Part 4

Their first morning in their new apartment started by a delivery man bringing them a great flat screen TV and all the equipment that came with it. It was a gift from M. Gold. There was a card with it saying it was a late birthday present for the two girls.

"We should go buy some groceries today, we don't have anything here..." Emma said thoughtfully after everything was set up.

"We'll go right after your walk with Henry." Bella nodded.

"When you go and see M. Gold today thank him for the TV but maybe you should inform him that you read more than watch TV before he invests in a big DVD collection..." Emma said with an amused smile later as they walked toward where they were meeting Henry.

"I will... Last night I called and made sure all of our things would get sent here from the apartment..." Bella informed her, wondering if her sister would get mad or be happy.

"Good."

"You're not mad? I didn't ask you if you wanted to stay longer or not..."

"Of course not. You know me better than I know myself sometimes and I know you're right. I can't leave now... When I gave Henry up I wanted to give him his best chance and now that I know he doesn't have it, I'm not going anywhere without him." Emma nodded.

.

The two young women walked Henry to his bus and once he was on it, they went to Granny's for some breakfast. In the newspaper, Emma's criminal past was printed on the front page for everyone to read.

"It's supposed to be sealed! Nobody should be able to see that!" Emma protested in anger.

"Regina really wants you out of here..." Bella sighted.

"I'm just glad Henry warned us and doesn't take this too badly..." Emma replied.

"She won't win Emma. Don't worry. Good will win this fight."

"Life isn't a fairy tale Bella...but you're right, I won't let her win this." Emma replied just as their breakfast was served.

"You spoke a long time with Mary-Margaret last night..." Bella started.

"Yes, she's easy to love and trust." Emma replied.

"Would it be so bad if she happened to be your mother?"

"No, not at all... Speaking of which, yesterday Henry said that a patient in a coma was her husband, my father, but that because of the curse they forgot... She agreed to read to him this afternoon... He thinks it will help him wake up... I figured that when it didn't work it would show him that this all fairy tale thing was just a story..." Emma explained.

"Emma... I believe in it also and I'm pretty sure that it will work. One day you will believe, you'll see." Bella assured her.

"I guess we'll see." Emma sighted.

"I'm going to go and buy some groceries, then I'll meet my father and spend the day with him... What about you? What are you going to do?" Bella asked her.

"I'll go and speak to Doctor Hopper for a while. I want to know what he thinks of Henry and if he thinks he's really happy with Regina. Then I'll join Mary-Margaret and her class at the hospital." Emma replied.

"Do you want to go shopping with me?"

"No, you go ahead, you're much better at grocery shopping than I am. If I go we'll have lots of sweets and no actual food." Emma smiled.

"True. Do you need anything else like shampoo or something else?" Bella asked her.

"No, I'm fine for now." Emma said as she finished her plate.

When they were done, they paid and each went their own way.

While Emma went to speak with Doctor Hopper, trying to convince him to be honest with her and not to let himself be controlled by Regina, Bella bought all the groceries they would need for the week. After dropping them off at their apartment, she walked all the way to her father's shop.

"Isabella! I thought you'd come much later. Didn't you want to sleep in for a bit?" He asked her.

"Emma had to meet Henry before he went to school and I went grocery shopping. I'm not much of a late sleeper." She smiled as he guided her to the back room of the shop.

"Is Emma ready to believe yet?" he asked her.

"Sadly no... But it might change by tomorrow..."

"How come?" He asked curiously.

"Henry told Emma and Mary-Margaret about a coma patient that he believes to be Prince Charming and convinced Mary-Margaret to read their story to him. He believes it will wake him up. Emma agreed because she figured that if it doesn't work then Henry will stop believing... I figured that when it works it will be a step up for Emma to believe." Bella explained.

"This kid is smart. Did you get my gift?" He asked her.

"Yes, thank you. It was very generous of you." She smiled.

"So, what do you want to do today?" He asked her.

"I figured we could simply talk about our lives but before we do I'd like us to agree to something... Kind of like a contract between us..." She asked shyly and blushing.

