son, I'll be keeping him away from you. Enjoy my shirt; it's all you're getting, Miss Swan."

Emma responded with a sarcastic courtesy, which only seemed to infuriate the Mayor further. With a last command for the Sheriff, she took off with Henry. The blonde stared after them for a while before she turned back to the Sheriff and Dr. Whale.

"Let's start looking?" She finally asked.


The video tapes in the hospital had shown that John Doe had stumbled out the back door on his own. According to the staff, that door led directly to the woods. Where else.
So that's why Emma was stomping around in the middle of the woods; at night. She had the creeps about this place, she felt like she was being watched non-stop. She wasn't alone – Graham and Mary Margaret were with her – but she still felt uneasy.
A noise in the bushes made them turn, only for Henry to jump out. Emma was outraged; how in hell did he find them? And how had he escaped his mother's tight grasp? For real, she was going to be in so much trouble when the Mayor found out. But the kid had a pretty good idea about where John Doe would be going, and now they were on their way to the Toll Bridge, which was – according to Henry – in fact the Troll Bridge. Emma kept shaking her head in disbelief; that kid's imagination was getting way out of hand. And sure enough, when they reached it, they found the man lying in the water. It was Mary Margaret Blanchard who first saw him and rushed to his side. Emma, too, hurried along, but kept her distance while Mary Margaret tugged at the coma patient to turn him over. Behind her, she could hear Graham shouting for an ambulance in his walkie-talkie. The twenty-eight-year old now rushed to the man's side as well, and grabbed his legs.
"Come on, let's get him out of the water." She yelled at Graham for help. Mary Margaret stepped aside while the Sheriff and the blonde carried him out of the water, but as soon as he was on the ground again, she was at his side again. Emma stepped back and pulled Henry into a hug. She didn't want him to look at John Doe, in case he wouldn't make it. She turned him around to face away from the scene when the teacher started performing CPR.

Emma Swan still didn't realize what exactly happened, because at some point the man had woken up. Mary Margaret had stopped trying to revive him, and had kissed him... and that's when he woke up. They had rushed him to the hospital, and that's where they were now.

"David?!" They heard a voice calling from behind them. Emma turned to watch a blonde, adult woman rush to the room where John Doe was. She rushed in, and left the rest of them startled. Soon after, they heard clicking of heels behind them; and Emma knew that sound. The Mayor.

"Who is that woman?" Mary Margaret asked, oblivious to everything but the man who had just been in a coma.

"His wife." A sly voice responded, and Emma didn't need to turn around to know the Mayor had just entered the ward. She felt the teacher stiffen in shock beside her. Emma felt sorry for Mary Margaret; she had just seen her rescue the man's life, by kissing him. Only to find out he was already taken this whole time. She cursed her plan; making her read a fairy-tale love story to him.

"His name is David Nolan, and that's his wife Kathryn," Regina Mills explained to them, when it appeared that David would be just fine. She had a smug expression on her face and Emma had to keep herself from wiping it off the Mayor's face. The blonde thought this was all so coincidental; out of nowhere, the Mayor had been able to track his wife down? After twenty-eight years of nothing?

"We'll talk about your insubordination later," The brunette was now talking to her son, and Emma felt anger flare up. She clinched the arms of the chair she was sitting in as she bit her tongue.

"Do you know what that means?" The Mayor simply continued, ignoring everyone else. Henry shook his head, and Emma didn't think he cared that much.
"Means you're grounded."

Henry slumped back into his chair once he realized what it meant. Emma rolled her eyes quite visibly, but before she could open her mouth and defend the kid, Kathryn came out of David's room.

"Thank you," She whispered, smiling at Mary Margaret. "Thank you for saving my David."

"I don't understand," the black-haired teacher replied. "You didn't know he was here?"

And so Kathryn explained what happened twenty-eight years ago. Emma thought it was a load of crap; who would let her husband leave, just like that, and not look for him for such a long time? She suspected the Mayor had something to do with this, somehow. But she was still happy for the woman who had just found her husband again; they were reunited, after all they'd been through, and were able to get a second chance. She smiled back when Kathryn smiled at her.
Dr. Whale approached them to tell them that David Nolan was alright, only that he had amnesia and that it would take a while to get his memories back. The Mayor beckoned Henry and started walking to the door, but the kid hesitated. Emma raised an eyebrow; what was he planning to do now?

"Don't believe them. He was looking for you," He whispered to Miss Blanchard. "You belong together."

"Henry!" He rushed out quickly.

Emma Swan had run after Regina Mills, to tell her that she didn't believe any of the crap that had just been said, and that she was going to find out what was wrong with the story. But as usual, the Mayor had an explanation ready; and something about what the brunette said, made Emma think. She was alone. And she didn't want to be alone anymore; and that's why, for the third time since she had arrived in Storybrooke, she was knocking on Mary Margaret Blanchard's door.

"Hey, I'm sorry. It's late," Emma started, when she was looking at the teacher's smiling face. "But eh, do you still have that spare room?"

Mary Margaret grinned widely as she opened the door for Emma to come in.