Sarah laid in her bed reviewing the night's events. No matter how hard she tried Sarah couldn't understand Henry's point of view. Why would he want to leave his whole life behind for someone who doesn't want them? Sure Regina wasn't the most affectionate mother, she didn't give them everything they wanted but she was nice enough and she took care of them better than most parents in town. And why didn't Emma want them anyway? What made them not good enough for her? What about their dad? What was he like? There were hundreds of questions swimming through her head, questions that she knew she would never get answers to. Accepting defeat, Sarah snuggled back under her covers and closed her eyes.
"This stinks." Henry barged into Sarah's room several minutes later.
"Shush will you? Are you trying to wake mom up after you royal ticked her off?" Sarah snapped at her brother. "Beside I was actually trying to sleep." This was news to Henry as Sarah usually stayed up late reading.
"I'm sorry." Henry dropped his voice, "And she's not our mom. Emma, is our real mom."
"But Emma, doesn't want us." Sarah thought she was pointing out the obvious. "Did you see that apartment? It was small, as in 'I don't have room for kids in my life' small. She brought us back home and turned us over first chance she got. Henry you saw her get in her car and leave. Even if Regina doesn't love us like you say, at least she pretends to, Emma can't even do that." Henry was mad at his sister for refusing to see what he saw, the truth.
"So her apartment is small, that doesn't mean she doesn't want us. Regina probably scared her away! I bet she threatened her or something! look I don't expect you to believe me, no one else does, why should my own sister."
"Henry I want to believe you I do, but...well don't you think it's all a little farfetched?"
"You read books all of the time. Haven't you ever wished just once that one of them was real?"
"Well yeah sure, but wishing something was real, and believe that they are...they are two different things!" Sarah threw her hands up in the air. Henry might be her twin brother, but the two couldn't be less alike.
"Not the way I see it." Henry assured her. "Wish, believing they're the same."
"That's just stupid." Sarah answered firmly.
"Why is it so hard for everyone to believe me? If it were you everyone would be going right along with whatever you say, but when it comes to me it's 'no Henry' this and 'that's not possible Henry' you used to always be on my side, but not anymore. I'll prove to you that you're wrong, you'll see." Henry stormed out of the room. Sarah wanted to go after him but she knew that there was no talking to him when he's like this so she laid back in bed. After an hour or two the excitement from the day caught up with her and she fell fast asleep. Neither Sarah nor Regina heard the front door creak open nor did either of them suspect Henry was sneaking out as the slept restlessly in their beds.
"Henry? Sarah?" Sarah woke the next morning to hear he mother's voice tearing through the house. What's he gotten us into this time? Tossing off the covers, she ran to the banister and called out for Regina.
"Mom?" Regina whipped her head up at the sound of her daughter's voice.
"Oh Sarah thank heavens, is Henry up there with you?"
"No." Sarah shook her head right away. "Isn't he in his room?"
"No, get dressed we're going to stop by the Sheriff's office before I bring you to school." Not wanting to cause any more trouble Sarah ran back to her room and dressed in the first clothes she could find. Her homework was collected from the desk and she raced down the steps. Without further instruction, Sarah followed Regina to the car, into the back seat and buckled up.
"Do you have any idea where he might've gone?" Regina asked from the review mirror.
"No, sorry." Sarah shook her head.
"That's alright sweetie." Regina said looking disappointed. "Wait here while I talk with the Sheriff alright?"
"Well what am I going to do, run away?" Sarah grumbled.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Regina growled before exiting the vehicle. Sarah watched carefully as her mother walked into the Storybrook Police office. Now's my chance. Sarah grabbed her backpack and ran from the car. She knew exactly where Henry would be and she wanted to find him before Regina and Sheriff Graham did. Maybe if she could get there first, she could convince her brother not to make so much of a fuss about home.
Regina was fuming. She was willing to let go the fact that Henry had not only talked his sister into run away with him, but he had also brought that woman back with him. She thought everything was fixed after the Swan had been sent on her way, but apparently not. Henry had no reason to run away this morning and when she found him...Just then Regina rounded to corner, nearing the Sheriff's office. Time to put on my sad mother act.
"Graham! Henry's run away again!" She called into the room frantically. "We have to..." But as Regina entered the room she caught sight of a particular blonde, boldly leaning on a jail cell door. "What is she doing here?" the distraught mother act was lost as Regina flipped to interrogation mode. "Do you know where he is?"
"Lady I haven't seen him since I dropped those kids off at your house." Emma agitatedly answered. This day just keeps getting better. Emma, who had just woken up in the jail cell, moaned to herself. "And I've got a pretty good alibi." Emma gestured to the walls that surrounded her.
"Well he wasn't in his room this morning. His sister and I have no idea where he's gone." Regina's eyes narrowed.
"Did you try his friends?" Emma suggested.
"He doesn't really have any." Regina snapped. "He's kind of a loner." She admitted reluctantly.