"Of course, anything you want... What is it you want?" He asked her.

He didn't know why but he already cared dearly about his daughter and he couldn't bare the thought of her getting hurt, especially by him.

"I'd like for us to swear we'll always be honest with each other, always tell each other the truth. I'm not stupid, I know that there are part of your past I won't like, that you did things I wouldn't approve off but I want us to swear we'll always be completely honest with each others." She asked him.

"Of course Isabella. I give you my word. I'll never lie to you, never hide anything from you." He promised and she knew, looking him in the eyes, that he would keep his word.

"In exchange I give you my word that I won't run. No matter what you tell me, I'll never run from you. I'll always have a second chance in store for you. I've been wanting a father for so long that I'm not about to leave you, no matter what." She replied, smiling softly.

"You're so much like your mother... I need to find out where Regina is keeping her..." he sighted.

"And we will. It won't be easy now because it looks like the entire town is spying for her but as soon as the curse breaks we'll be able to find her easily, you'll see." She promised.

"I know..."

"So, why don't you tell me more about yourself?" She asked him as he served her some tea.

"Where should I start?"

"I don't know... Your childhood? Anywhere you want..." She replied.

"I'll start by telling you a part of my story absolutely nobody knows about. It all started with my father trying to get rid of me by putting me in the care of two women..." He started and told her all there was to know about him, not hiding anything.

He told her how her father became Peter Pan, how he became a coward, how he lost Milah and he didn't hide the fact that he killed her because her confession had hurt him. He had never been this honest with anyone before and he knew that this was what Belle had expected from him all those years ago. He finished by telling her that he was planning on bringing magic back to Storybrook after the curse was broken so he could find her half brother.

"How do you know he's still alive? I mean if he arrived here he would be a couple of hundred years old by now..."

"He left a few months after coming here and went to Neverland...he spent about 2 hundred years there according to what I saw from the Seer... He's been back for about 20 years... Still according to what the sear showed me." He explained.

"You knew he'd come back here... That's why you created the curse and had it bringing everyone here." She realised.

"Yes...I hope he'll forgive me... He's the only deal I've ever broken in my entire life and everything I've done ever since was so I could find him again and make up for it... All I want is a chance to tell him I love him." He said, standing up to look out the window.

Bella stood and went to put her hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry dad, I'm sure he'll forgive you, even if it takes some time. I'll even go with you to find him if you want. I'm sure I can try to talk some sense into him. You can ask Emma, I'm pretty good at convincing people." She smiled.

"Thank you... Now come on, it's almost one and you must be hungry. I'll cook you something." He offered.

"You can cook?"

"Of course. Don't you?" He asked her.

"Oh yes, I can cook. It's a good thing too because if it was up to Emma we'd live on take outs all the time." She chuckled.

"Well, today I'm cooking for you." He offered.

"I'd love that."

"Now I told you everything there was to know about me, it's time you returned the favor Isabella."

"Just Bella please... I don't like Isabella much..." She replied.

"Bella then... Bella...Belle... Like mother like daughter it would seem." he smiled as she sat at his kitchen counter and started to talk about her life with Emma, telling him everything she could think of.

When she was done, she asked him if he'd tell her more about her mother and so he did. The more he spoke and the more Bella understood how much like her mother she was and it pleased her. Even if she never met her mother, at least she'd have that. He even showed her the chipped cup he treasured so much and the story made her smile. It was a very sweet one.

When the big clock of the shop rang 5 PM, Bella jumped. She hadn't noticed that so much time had passed. They had been talking all day long and she hadn't been expecting this much time to have passed already.

"You have to go?" he asked her.

"I do... I have an advise column due back tomorrow and I need to finish it." She replied, standing up.

"Before you go, I have something else to confess to you... I feel it's important that you know..." He started.

"What is it dad?"

"There's a young woman in town, Ashley Boyd, she's Cinderella back in our world. She's pregnant and I have a contract with her so she'll give me her child. I don't need it of course. I did this only because according to what the seer showed me, Emma, the savior, would convince Ashley to keep her child and ask me to let her out of her contract... It was one way for her to owe me a favor..."

"Why would you need for Emma to owe you a favor?" Bella asked, confused.

"So she'd help me find Baelfire." he replied.

"Okay... I understand. Emma's really good at finding people... I won't tell her and when it happens I'll let her know that you'll probably agree to break the contract...just... be honest and tell her that in exchange for breaking the contract you want Emma to help you find someone later." Bella asked him.

"If you think it's best, I'll do as you wish." he agreed with a nod.

"Thank you... I'll go now... I need to finish this column on time if I want to be paid." Bella told him before hugging him and walking out of the shop.

Bella went directly to her new apartment and turned her lap top on before she started to work, happy about this wonderful day with her father. She hadn't been too happy about every part of his story, she really felt bad for Hook who had lost Milah but she also understood that he had been hurt and focused on finding Baelfire... You can't always control your actions or your emotions.

Around 11 pm, when Emma still wasn't back, Bella called her and Emma told her she had simply forgotten to call her. The coma patient had woken up and walked out of the hospital when nobody was looking and now they were in the woods, looking for him with the sheriff. She assured Bella that they didn't need her help and that she would be back soon.

Bella smiled. Henry's plan had work and she could guess that the wheels were turning in Emma's head. Making a mental note to have a talk with Henry the next day, Bella closed the book she was reading and had borrowed from her father and she went to bed, leaving some food out for Emma later.

.

The next morning, Emma told Bella how the coma patient was David Nolan and had lost his memories. He was apparently married but Emma found the entire story suspicious and felt bad for Mary-Margaret who obviously was attracted to the poor man.

"...And Graham offered me a job as his deputy." Emma finished.

"Wow, what a night you had! What did you tell him?" Bella asked her.

"I said I'd think about it. He expects an answer by tomorrow."

"Are you going to accept?"

"I don't know... It would definitely piss of Regina so that's a plus...and it would be nice to have roots... I'll think about it today. How was your day yesterday?"

"Great, everything went very well. We talked all day. Today I'll probably go and work on my next article in his shop, just to spend time with him." She replied.

"Okay. I have to do a load of laundry. Ruby told me that I could use the washing machines at the Bed and Breakfast. Do you have things you need cleaned?"

"I do, thank you." Bella replied before handing her sister the laundry she needed cleaned.

That day ended with Emma agreeing to help Gold finding the person he was looking for if he let Ashley Boyd off her contract and let her keep her baby. He didn't tell Emma who this person was or when he would need her but in the end, everyone was happy and Henry even got a confirmation from Emma that she wouldn't leave, even that she would take the job as Deputy of the handsome Sheriff.

"Regina won't like it at all... What did Graham say when you told him that?" Bella asked her.

"He confessed that he was having an affair with her and that he had a hard time breaking it off... It was weird... he said he couldn't feel anything when he was with her and that maybe hiring me would upset her so much she'd let him go." Emma replied.

"Is it the only reason he gave you the job then?" Bella asked.

"I asked him this actually and he assured me that he believed I would be in my element there. He wasn't lying, I could feel it."

"How do you feel about the whole him and Regina thing?"

"I truly don't know... All I know is that he was saying the truth when he said he couldn't feel anything... Well it's his life..." Emma replied, trying to make it look like she didn't care when they both knew that she did.

.

Over the next few days, not much progress was make in the process of breaking the curse but Graham and Emma ended up kissing.

He had been invited in their apartment to eat dinner and watch a movie, along with Mary-Margaret and M. Gold. The good teacher had already left and he was about to leave also when he gathered his courage and kissed the young woman. If he was the one who initiated the kiss, Emma quickly got into it and started kissing him back, allowing herself to open up to someone who wasn't Bella.

Once the kiss was over, he stumbled back, shocked, his eyes wide open.

"I...I remember..." He said.

"Remember what?" Emma asked him, confused.

"She broke his curse..." Gold exclaimed.

"Like True Love's kiss?" Bella asked.