"Every kid has friends." Emma replied sadly. "Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone he might be e-mailing them."
"And you know this how?" Regina barked.
"Finding people is what I do." Emma shared. "Here's an idea, how about you guys let me out, and I'll find him."
"HENRY!" Sarah shouted from the base of the jungle gym castle where her brother was sulking.
"Go away!" he hollered back.
"Henry I want to talk, please can I come up." Henry listened and thought for a minute.
"You can talk from down there." He called back. Sarah thought very carefully about what she wanted to say before calling back to her brother.
"Henry, what I want to talk about shouldn't be over heard. I'm coming up." Because she was wearing dress shoes that school required, Sarah nearly slipped off the wooden ladder a few times as she climbed up to the top of the castle. Henry turned away the second his sister flopped down next to him.
"Look I know you left because of what I said last night...and so I wanted to say I was sorry."
"That's not the only reason I left." He now looked at her. "I meant what I said last night about everyone always liking you. It's not that Regina doesn't love us, she doesn't love me. you're her favorite, she's so nice to you. She lets you go to dance classes and have friends over but I can't have those things. I know you're mad that I made you look for Emma with me, but I though just once maybe someone would want me more than they wanted you." Listening to what Henry was saying made her think of things that Regina said or done for her in the past and Henry was right their mother didn't treat them equally. Now she understood why Henry had been so willing to believe in this curse. What Henry needed was people to believe in him
"Listen I know I've been a jerk the last week or so but I really am sorry. So I think instead of being mad at each other, we should focus on getting Emma to believe in this curse."
"You mean it, You're going to help me?"
"What are sisters for?" Sarah smiled offer her brother a hand. Henry smiled and slapped her a successful high five.
"There you two are!" Sarah and Henry glanced down to see Emma standing at the base of their castle tower. Henry looked disappointed at being discovered, but Sarah leaned over and whispered to him.
"Least she didn't bring the evil queen along. Maybe this is a good thing." Sarah then called back down to Emma. "Why don't you come up here so we can talk?"
"Up there?" Emma was apprehensive, but she knew there would be no way to get them down unless she went up there first. She wasn't surprised to find Henry here his teach Mary Margaret whatever had said that this is where the kid liked to go when he was upset. She was however surprised to see Sarah there. From the brief time spend with the kids Emma had gotten the impression that Henry was the rebellious one, but Sarah did what she was told. "What do you want to talk about?" Emma huffed from the top of the ladder.
"You might want to sit, we've got a lot to say." Sarah assured her.
"Oh kay..." Emma climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and wedged herself between the kids.
"I was hoping that when we brought you back, things would change here." Henry began. "I thought that by bringing you back, the final battle would begin."
"I'm not fighting any battles kid." Emma argued.
"Yes you are." Henry disagreed. "You are because it's your destiny. You're going to bring back the happy endings."
"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma growled.
"You don't have to be hostile." Sarah quipped.
"I know you like us." Henry continued. "I can tell. You're just pushing us away because we make you feel guilty." Emma was stunned into silence as she listened to Henry speak. Sarah was listening too, but Henry's words had changed something in her. She now had the answer, at least to one of her questions.
"It's ok." She told Emma. "We know why you gave us away." Emma raised her eyebrows at the girl. What did a ten year old know about adult choices like giving away a kid? As if sensing Emma's thoughts Sarah just smiled. "You wanted to give us our best chance." The three of them sat in silence as Emma choked back tears. She couldn't cry now, not in front of these two kids whose eyes shined with such hope.
"How do you know that?" She whispered. Sarah couldn't explain what had changed in her, not really, so she didn't have an answer for Emma's question, but Henry did.
"Same reason Snow White and Prince Charming gave you away."
"Listen kids." Emma began firmly. "I am not in any book, I am a real person and I'm no savior. But you're right about one thing, I wanted you to have your best chance and that's not with me. Come on let's go." So said suddenly before jumping off the top of the castle.
"Just stay with us for one week, that's all we're asking." Sarah called after her.
"I have to get you back to your mom!" Emma shrieked, unable to hold back tears.
"You don't know what it's like with her. My life sucks!" Henry yelled back at her.
"Oh you want to know what sucking is?" Emma burst as she was suddenly unable to control herself. "Being 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." Realizing what she was saying Emma took a deep breath to calm herself before climbing back up the ladder. Once there she looked at both kids. "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."
"You're parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway!" Henry insisted. "That's just where you came through!"
"What?" Emma was taken back.
"The wardrobe." Sarah explained only guessing what Henry was talking about. "When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street, your parents didn't leave you. They did it to try and save you from the curse."
"I thought you didn't believe in this curse?" Emma asked the little girl.
"I didn't at first." She admitted. "But well as you can see, Henry is persistent. Will you take us home?" She asked suddenly.
"Sure." Emma nodded not sure what brought on the change, but glad for it.