"No, not really. Emma is the product of True Love so technically it is True Love's kiss but it doesn't mean that what is between them is True Love." He explained.

"What?" Emma was shocked, surprised and not willing to believe.

"Regina still has my heart, she's still controlling me with it... I need to get it back!" he exclaimed, standing straighter, ready for a fight.

"Oh come on, don't tell me that you actually believe this story! Come on!" The doubtful young woman exclaimed.

"Emma, please believe me... I know what we'll do. Tomorrow we look for his heart and if by tomorrow night we can't show you his magical heart, then I'll stop trying to make you believe." Bella begged her sister, looking her in the eyes.

"Fine... How are you planing on doing this?" Emma asked, knowing that there was no point on arguing.

"Regina has to be keeping this in her vault... I know where it is. We could ask Henry to keep her busy and away from there. We'll break in her vault, find the heart and put it back in." Gold suggested.

"Can we even put it back in if there isn't magic around?" Bella asked worriedly.

"I can do it." Her father assured her.

.

The next morning, they explained everything to Henry who was very excited about this new mission for Operation Cobra. He immediately agreed to keep Regina busy and he even agreed to wear a bug so they could hear if she ever decided to come back earlier.

"Won't you need her keys though?" He asked them.

"Don't worry, I won't need keys, I know how to break in." Gold assured him.

They agreed to do it after school and Graham managed to hide from Regina the fact that he now remembered who he was.

After school, Henry managed to look into his mother's office for a while before leaving with her and he made sure to say in the bug that the heart wasn't in her office. He wanted to do everything he could and he wanted his mother to be proud of him.

At 5 pm, they all met in front of Regina's vault and Gold managed to break the lock quickly. Without any magic around, there wasn't much protection on it and it was rather easy. They quickly guessed that the stone grave needed to be pushed aside and did it before they walked down the stone stairs.

"It's here, I can feel it." Graham assured them.

"How will we know which one it it?" Bella asked as Emma and her looked all around.

"Don't worry, without any magic around, the only way a heart will shine will be if it's held either by the one who ripped it off or by the owner of the heart. He'll simply have to touch them all." Her father explained before they all started opening the boxes that were against the wall.

One by one, they opened them all and Emma was forced to believe everything was true when suddenly, one of them light up in Graham's hand.

"That's the one, I can feel it... It's like I'm free once more." He sighted with relief.

"Let's put it back in then before Regina busts our asses and sends us all in jail, or worst." Bella declared.

"I... It's true then... Everything?" Emma asked.

"Yes deary, everything is true." Mister Gold replied before he grabbed the heart and gently pushed it back in Graham's body.

"Thank you!" Graham told them all.

"Will she be able to take it again?" Graham asked Gold.

"Not while there is no magic around and after the curse is broken, before I bring magic back I'll warn you and right after I'll put a protection on you, this way she won't be able to get to it again." The Dark One promised, making the Huntsman realize just how much things had changed for the once evil man.

"Wait, before we leave shouldn't we look around a bit?" Bella asked.

"What do you mean Bell?" Emma asked her.

"Well, I mean, it's the Evil Queen's vault... Maybe there's something in here that we could use or that we could take before she uses it against us..." She explained.

"Usually I'd agree with you but Regina just dropped Henry off at her house before telling him she was going to her father's grave. We need to go before she arrives." Gold explained.

Indeed, he had a headphone in his ear so he could keep track on Regina.

They all hurried out of the vault and managed to leave before she arrived.

Graham invited them all for dinner at Granny's to celebrate their small victory and Emma believing.

"Shouldn't the curse be broken now that I believe in everything?" Emma asked.

"Believing isn't enough deary. You need to give someone the True Love's kiss." Gold explained.

"True Love? I need to fall in love?" Emma asked, knowing that this would be harder than she had expected.

"No, you need to kiss someone that you truly love, someone that will never leave your life. Someone you will never forget, never betray..." He tried to explain.

"So if I kiss Bella now I'll break the curse?" Emma asked him.

"I'd pay to see that!" Graham joked.

"I'm afraid it can't be that easy. You've loved and trusted Bella from the beginning. It needs to be someone you've worked hard to welcome in your life. Think of it like a challenge, you need to work for it." He added.

"I guess it makes sense. If True Love was easy we'd all have it." Graham said as he sat down with beers for everyone.

"So I need to work hard to welcome in my life someone that will never leave it but it doesn't have to be someone I'm in love with..." Emma summarized.

"Exactly." Gold nodded.

"It's good there isn't a time limit to this curse then." Bella muttered.

"Hey! At least I've been in love before, which is more than I can say about you." Emma protested with a teasing smile.

"Yeah well, it's not my fault if I simply never felt that much for anyone..."

"You've never been in love?" Her father asked her.

"No... I think that deep down I'm waiting for the perfect one... I've never even been kissed...that way I mean. I mean I did give kisses at a stand once for charity... One dollar a kiss, but it was just pecks on the lips..." Bella blushed.

"But she's been pretty popular with teenage boys in high school. At some point when we were teenagers we were sent for 3 summers in a row to camp in a town called Forks... Bella was miss popular there." Emma teased.

"Really? And nobody was to your taste?" Graham asked.

"Well, let's see... There was Mike Newton... Emma and I liked to call him my human Labrador... he was always following me, and his behavior reminded me of a faithful dog..." Bella explained, making everyone chuckle.

"Then there was Edward Cullen... She did have kind of a crush on him." Emma added.

"But I forced myself not to fall for him, he was too weird... He never went out when it was sunny, his eyes seemed to change colors and he was always lying... I felt that there was something dangerous about him and that if I got closer it would get in the way of something greater so I forced myself not to feel." Bella explained.

"Wise choice." Gold nodded.

"Yes, Bella always listened to her instincts... Even when it gets her a broken fist like it did when another of her admirer, Jacob Black, tried to kiss her." Emma chuckled at the memory.

"I remember that... He was a good friend and I told him repeatedly that I didn't feel anything more than friendship for him but he still tried to kiss me..." Bella said.

"He was convinced that once he kissed her she would be in love with him." Emma laughed.

"Yeah well, his lips weren't even on mine when I kneed him in the privates and punched his jaw... I broke my fist but he stayed away from me after that." Bella blushed at the thought.

"Well, a father is always happy to learn that his daughter can defend herself." Gold declared pridefully.

"To be fair, I don't know how I would have escaped a few of these boys if it wasn't for Emma... I remember one time... Mike and one of his friend Tyler, were trying to get me to agree to go with them to this dance... They were arguing and fighting, refusing to let me go until I chose one of them... Thankfully Emma arrived... She kicked their asses, well she threatened to and it was enough... 'It's all fun and games until one of you gets my foot up your ass' she told them... Obviously they believed her because they ran faster than I had seen anyone run before..." Bella chuckled, making Emma blush for once.

"They were morons." Emma justified.

"So, was that it?" Graham asked.

"Oh no, far from it but they were the most...persistent ones... For those 3 summers Bella was a very popular girl... It's a wonder how she managed to keep her first kiss for herself." Emma explained.

"Well, it's not my fault... I want my first kiss to go to someone special... I'm glad I don't have to go back to that place, ever. Forks was litteraly my personnal hell on earth." Bella blushed.

"Well, who knows, maybe you'll meet your prince here." Graham said before he raised his glass to the people who had helped him find his heart again.

As they celebrated, they looked to the side and saw Mary-Margaret who seemed to be on a date with Doctor Whale. Emma frowned when they left together. If she really was her mother then she hoped that they weren't about to do what she thought they were but she decided to brush those thoughts aside. If the fairy tales were true then it meant that Love always found a way and just like Mary Margaret told her before, if two people are meant to be together, they found a way.

When they went back home, Emma and Graham agreed to give each other a chance and to try and go on an official date. They were mature enough that if it didn't work they could stay friends and if it worked out, he might end up being the one Emma broke the curse with.

I hope you liked it. This was my way of integrating some other Twilight characters... What do you think?

Review?

Lorelei Candice Black